Augers are made for making holes in the ground. If your project needs some holes made in the ground to install some fence posts, deck post, solar panel post, tree planting then the auger might be the answer. For the mini excavator auger, it would be best if there will be a need to make multiple holes of the same diameter. This way there will be maximum efficiency.
The components of a Mini Excavator auger attachment
The hydraulic auger attachments have a drive unit also known as head, and the focus here is to convert the pressure and flow of your hydraulics into torque and rotation. On the mini excavator the auger drive unit gets mounted instead of the digging bucket with the help of the auger mounting brackets. Some auger mounting brackets offer a “cradle” function for the auger drive to stop the auger assembly from swinging when excavator is in motion. Auger drills of the required size get attached to the auger drive directly or with the use of an adapter. If the depth of the required holes is larger than the drill bits length, an extension adapter can be placed between the drill and the auger drive. To power the auger, your excavator will have to be equipped with two-way auxiliary hydraulics as the auger has to be able to spin in both clockwise and counterclockwise directions. Finally, a set of hydraulic hoses is required to connect the auger head to the auxiliary hydraulics.
Types of Mini Excavator auger bits
You can find a multitude of auger bits on the market for your mini excavator, all of which can fit different tasks. Here you have a list with the most common auger options on the market.
- Standard duty: single flight augers are great for situations where the soil conditions are light. They can be up to 4 feet long.
- Double flight augers: are also very common, they are similar to the previous option, yet they are able to move dirt from the hole much faster. You can use them in light-moderate drilling difficulties.
- Aggressive duty double flight augers: are the better option if you need a tougher drilling application. Teeth are held at a very aggressive angle, so you can easily drill into cobble mixes, frozen soil, even heavy clay.
- Tree augers : are suitable planting trees and other landscaping tasks.
- Heavy duty rock augers: come with a carbide bullet teeth system to drill into concrete and soft rock
- High torque rock augers: come with carbide bullet teeth. They are designed to drill into solid rock. Mini excavators will be able to use only small diameters of such drills.
What jobs can the Mini Excavator auger be used for?
As mentioned above augers make holes in the ground. Digging holes can be required for the following projects:
- Fencing: when you need to install multiple large posts directly into the ground.
- Deck construction: when you need to install deck support beams
- Tree planting: when you need to dig a hole for the young tree.
In addition to the above common auger uses, mini excavator auger can be used for:
- Tree stump removal: with the help of the stump planner connected to the auger drive your mini excavator will be able to grind away tree stump with no need to dig them out
- Wood splitting: wood splitter cone attached to your auger drive will be able to split wood and tree stumps
- Helical pile installation: Depending on the torque of your auger drive, there is a possibility of even being able to install helical piles for foundation support.
What Mini Excavator auger drill bit size to pick?
To make your job most efficient, it is best to use the auger drill bit that is the closed to the required hole diameter. This will eliminate the need for excessive back filling if the hole is too large. Common mini excavator auger drill diameters and their potential uses are listed below:
- 2" : planting and seeding
- 4" : planting and seeding
- 6" : steel posts up to 2.5” in diameter
- 8" : 4x4 post
- 9" : 4x4 post
- 10" : 6x6 post
- 12" : 6x6 post
- 15" : Tree planting
- 16" : Tree planting
- 18" : Tree planting
The auger drill size will differ based on what type of work you need to do. If you need to install square post, then you need to keep in mind the largest width of the post, which will be the length of the diagonal plus the thickness of the concrete that is required to be around the post. That is why for a 6x6 post, that has actual size of 5.5” by 5.5” you will need an auger drill larger than 7.78” (length of diagonal) if no concrete is used. If concrete will be poured, then a 10” to 12” auger drill will be most likely used.
How can you pick the best Mini Excavator auger attachment for your needs?
A good idea is to always focus on assessing the mini excavator and its specifics. The auger attachment will need to fit your excavator, so check the following:
- PSI and GPM: Generally, the auger heads are working within certain pressure and flow ranges. For the most part, you will have the auger drive units that have a GPM of 5-35 and the PSI should be around 1500 to 3500.
- Size of the mounting bracket: make sure that mounting bracket required for the auger drive unit matches your excavator specification. In some cases it is possible to use spacers if the mounting bracket is smaller.
- Hydraulic hoses fitting sizes: make sure that auger hoses will fit the 2-way auxiliary hydraulics of your excavator. Potentially fitting adapters can be used, but extra caution should be taken if size of the auger houses is different from your excavator auxiliary as it could have pressure and max flow impact
Mini Excavator Auger, Conclusion
Buying an auger attachment for your mini excavator can enable you to take on new types of projects like fencing, foundations, tree planting and stump removal. To make sure that you pick the right auger for your needs, feel free to contact JoyT5 for a consultation and to learn more about JoyT5’s auger selection. We are Calgary, Alberta based and ship mini excavator attachments all actors Canada.
If you are interested in purchasing an Auger for your mini excavator, contact us today to learn more about our selection of high-quality mini excavator augers.
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