Hey guys, I finally have my auger attached to my TB016 (sort of). It's pretty cheesy but 'might' work. I don't have a QC setup as yet so I just used the side plates I used to rig the ripper-saw. And as soon as I had it attached realized a Much simpler method. Could have saved me hours 'n hours :Banghead I did flush my lines and replenished my ISO-68 fluid & adj. the aux. pedal. Just like I've read here. About actually augering,do you typically stretch out the boom 'n stick and work away from the cab or do you work as close in as possible (to help compensate for the booms arc of travel when down feeding) ? I noticed my impromptu auger bit adapter (to the auger head,2-9/16 round to 1-3/8 IIRC) wobbling a bit, is a 'solid' connection mandatory/expected for control of the bit? And what about the auger head getting hot,nearly too hot to hold comfortably? Is this a tendency for auger heads? This a General Equipment "Dig-R-Tach" M553-12 Thanks for your help/input. Jay.
From what I can see from the pic, your impromptu adapter should last about ten minutes or one second after you hit the first rock. I could be wrong but auger can take quite a beating, especially on a hoe. As to your heating problem, you may have too much hyd flow for the motor and/or the hoses are too small. Rotary hyd motor do generate heat but I don't think it should be too hot to touch. You didn't mention how long you were working or the outside temp. All these affect hyd operating temps.
Hey Jay I think ur ok with braket. I will try and take pictures of my bobcat one. Looks similar. As for auger, I say it choice about being far or near machine. I try to track as little as possible ie sit one spot do as many holes as u can. As for heat, I assume S.F. Is a little warm right now? I know I can't. Touch my lines after auger awhile. My actual drive motor is wrapped in a case so don't know it's temp.
Does your spec actually call for ISO-AW 68 hydraulic oil? Seems a bit viscous.
Thanks BDFT, I'm digging in medium clay soil for the most part.I'm more concerned with the auger drive hanging plumb. The aux. circuit is rated @ 8gpm w/ 1/2" BSPP connections (gotta love the TB016's aux, valves on the stick) & the drive @ 5-10gpm with 3/4" MIP connections so I'm expecting no troubles there. This was outside in full sun yet the steel mounting hardware was nearly cool to the touch. In this case I could hold my hand on the drives motor head but figure if I was working it,certainly not.I'll take temps next time. I did expect the drive to warm up but I was merely running unloaded on/off/reverse for 20-30 minutes w/ a couple 4" test holes (2 ft. deep). Hi pondo,thanks. What I don't like about my bracket is it doesn't have much sideways swing (or for/aft for that matter) to remain verticle w/o some help. It feels like I really need to follow the down-boom with curl to keep the hole straight. I think I'm going to re-work it some. I can see your point about not wanting to track more than necessary. At appx. 8-10' between holes I figure every other hole I'll be tracking. Lil' Puss, I don't know about the 'AW' part but yes the TB016 specs ISO-68 fluid. Thanks guys,any more tips on keeping the auger plumb? Jay
You pretty much have to do whatever you need to do to keep it vertical. You're going to have to make some adjustments on the dipper and or curl as you descend. The only wrong method is the one that puts the hole on an angle. The brackets are probably fine. When you say hot, was the auger motor any hotter than the bucket cylinder gets after an hour of digging? Before getting into any advanced trouble shooting, it would be a good idea to find out if the temperature is within spec.
Thank you Joispoi, I was afraid I would be subject to my own inabilities,but there's a first time for everything eh? I'm going to change the bracket to allow more 'pendulum' action. No sense fighting gravity. As for the temp, I can't say I've checked the bucket cylinder temperature.An interesting idea I'll be sure to utilize on the next dig project (transplanting a palm tree maybe ). Essentially,I ran the auger drive (unloaded) CW a couple minutes & then CCW to burp any air and check for leaks.After adj. the aux. control pedal stops I attached a 4" auger & ran the drive CW/CCW, fast/slow for a few minutes to check things out & get a feel for the control.Afterwards a pair of 2' deep holes,reversing rotation a couple times. All in all about 20-30 minutes of operation.I then checked things over again & as I felt around noticed the hoses kinda hot (more than warm) & so checked the machine aux. circuit lines,the auger drive and bracketry. The drive & lines were much hotter than anything else.To guess I would say 120-130 deg.F . Nothing serious but curious to me anyway. I'll be taking temps next time out. Thanks again Jay
Hey gang, I rigged up a stiffer auger coupling today and gave it a go.Much better,not any whipping around @ the coupling connections. I did measure 148 F. temps after working the auger. I had trouble clearing the hole but remembered reading a tip here on the forums about adding a touch of water,worked very good.TY to whomever offered that help. I do need to re-hang the auger head for better positioning control. Thanks all J
148F sounds alright to me. Try touching the hydraulic pump or main control valve after you have done a bit of work and see how it feels. I bet it will feel pretty hot. The best way to get a good feel for a temperature is with the back of your hand, you get a much better feel than if you try to use the palm of your hand.
Put the auger to work ... Well I've actually set in a couple of posts! The first hole had some palm tree roots that would flick the spoil off the auger as I withdrew.Nothing a little water couldn't cure. I did bend my auger Fortunately I had a spare (8"ers). The best I can figure is I zagged when I shoulda zigged trying to keep the auger plumb. I thought I had things figured out,forward @ RH joystick (boom down) & back @ the LH joystick (stick in) and vice/versa. The hole got kinda big & cost me an extra bag of concrete.Not having a ground crew had me jumping in/out of the cab a lot.That gets tiring The second hole was a bit technical having to remove a section of wood fence & work @ the corner of a chain link fence & clear the auger head.Damn hole was crooked & offset but very clean only using 2 bags of concrete like I figured (appx. 3' deep X 8" dia. with 3"dia. X 9' galvy post). Things seem to work best with the stick full out.Prolly cause it's easier to visualize & line up. Auger head worked a champ and I didn't even worry about temps. Til the next time & thanks for all the help.:usa J