CountyLine Post Hole Digger - Review and first use 

This is the type of guy I like to buy used equipment from. It’s like new, never been abused, the guy takes care of his stuff.

To avoid drilling at an angle, move the tractor until the tip of the auger is touching where you want it. Then back the tractor up until the auger is vertical.

Hey Pete, The best way I have found to plant your trees is to put 3 holes in a triangle shape leaving a pad in the middle to set the tree on. Remove just enough dirt from the pad to make the top of the tree root ball level with the ground. Mix potting soil. or top soil or what you choose to ues in a 50/50 mix with your soil and fill the three holes, this gives the roots a place to grow deep to get water and cool temperature. I get amazing growth after the second or third year depending on tree type. Thanks for your videos. GOD Bless Earl

Thanks for the video. That was easy digging soil. One tip to clear the hole a little better is to stop the auger at the bottom of the hole as a last step and draw it out without spinning so the flights carry the dirt out.

I have recently bought this and about to use it. After watching your nice video, I am comfortable to get started without having to read the manual. Thanks

Once you are ready to start drilling, set the point of the auger where you want to have the post hole, then get the auger vertical before engaging the PTO, by backing your tractor until it is vertical and engage the PTO. Your video is good, but you drilled both holes on an angle. You made some good points about safety, thanks for sharing Pete

I’m glad I watched this. No one told me to get gear oil and I am picking it up tomorrow. Great video.

Thank you Pete; I'm about to use my 12-inch auger for the first time, a little nervous and this helped me to know what to expect. Like if mine was wobbling and making noise like yours did right at the end of the dig, I would have freaked out. My soil is opposite, sand here in Florida. You're a great instructor!

Excellent video,. just bought one of these. Took notes - very detailed. Hard to imagine how there could be 72 fools who gave a thumbs down - just proves there are 72 dummies out there. Nice job.

Great video, especially for newcomers. One thing to add to the comments and maybe I missed it.....make sure to grease the driveline fittings as well while you are checking the gear oil. I see some bad comments about County Line. I own a County Line auger, tiller and brush hog. All have worked from day one and have not given me any trouble. The auger sometimes doesn't perform well, but that is because my ground is like a sandstone ridge in places. If I hit good soil it goes in well. Also, as in the other comments, I drill a bunch of holes for a tree and include a piece of 4" perforated leach line into each hole, away from the tree. I then put a PVC cap with two holes on top of the vertical leach line, one for a drip line and one for a vent and the trees seem to do well. I do surface water at the tree with two heads per tree as well Thanks for taking the time to share with us..

Thanks for the video,I am ordering a unit from tractor Supply and it was nice to see set up and use.

Although the balance of your new rig looks really good, I would suggest you begin each new boring with the pilot point of the auger in or on the ground. You will be much safer, will have better control and will hit your target point much more accurately. Just the remaining dirt on the auger spirals can cause an out of balance issue resulting in the auger to spin around wildly. Looks like a well-built rig doing what it's suppose to. Congratulations! Many happy "borings" to come.

Very good Demonstration Mr. Pete. I've been needing a Post hole digger for my farm and didn't know which brand to buy. You just convinced me. You were very though in your Assembly and Demonstration so I could understand it. Thank you. I look forward to more videos. God Bless. Andy, NC.

To dig the hole straight you might have to back the tractor up just a little when starting the hole because of the way it sets on the back. Looks great. I have to have one. Great review. Vinny

Thanks for putting in the time to make this video. I was unsure of the quality of the TS countyline but for what i am going to do ( farm use ) it looks like the ticket. Thanks Pete

When you reach the bottom of the hole depth stop the auger then lift it out of the hole then spin it to remove the dirt . That works for me without having to hand dig out as much dirt

I believe the center heim joint is loose because you can rotate it and choose between two pin sizes.

Pete, thanks for the video! Regarding the "slop" on the top link ball. I have a Rhino L200 which has identical boom design and has very little play; I would call it same as the lower arms on my Kubota L3240 3-point. Recommendation - recognizing this video is about 9 months old and you may have realized it by now... your Mahindra is a tall tractor thus to have the auger more perpendicular (plumb) to the ground, need to adjust the connection point on the boom, looks like 1 hole towards the gearbox would do. This will also help keeping the debris out of the hole. As the auger was going down at an angle, the pulling out cases debris to fall back in.

Very Informative and detailed review Pete.. As I always say.. You make tough work look Very simple. :) A big Thumps up.... :) I am from India. But I don`t know how I landed up watching your channel... Awesome Videos :) God Bless You.. Be safe and Healthy.

I bought the CountyLine post hole digger and it worked grate for me. One problem I had was the bit getting stuck in my rocky soil. My B series Kubota didn't have the power to lift it up, and you can't put PTO in reverse. I solved this by disconnecting the drive shaft at the tractor, and using it as a pry bar to rotate the bit in reverse. Easy peasy!

It does the job it’s designed for. Not a bad price either. I was thinking like 1500 when I first started watching. Save a lot of time and energy putting in a fence or planting Trees. Probably take on a small job and pay for itself in no time. I am impressed with the torque also as you can tell that is pretty tuff stuff. Looked like if you did it after a rain it would not be so hard. Great detail and I feel Like I could buy one and never look at the manual.

When you learn how to dig a hole, you will find by stopping the auger when it's down in the hole, then bring it up, you can drive away with much of the rubble. Good luck.

Kick up those RPMs. You can still "take it easy" with the 3 point and sling the auger clear of dirt at the same time.

Good vid. great. Sometimes not so much. Going slow like this is real calculated risk. Generally, you want to sink it down at the speed the auger will bore, and pull it up as fast as you can multiple times, all with the auger spinning MUCH faster. That will spin the material out and keep it from dropping back down the hole. Also, it will help the auger orient correctly (vertical) and hopefully keep it from binding up and either stopping (and shearing the pin) or or worse breaking the gear box in the auger unit, or worst yet, breaking something in the tractor. I'm pretty sure this Gent, knows what he was doing and was trying to ascertain whether the gear box was good and it would "spin true". But for most always, get it perpendicular to the ground or a few degrees toward the tractor., get the tip in the ground, put the tractor in neutral (this will plumb the hole) turn the rpm up much higher, let it bore, and keep raising it out to expell as much material as possible. Great vid. Thank you Sir. Subb'd

I also have the same one. I purchased about 4 years ago and have used it more times than i can count. I have replace the point and blades but no other issues. My TSC store doesn't carry the cutting blades in stock so I order several at a time. I have lots of clay and rock here in Central West GA. Thanks for the video.

I have to say.....very good video. First one I've watched of yours and 👍. I'm now a subscriber. Good work !

Not a farmer,city boy here. Just checking on my stock TSCO Bough in December 2019 at $82.32. Nice video.

Thanks for a great video Pete. I’ve been looking at this little auger for a while and now think my little Kabota can handle this with the 6” auger. Terrific job!

Mark, yes, but easier said than done. That would require either recreating the attachment point on the new top end, or cutting out a section between the top of the spiral cutter and the attachment point and welding it back together. There are also possible issues with the top of the spiral cutter being closer to the boom.

the hole digger is nice to have it will eventually wear out where the lower brace connects by bolt to the upper arm they will start to spread apart i have beat mine back together several times in going to weld some additional bracing on them. I have the same one, I've done over 600 fence posts and 50 trees around our property with it with a 12" and 6" auger, I live in south east Texas it all clay down here, get some extra shear bolts. BTW nice tractor.

Excellent video as usual. Glad you took the time and commented on the hazards of this implement. My next door neighbor was pushing on an auger while drilling post holes while someone else ran the tractor and caught his jeans on the auger. It literally pulled is jeans off him and in the process de-gloved his penis. These things can be useful and dangerous.

I have the same auger. Mine has sat a while and there was water in the gearbox. It was clear but I am going to inspect the bearings. The drive shaft side seal popped out and I guess that is how the water got in. I am going to remove the pinion and see if the bearings are toast or not. The sheet metal guards are going away since they block access to the stuff I want to remove.

You don't want the auger spinning while it's hanging free. Gotta drop the point in without spinning and then back up just a hair so your bore hole isn't angled backwards, then once it's straight, engage the pto. Then go down half way and back up just a hair again. Also, the auger is rated at 540rpms, which is usually at 2400rpm engine speed. You should run the engine up to at least 1800rpms though so it has enough power to cut the dirt and enough speed to expel it from the hole.

Very nice video. Thank you for sharing it. It was very informative and well thought out.

where are the 'anti spin' safety chains for the drive shaft the universals on the drive shaft need to be greased need to check full range of the 'lift' to assure the drive shaft does not get bound/ruined when starting the hole digging process, need to get the tip ['just' into the ground, then back the tractor just a 'bit' so the hole will be vertical. When drilling, need to lift the auger up regularily/often to 1) clear the hole and 2) to avoid the auger getting enough 'bite' to pull itself down

Great and detailed review. I decided to go with the Everythingattachments post hole digger rather than the Tractor Supply because I felt the EA was a higher quality piece of equipment. I have several County Line implements and they do fine for light/medium duty but I am less than confident in their PTO implements. My old digger, of unknown origin, was pretty well trashed. Everything attachments costs about $100 more than TS so if you are only going to use it occasionally the TS is just fine. EA has more adjustments which is good because I use the digger with three different tractors.

You ought to make a holder for the digger where a spare auger blade can be stored. You could easily switch between sizes in the field. You ought to carry a couple of spare shear bolts as well.

Thanks for the demo. I have a need for one, going to pick one up.

Good review Pete, that will be a handy attachment to have . I wonder if higher rpm would throw the clumps clear of the hole.?

M and B Beat me to it, faster too helps, you don't need to worry much about the shear pin unless you are getting into rocks! Then slow down.

you have to go slow in clay or it will pull right down in the hole and you will dig it out by hand. have a board ready to up under the gear box to stop it from pulling down to far!

I saw your backhoe video earlier today and your digging holes for planting trees. You might check to see if you can find a tree hole auger for your post hole digger.

Very well explained thanks for taking the time.

Could use something to hold the auger vertical for the start of the hole.

Great video … convinced me … gonna purchase one. Thanks!!!

Pete, thanks for the review! I have a Yanmar subcompact, and I think this is a bit much for it to handle. I'll keep looking around for other augers.

I just picked mine up today but I went with the 9” auger, I wish they would have told me that I need 90 wt gear oil, looks like another trip to TS

Great review. Thanks for posting!

I think you need to back up your tractor a bit to get the straight perpendicular hole. This is my 2 cents. I bought the same digger and I am happy with it.

Great review! Thinking over getting one myself. That clay is a pain and it did well.

You did good low RPM only I got 28 hp with 12 inches does great

Pete, I have been watching your channel for a while and appreciate your effort and all information that you share. Your work is very quality to me. I have a small property ~ 3 ac in San Jose, California and have tried raising chicken, planting fruit trees, growing vegetable. I also have problem with deers, bobcat, coyote, squirrel... I plan to put a fence to protect my orchard and thinking about getting this post hole trigger. I have a small JD 1025R. I also have a one-man Echo Auger machine EA-410 and it seems not easy for me to operate when I am about at retiring age. Will you recommend this county line post hole digger? I watch a video clip made by "Tractor with Tim", who also had a JD 1025R and said it's the least favorite attachment. I have about 40 holes to dig. Thanks.

Tractor Supply has them on sale , right now for $410. I'm gonna get one but wanted to see a review B4 I did. Thanks, Pete. BTW - I have an 18 hp Kubota BX - doubt I'll be able to handle anything more than a 6 in. auger - HaHa !

DAN SARGENT will this fit a 1723 MASSEY F.

Nice Video Pete ! I'm going to buy one tomorrow a 6in with the post hole digger, they are on sale at tractor supply. thanks for the Info Very helpful.l

Got a lot out of this video - very informative! New Sub from Houston!

Not owning an auger yet, I assume digging a posthole first with a 6” then follow up with a 9”” would help in hard, stony, rocky ground?

Thanks for the video. I am contemplating buying one from tractor supply and wanted to see the quality. Thanks

Mine is tight, and I wish it was sloppy. My old ford 8n needs clearance ... my new massey has plenty of space, but hooking up to the top link attach point is not a normal 3point thing.

to get the dirt out of the hole you need to pull the auger up and down slowing down the rpm's as you lift the auger and you need not to go too fast digging I have gotten augers stuck but we had extensions on the auger also be careful not to pull the auger out of the hole spinning it can tair your equipment and you up!!!!

you need 2 people 1 on the tractor and 1 to make sure the digger is straight up and down, or if the driver can back up enough to see that it is straight.

You should spray foot markers on your screw so you know how deep you are going. Keep from digging to China.

good review, will buy one myself

Vent cap has check ball(I drilled extra hole )permanent vent

*Nice video!* But that PTO shaft needs to be cut.....the auger was not hanging straight.

I bought the 6" country line auger bit, first hole that screw type auger tip sucked it right in and it was stuck real good,ended up bending the auger bit, I was in a hurry so I bought another country line 6" bit first hole I tried being careful not to get it stuck by just going a little bit at a time,no luck that screw type tip screwed it right down into the ground again. And it was real stuck again had to use my high lift jack and the tractor hydrolic s to get it out without bending it. Solution, I replaced the screw type tip with a non screw type tip,problem solved,works like a charm.

Got the exact same setup 5 years ago with the exact same bits, for the exact same purposes, lol.

If you’d SPEED UP the auger it’d “clean out” the hole better when you lift the spinning auger up out of the hole.

I was hoping to see how you greased the Zerks on the PTO drive shaft. Some of them are not exactly easy to get to once the PTO shaft is connected. Also, I missed watching how you got the safety set screw in and properly adjusted.

To get the max dirt/clay out of the hole speed up a little and cycle the unit up and down much more to avoid the hand digging with post hole diggers as you suggested

Mine the shear bolt is ........ 3/8” NC x 3” grade 2 shear bolt. The newer model must have a few changes. NC, = National Coarse

The slop in that top link is going to be a problem ( I THINK ).. I don’t think at first but after Some wear it would seem like it’s going to bind.

music is a cover of Raspberry Beret

Excellent review sir much appreciated

thanks very helpful, i am trying to decide on a digger

Now that I own a tractor I have no use for a post auger LOL...and don't care to own one either, they're such a pain to install, remove and store. The soil where I'm at one of those things wouldn't work anyways. When I have to dig a hole, about a foot down I am using a wrecking bar to break up hard pan, one of these post augers ain't gonna cut it in conditions like that anyways LOL

Pete I like your videos...good job. Can you tell me what type of audio setup you used? I see it's wireless but was wondering about what make and model it is? It sounds great. Thanks!

Will a stump auger bit work with that attachment? Or will that auger get the job done?

I always add grease zert to gear box (never out of lube )

Great video, very easy explanation. Mr, here's your like!

nice video good production. but what is with the slop in the ball joint?

My three point hitch is gravity down, does this auger have enough weight for down pressure? I know sometimes on a skid loader, you need quite a bit of downward force sometimes. Are all three point hitches gravity down like mine?

Be careful there in Texas you'll have oil shooting up all over your lawn... great review...

Looks like a good one.

Great review thanks for sharing!

A grade 5 shear bolt??? Wondering why they would use a grade 5 instead of something like a grade 2. I'd rather bust a bolt than my gear box.

2 pint does equal a quart, but in the Chinese conversion system it's +/- a pint! In this case +1 pint, unless more or less is need, then it's +/- the remainder needed to equal the total amount. In short, just fill it up to the fill hole, which is +/- 1" where it should be, in which case, use your best judgement. PS using your judgement voids all warranty.

Thanks for the video. How deep can you go with the auger?

I see TWO major flaws, the first is that there is absolutely no way the upper hitch should ever have a ball that loose - that right there is a straight up fail. Fail number two though is the fairly obvious fact, and a good thing you checked! That they never put any oil in it from the factory - I bet there was nothing in there but a thin layer of assembly lube NOPE! I don't want one by them - thanks for the warning

So you had to remove the top link rod?

good informative vid, appreciate your effort and thanks

That worked awesome. Tried a PTO auger on our property.... um no go completely, but we have football sized rocks surrounded by other rocks and 18 to 20 inches down found out we have a sheet of shale... spent some time chipping out a post hole space out of the sheet with a hammer and chisel. The posts held so far, but I think next time I may try getting a hammer drill drill and put some thick rebar in the hole and drill into the fencepost base so the rebar will go up into the post. Curious anyone have experience with rocky soil? I've seen rocky soil on other vids, but nothing close to what we have going on.

The auger is not perpendicular to the ground when it digs. The fence post that will go into the ground may end up crooked.

Very nice hole digger.

Nice Mahindra!

Thanks thinking I will purchase

But how is it now? I just bought one today. Hope it last for years

Hello pete. I like the videos keep it up.I was looking to get a tractor in a few weeks .I was thinking about getting a mahindra.Are they good running tractor are they worth the money??

Less dirt would fall back in if you where not on an angle, as well as the added stress on your shear pins when you are not plumb... If you are by yourself drop the point into the dirt get off your tractor and check for plumb then continue...

Does the 3 point have down pressure?