# Source for 2" Auger for verticle mulching



## corndogg (Nov 11, 2008)

Earlier this summer I bought a Stihl gas drill with hand chuck and a 2" auger form my local dealer to do occasional verticle mulching. The drill is good but the auger they gave me SUCKS. It's poorly built, soft, actually a bulb drill for planting. Could hardly get through one job and bit is bending and wearing out. Any one know where I can get a good one? Also cannot tighten hand chuck tight enough. Spins on small round auger shaft and eventually breaks tip of auger shaft off. Also clogs chuck with metal shavings. Should I have bought a different chuck system, they offered a hex drive of some sort also.

Thanks


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## treevet (Nov 12, 2008)

I have a couple of cast iron 2" bits I use with my tanaka drill for vert mulching. 

It has been so long, don't know where I got them. Maybe Sherrill, but more likely before Sherrill existed. I can post a picture if any help, but probably not.


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## corndogg (Nov 13, 2008)

Thanks TreeVet. Keep your eyes peeled or ask someone if you get a chance. I know I've seen them somewhere but I can't find now.
That verticle mulching is a lot more work than I thought it was going to be. Hard on the back, used quite a lot of material. The tree I did was a 20" or so ash. Looked very thin and dying, good structure though. The lawn looked great but once I started drilling I could see why the tree was struggling. The ground was like concrete! Gravel, clay really hard and dry. The bit would be smoking sometimes if you pushed real hard. Not good as this may have glazed the sides and bottoms of the holes. Need a serious bit for verticle mulching and maybe a two man post hole auger would be better. At least I can use my new drill for cabling still.


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## corndogg (Nov 13, 2008)

Found a couple. Forest Grower's supply and Sherril/Vermeer catalog. Just had to find the catalogs. We'll see how they hold up.

Thanks


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## ROLLACOSTA (Nov 27, 2008)

I wouldn't vertical mulch with an auger, defeats the object of PHC in my eyes


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## treevet (Nov 28, 2008)

ROLLACOSTA said:


> I wouldn't vertical mulch with an auger, defeats the object of PHC in my eyes



I would think that too if I spent all the big bucks on pneumatic equipment. You have a void in the soil (aerated) with your equipment but you have compressed the soil even more than it was around the perimeter of your blast. The auger removes the soil without compressing the perimeter of the excavation and then you can replace it with improved soil and other matter to retain the hole so roots can penetrate more easily than in your scenario.

Ray trenching prob the best aeration but most expensive.


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## TreeTopKid (Dec 17, 2008)

corndogg said:


> Earlier this summer I bought a Stihl gas drill with hand chuck and a 2" auger form my local dealer to do occasional verticle mulching. The drill is good but the auger they gave me SUCKS. It's poorly built, soft, actually a bulb drill for planting. Could hardly get through one job and bit is bending and wearing out. Any one know where I can get a good one? Also cannot tighten hand chuck tight enough. Spins on small round auger shaft and eventually breaks tip of auger shaft off. Also clogs chuck with metal shavings. Should I have bought a different chuck system, they offered a hex drive of some sort also.
> 
> Thanks



I wanted to ask you about the drill. I saw one a few weeks ago and was thinking about replacing my Echo but wanted to get some feed back first. 

Have you used it for any bracing operations? How does it's performance stack up against the Echo? Would really appreciate your feedback.


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## treevet (Dec 17, 2008)

Might want to demo the Tanaka while you are at it. I don't have any knowledge of others but mine has given me incredible service over many years. You can climb with it just like a small climbing saw too.


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## ATH (Dec 18, 2008)

treevet said:


> I would think that too if I spent all the big bucks on pneumatic equipment. You have a void in the soil (aerated) with your equipment but you have compressed the soil even more than it was around the perimeter of your blast. The auger removes the soil without compressing the perimeter of the excavation and then you can replace it with improved soil and other matter to retain the hole so roots can penetrate more easily than in your scenario.


Not sure that you don't have that backwards...

The drill still will make a shear compression on the walls of the hole. On the otherhand, have you ever stood near and Airknife/Airspade when it is plunged into the ground? It will lift you up several inches even if you are 3-4 feet away. So MAYBE (but I don't think so) it will compact some soil 6-8 feet away from the hole. But obviously, you should be gridding the holes closer than that. Basically, the soil moves "up" instead of "out". If it moved out...then yes, off target compaction would be a HUGE problem.

Bottom line though, I don't think added compaction is a reality (certainly not to the point it is a problem) with either technique. I do think the air is a little better because it actually fractures compacted soil between each hole in addition to just within the hole.

I am not sure I am convinced that the drill causes enough root damage to be considered problematic (as suggested by Rolla). Nor am I completely convinced that it decompacts enough soil to solve that problem. It certainly helps air and water penetration, and when you fertilize into the holes it gets that to the roots a little quicker...just not sold on the decompaction.


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## MarsCrash (Dec 20, 2008)

*I don't think the Air Spade would compact*

If you're vertical mulching, wouldn't you do a grid pattern anyway? I usually go about 3 feet apart. If someone 6-8 feet away is being lifted up, then the air is taking the path of least resistance. It's going to make you eat a mouthful of dirt, not travel through dense soil to compact it. Even if it is pushing things together, your next couple of plunges with the air spade will break up that area.


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