Spent $800 on a self-leveling post hole digger attachment

Picked up one of those hydraulic auger attachments for my mini excavator last spring. First 50 holes were perfect, then it started drifting on slopes and bent two shafts. Is the convenience worth the headache or should I stick with manual digging on rough ground?

2 comments

2 Comments

milesrobinson1mo ago

Heard a soil engineer talking about this exact problem on a jobsite last month. Said those self-levelers just can't handle any kind of rock or hard clay on a slope, the hydraulics fight themselves and snap stuff. For $800 you're basically paying for a fancy toy that works on perfect flat ground only. I'd say keep it for flat jobs but go back to manual on anything with more than a 5 degree slope. Saves your shafts and your temper.

mitchell.daniel1mo ago

Stop acting like a bent shaft is a death sentence for an $800 tool. I've seen guys beat the hell out of way more expensive gear and get it working again with some basic welding and a grinder. You're acting like one little slope is gonna send the whole rig to the junkyard. For real, just keep a spare shaft in the truck and run it till it snaps. If it lasts 50 holes on flat ground that's already paid for itself compared to digging by hand with a shovel and a bad back. The whole "soil engineer" angle sounds like some overthinking nonsense too. These are simple machines, not rocket surgery. Go fix the thing and get back to work.