The Forestry Forum
General Forestry => Alternative methods and solutions => Topic started by: Joe Hillmann on August 25, 2023, 11:45:03 AM
I need to dig a bunch of 6 foot deep post holes. I can dig down to 4 feet fairly easy with normal hand tools: shovel, digging bar and post hole digger.
The last two feet is very hard to get the dirt out.
So I came up with this.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/35805/20230825_103012.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1692977908)
I am using a shaft sticking out of my winch as a capstan to lift then drop the pipe into the hole. The dirt gets stuck in the pipe.
After a few drops I pull it out of the hole and pound out the dirt stuck in the pipe.
It is slow going but it works.
It would go faster if I had a narrower and much heavier pipe. And if we weren't in the middle of a drought with rock hard soil.
I tried adding water to a half finished hole to soak overnight. On the first drop the pipe sunk in 10 inches and got stuck because of suction. I broke my rope trying to pull it out.
Quite the "invention" there. Hope you get a video of it working and getting the job done.
Growing up using a manually operated post hole auger, and seeing a neighbor auger in a 40' well hole with one, it would be my recommendation.