Excavator Augers

An excavator auger drills clean, vertical holes for footings, fence lines, and piers without the hand labor a post-hole digger demands. Skid Steers Direct carries auger drives from Digga and Blue Diamond sized for 3-ton mini excavators up to 8-ton machines, plus bits, extensions, and adapters. Sizing starts with your machine: the drive has to match its weight class and auxiliary flow, since an undersized drive stalls in hard ground. Bits are the second decision — heavy duty for typical soil, cast-head for abrasive conditions, rock bits for shale and hardpan, tree bits for planting. If you also run a skid steer, our skid steer augers cover the same work. Send us your model and soil type and we'll size the drive and bit together.

10 products

Frequently Asked Questions
How do I size an auger drive to my excavator?

Match the drive to your machine's weight class and auxiliary hydraulic flow first, then to the hole diameter and depth you need. A drive sized for a 3 to 5 ton mini
excavator won't produce the torque to turn a large-diameter bit in hard ground, while an oversized drive can exceed what the carrier can safely handle. Give us your
model and typical soil and we'll match it.

What's the difference between the auger bit types?

Heavy duty bits are the general-purpose choice for typical soil. Cast-head bits add a hardened head for abrasive or rocky ground and last considerably longer there.
Rock bits use different tooth geometry to cut shale, caliche, and hardpan. Tree bits are shaped to open a planting hole with less glazing of the sidewall, which matters
for root establishment.

Do I need auxiliary hydraulics to run an excavator auger?

Yes. An auger drive is a hydraulic motor, so it requires a working auxiliary circuit on the excavator with enough flow and pressure for the specific drive. Most mini
excavators come with an auxiliary circuit from the factory, but flow rates vary widely between models. Confirm your machine's rated GPM before ordering, since an
underpowered drive will turn slowly and stall under load.

How deep can an excavator auger dig?

Standard bit lengths typically reach around four feet, and extensions add depth from there in fixed or variable increments. Practical depth is limited less by the tooling
than by your excavator's reach and by whether you can keep the hole vertical as it deepens. For deep footings or piers, plan on at least one extension and check that
the drive has torque to spare at full depth.

Can I use the same auger bits on a skid steer and an excavator?

Often yes, provided the shank matches. Bits connect to the drive through a hex or round shank, and adapters are available to bridge common mismatches. What
doesn't transfer is the drive unit itself, since excavator drives are built for a different mounting arrangement and flow range. If you run both machines, ask us which
bits will serve both.