Today we started with enthusiasm and optimism on our drilling of post holes.



The first two went like a dream and then trouble struck. We either hit rocks and snapped the shear pin, so we went through 5 shear pins in as many minutes. Or the ground was so clay like the orgre drilled down and would not come out! Until we manually dug it out!!

So here are some tips on drilling posts holes for the novice:

Make sure the ground is wet this makes it much easier and even makes it easier for rocks to become loose and pass out from the hole. Crazy but true.

Once the orgre is turning in the hole under no reasonable circumstances should you stop. Wait until the orgre is almost free of the hole before pressing the clutch and stopping rotation.

Twice we got the orgre completely stuck, buried up to the hilt literally. One way I discovered to then get the orge out is to disconnect the PTO shaft from the tractor insert a steel bar through the end and wind in the opposite direction to the normal rotation of the PTO on the tractor.. With luck and good deal of effort the orgre will slowly unwind out of the hole.
Do some tractors have reversible PTO drives? They certainly should have in my opinion

Finally as the boom lowers the orgre into the ground it is necesary to inch the tractor forward in order to maintain a true vertical on the ogre, its no big deal but its worth knowing about.

Well I could go on but those are my "top tips" for fellow alpaca breeders thinking of using the post hole digger.

The first two holes took twenty minutes the second two took and hour and a quarter.

We will see how much our technique has improved tomorrow.

Adrian Stewart