I'm fencing some mountain land I have, and the clay is murder on me and smaller augers. I end up starting with an auger and about 6-8" down I start chipping at it with a pinch bar and manually excavating. At least 4 of the post holes will be on an incline (if all goes well, I'll have 8 posts done with a 24 hour rental). I've read different safety articles about loaded bucket, empty bucket, etc, but what direction is best when using an auger attachment? I was planning to have the mini skid downhill, but that puts a steep angle on the hydraulic arm as the auger blade gets started, right? I've considered having the mini skid up hill but I'm worried the downward motion of the auger could cause it tip forward. I'm likely overthinking but I lack experience. What is your experience with using a mini skid with auger on an incline? I know, oddly specific but I appreciate the expertise of those smarter than me! Thanks in advance.
For safety you want the dingo down hill. If you are up hill and pull the auger it will tip forward possibly more than it should if you hit the lever wrong. If the hill is so steep that the auger can't dig straight down with the tilt fully extended I'd be very careful of any machinery ont hat slope.
I have a Toro Dingo TX425, and have rented the auger for it. The Auger is on a gimball mount. With the weight of the attachment and auger I would likely have the auger facing up hill. Won't work well on a really steep hill. Use a small dia auger, because the hole will enlarge a lot. Consider renting a mini excavator with auger attachment. A 4 ton machine is likely fine. The image below is my 6 ton machine with a larger auger. But you can rent a smaller machine and auger at United Rentals.
If it digs tough at all, you will never get enough pressure with it facing uphill.
My experience with small hydraulic augers is that if you hit big rocks, it either comes to a stop, or heads off center. I would suggest using a 9" dia. auger. The dingo can work up hill or sideways but not on more than 20 degree slope or so. I would not face down hill, as the Dingo tends to vibrate and slip down hill. The loader arms can supply plenty of pressure as needed, with the front tracks typically up off the ground a bit. For steep work, use the excavator and auger.
Thank you for the advice. Definitely will heed the warning if any of it feels sketchy.
I hadn't considered an excavator because I was worried about the size between the trees. I'm going to the property on Friday and getting the rental on Saturday so I may reconsider based on what's available. Thank you for chiming in.
Some pics. of the terrain you're working on would help.