If you've ever spent a weekend wrestling with a manual clamshell digger, you understand exactly why an atv post hole digger is a total game-changer with regard to property owners. There is a very specific type of exhaustion that arrives from hitting a hidden root or a stubborn rock two feet down whenever you're doing this simply by hand. Simply by the time you can the third or fourth hole, your own shoulders are screaming, and you recognize you've still got forty more to go for that brand-new paddock fence. That's usually the time most people choose it's time to stop punishing themselves and start looking with regard to a mechanical answer.
Using a good ATV or a good UTV as your primary workhorse with regard to fencing the ton of sense. Many of us that have some a large plot already have a quad sitting in the shed, and it's much more perky than the usual full-sized tractor. While a tractor with a PTO-driven auger is really a beast, it's also heavy, expensive, and can leave several pretty nasty ruts in your grass in case the ground is even slightly moist. An atv post hole digger setup allows you to get into tight sides, navigate between trees, and get the particular job done with out feeling like you've been through a professional wrestling match.
Why the Tow-Behind Design Wins
When you begin looking at these types of machines, you'll notice that most of all of them aren't actually installed to the shelves of the ATV. Instead, they're generally designed as the tow-behind trailer unit. There's reasonable for this. An ATV is relatively lighting, and when you were to mount a high-torque auger straight to the framework, you'd run directly into some serious balance issues. If that bit catches upon a heavy root, you don't need that torque moving directly into your own handlebars or flicking the machine.
The tow-behind products have their own devoted engine—usually a 4-stroke gas motor—and their own chassis. You just hitch this to the golf ball in your quad plus pull it to the spot. Once you're there, you unhook it or even use the built-in leveling jacks, as well as the machine does the heavy lifting. This particular design also indicates you aren't placing unnecessary wear and tear on your ATV's transmission or engine. The quad is just the taxi; the digger is usually the specialist.
Navigating Different Garden soil Types
One particular thing you'll understand pretty quickly is the fact that not all grime is established equal. When you're lucky enough to live somewhere with soft, sandy loam, an atv post hole digger will sink into the surface just like a hot cutlery through butter. You can probably knock out a hole every sixty mere seconds. But for the rest of us dealing with "real world" dirt—clay, shale, or that lovely mix of "soil and random stones"—things get a little more interesting.
The beauty of a powered auger is the particular steady pressure it applies. Many of these units allow you in order to occurs own entire body weight or perhaps a handle system to keep the particular bit moving downwards. If you strike a small rock, the machine usually offers enough "oomph" in order to kick it away of the method or grind past it. If you hit a large 1, well, no device is magic, yet at least a person aren't the a single feeling the jar in your elbows.
Picking the particular Right Auger Dimension
A lot of people get an atv post hole digger with a 6-inch or 9-inch little bit, and that covers about 90% associated with what you'll actually have to do. A 6-inch hole is perfect for T-posts or small garden levels. If you're investing in 4x4 or 6x6 wooden posts to get a serious fence, you'll want that 9-inch or even a 12-inch bit.
Keep in mind that the particular bigger the bit, the more power you will need. If you're thinking about digging 12-inch holes in heavy, wet clay, make sure the engine on your digger is about the task. Most of the standard 200cc-ish motors handle a 9-inch bit just great, but they may bog down just a little if you proceed much wider in tough conditions.
The Manueverability Advantage
I've seen guys try in order to get a tractor into a wooded area to repair a fence collection, and it's a nightmare. You're continuously worried about overhead branches or clipping a tree with the rear tire. A good ATV is various. It's narrow, it's agile, and this can go just about anywhere you may walk.
This maneuverability is a lifesaver when you're focusing on bumpy terrain or along a perimeter that's overgrown with clean. You can zip the atv post hole digger right up to the line, fall the bit, and move to the following one in a fraction of the time it will take to reposition a larger vehicle. Plus, if you're functioning alone, it's a lot easier to hop off the quad and line up the digger as opposed to the way it is in order to climb in plus out of the tractor cab 20 times an hour.
Maintenance plus Keeping It Working
Like any item of outdoor strength equipment, these things require a little like to bear them through becoming an expensive paperweight. Since the atv post hole digger lives a pretty violent life—spinning the steel screw to the earth isn't specifically "light duty"—you've got to stay on best of the fat points.
The gearboxes upon these units have a lot of temperature and friction. Nearly all have grease zerk fittings, and a person should be hitting those every few hours of make use of. You'll also would like to keep an eye on the particular cutting teeth at the bottom of the auger bit. Once those get dull or chipped, the machine needs to work twice simply because hard to do half the work. Most bits have replaceable the teeth, which is a lot cheaper compared to purchasing a whole fresh auger.
And don't your investment engine. Since these aren't usually used each day, the greatest enemy is stagnant fuel. If it's going to sit in the barn regarding six months between projects, run several fuel stabilizer by means of it or deplete the tank completely. There's nothing more frustrating than getting all your fencing materials delivered only to find out the digger's carburetor is usually gummed up.
Safety First (For Real)
We've all heard it before, but it bears repeating: call before you dig. Even if you're out in the center of a "private" field, you'd end up being surprised where outdated power lines or even water pipes might be buried. Catching an underground energy with an atv post hole digger is a good excellent way to turn a successful Saturday into the very expensive plus potentially dangerous catastrophe.
Also, be careful about your footing. These devices have a lot of torque. When the bit catches and the device kicks, you don't want your lower-leg anywhere near the particular rotating parts. Many modern units possess a "dead man" change or a centrifugal clutch that prevents the bit the moment you allow go of the particular throttle, which is usually a feature a person absolutely want to have.
Is usually It Worth the particular Investment?
If you're just setting up four posts for any mailbox, you may too just rent a handheld device for your afternoon. But if you own home and you're constantly fixing fences, planting trees, or developing outbuildings, an atv post hole digger will pay for by itself pretty quickly.
Whenever you factor in the cost of renting a machine many times, plus the hassle of hauling it back again and forth in order to the rental lawn, owning your own begins to look such as a very intelligent move. It provides a person the freedom to operate at your own pace. You can dig five openings on a Wednesday evening when a person have an hour of daylight left, instead than trying to cram a substantial project into a single local rental window.
At the finish of the day, it's about functioning smarter. Your back again will thank a person, your fence will certainly be straight, and you'll have some energy left over to enjoy your real estate after the work is usually done. There's a certain satisfaction in looking back in a long line of perfectly spaced, flawlessly vertical holes plus knowing you didn't have to break your own spirit to obtain them there.