Skid Steer Auger

A skid steer auger is an attachment for a skid steer loader that is used for drilling holes in the ground. The auger itself is a rotating drill bit that is mounted on a shaft, and the skid steer loader provides the power and stability to drive the auger into the ground.

Skid steer augers are commonly used in construction and landscaping projects, such as installing fence posts, planting trees or shrubs, or installing utility poles.

With an auger on a skid steer, your drilling depth has everything to do with the length of the bit. The industry standard for bit length is approximately 48 inches. However, there are some extensions and longer bits out there that we offer, giving you even further cutting depth.

Our auger has a maximum operating pressure of 3400 PSI. The flow rate on this unit is 6 GPM to 35 GPM. Operating weight is dependent on drill bit size, but a 36 inch drill bit has an operating weight of 439 pounds.

Yes, the teeth on our skid steer auger are replaceable. We understand the digging into the ground can be unpredictable, so we find that the ability to replace the teeth on an auger is not just convenient, it is a necessity. 

Our earth auger can dig through sand, rock, clay, and any other soil condition you can think of. We also have stump bits, that allow for the digging and flattening of those pesky stumps.

I'm Josh with SkidPro, and today we're going to look at one of our all-time customer favorites: our Earth Auger. I'm not quite sure what it is about digging a hole by hand, but there's almost nothing else I can think of that I'd like to try and avoid ever doing. So, if you have a skid loader and you ever need to punch a hole in the ground, you should really have an auger.

In all seriousness, the low cost of ownership versus the hassle of renting makes this a great attachment to purchase rather than rent.

One of the tough parts when it comes to evaluating an auger is they all look the same, and almost everything is hidden inside the auger housing. Products like this can be viewed as commodities, and price becomes the sole deciding factor. This, of course, would be a mistake and one that would come back to haunt you. So today, we'll dig in a little deeper to help give you a better understanding of what makes auger drives different and why we think so highly of ours.

First and foremost, we look at the build. When it comes to an attachment, the heart of the auger is in the drivetrain. There are three main types of drives: chain reduction, direct, and planetary. Chain reduction is old school, utilizing chain and sprockets. Not only does it have maintenance issues and part replacement, it is the lowest torque output of any of the drives, the most problematic, and not surprisingly the cheapest. You'll save a few hundred dollars when you purchase, but you'll put way more than that back into it over the life of the auger, not to mention the downtime and headaches you'll have as well.

Direct drive is a significant step up, and if you've watched enough of our videos, you know the benefits of direct drive. There's usually a better way of designing attachments unless you're talking about ground engaging. Then torque becomes the name of the game. While you can use bigger displacement motors to gain torque, it doesn't come close to the torque on a planetary gear, which brings us to the third design.

A planetary drive utilizes a direct hydraulic motor that runs through a planetary hub. This turns down the RPM but gives a huge jump in torque. And for an auger going into the ground, torque will always be the limiting factor, especially in tough conditions. And this is clearly evident when looking at drilling rigs or Digger Derrick trucks where guys make their living punching holes. They all utilize high torque, low RPM planetary gear auger drives.

The SkidPro Earth Auger, depending on the model, produces torque in excess of 3,000 foot-pounds. That's a whopping thousand foot pounds more torque than many standard direct drive designs at the same pressure. Another incredible benefit of the planetary gear drive system is its reliability. There's less to go wrong; it's a more robust drive system. And because of that, we offer an industry-leading four-year warranty.

In addition to the reliability of the drive, we want to make the attachment heavy-duty. There's not a ton of steel on an auger, but it's still important that it is built well and it's strong. The QT plate and frame, as we call it, need to be well-built. There's a lot of torque put on it during the auguring process, so we want to make sure that it's not a weak spot. This unit tips the scales at a hefty 350 pounds without a bit. The frame is robust and comes standard with a reinforced cradle, so the auger can rest in it while traveling or during transport.

Another important feature is our extra-large knuckle. This cast plate knuckle consists of two 1.5-inch pins that allow the auger to free float, essentially allowing it to gravity plumb perfectly, ensuring a straight hole each and every time. These heavy-duty pins are firmly secured to the QT plate, allowing you to transfer all the torque generated by this unit straight down into the ground.

With more torque comes greater capacity. Most direct drive units and all chain reduction drives max out at smaller bit sizes, while the SkidPro planetary auger can easily power a 36-inch auger bit and beyond, not just wide holes but deep holes in tough clay and fill. A planetary drive can punch a 36-inch hole four feet in the ground in just a couple of minutes.

The universal two-inch hexagon drive shaft gives a more durable interface than the old round drives, along with being able to handle the added torque of the planetary without shearing bolts that hold the auger onto the shaft. This original design was the main shear protection for the old chain and sprocket designs, not necessary here because we do still have the built-in pressure relief, which kicks the motor off if a rock or impassable object is encountered while digging. This not only safeguards the drive but it protects your bits as well.

When it comes to options, as high flow and many skid steers become more and more popular, we do have exact model and motor configurations to meet those specs, including mounting on a backhoe, mini excavator, and other carriers.

Speaking of overlooked and commodity-appearing products, how about we switch gears a bit and talk about our auger bits and what makes them tougher than the average? First and foremost, it starts with our boss collar overlap weld. The tube is actually inserted up into the boss collar and it's fully welded 360 degrees around with a fillet weld. That weld is so much stronger than the traditional butt weld of joining two pieces of tube together, so from a strength standpoint, that’s a night and day difference.

Skid Pro runs a true heavy-duty auger bit with a cast cutting head and a hammer-in tooth design. Because the head is cast-molded, we can design each tooth to a specific angle, not just in a straight line like many medium-duty bits. Not only does this help give a more aggressive dig in harsh conditions like fractured rock, hard ground, frozen ground, or packed clay, but it also provides a more precise and exact tooth layout compared to hand-laid and welded designs. With the hammer and teeth, we can also change out to rock-flat teeth with carbides hard-faced for added durability or standard forged teeth, offering more options to cover real-world situations.

Don't be fooled; in the end, the bit is what's in the ground doing the digging. Pinching pennies on bargain bits is a recipe for encountering issues and downtime in the field.

Also, our pilots are four and a half inches, whereas the competition's are at three and a half inches. This 30 percent increase in size gives added durability and helps draw the bit into the ground for faster, more efficient digging.

Our core tube is stronger and more robust, utilizing a three and a half-inch quarter-wall 65,000 yield tube, not pipe. It's more expensive, but it is just plain stronger. Sacrificing strength here can mean the difference between a bit lasting you a lifetime or bending it in a hole and having to scrap it after a year or two.

Skid Pro offers a multitude of auger bit designs, including tree bits, rock bits, and puff bits, with sizes ranging from 4 to 36 inches and beyond, plus a multitude of adapters, extensions, and two thousands.

While other companies use multiple drive systems across their lineup, Skid Pro only builds the best, and that's the planetary drive. Our planetary drive and built-to-last heavy-duty auger bits will have you chewing through dirt for years.

To learn more, call a product guru today at 877-378-4642 or visit us online at SkidPro.com.