12 products

Bobcat skid steer with the Auger attachment from McLaren industries

What Is a Skid Steer Auger Attachment?

A skid steer auger or -skid steer post hole digger- is an attachment that uses your skid steers auxiliary hydraulic power to “auger” or dig holes in the earth.
<br>
<br>
Like many other skid steer attachments, a skid steer auger turns hydraulic power into high torque rotational force. The rotational force turns an auger with specially designed cutting teeth. The teeth loosen the earth beneath it, so the “auger flight” can move the earth upwards and out of the whole it is digging.
<br>
<br>
<p>A <a href="https://skidsteersdirect.com/products/auger-for-skid-steer-mclaren-industries" target="_blank">skid steer auger</a> is an attachment that uses your skid steers auxiliary hydraulic power to “auger” or dig holes in the earth.</p>
<p>Like many other skid steer attachments, a skid steer auger turns hydraulic power into high torque rotational force. The rotational force turns an auger with specially designed cutting teeth. The teeth loosen the earth beneath it, so the “auger flight” can move the earth upwards and out of the whole it is digging.</p>
<p>This is one of the most popular skid steer attachments, with its popularity only growing through the last few years.</p>

Blue diamond flight auger attachment in action on a skid steer.

How do I Choose The Right Auger Bit and Drive

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Firstly, ensure that your skid steer auger attachment is compatible with your skid steers auger drive unit.
</span></p>
<br>
<br>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Auger drives will come with several different sizes of final drives. Most common for skid steers is 2” hex, 2 1/2” hex, and 2 9/16” Round. The auger you select to use with your drive must have the same size biton it to be compatible.</span></p>
<br>
<br>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The size of the skid steer auger bit on the drive unit is usually a matter of how much torque the auger drive has. The higher the torque, the larger the diameter of the final drive.</span></p>
<br>
<br>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">High torque drive units must be paired with heavier-built augers. Likewise, a drive unit with less torque will struggle to work efficiently with too large of an auger.</span></p>
<p><strong style="font-size: 0.875rem;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">With that said, you should also know that it is possible to purchase adapters to use different sized augers with your auger drive. This can be useful for using </span><a href="https://skidsteersdirect.com/collections/mini-skid-steer-auger"><span style="font-weight: 400;">mini skid steer augers</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> on a full-size skid steer or vice versa.</span></strong></p>
<p> </p>
<br>
<br>

What Skid Steer Auger Drive Do I Need?

Star industries Auger drive attachment with frame for sale

Auger attachments for skid steer need to be sized properly When choosing the correct auger drive unit for your skid steer, your first consideration should be hydraulic flow.
<br>
<br>
Each drive unit is designed for specific gallons per minute of hydraulic flow. Running too high of a flow through your drive unit could result in a damaged drive unit, while not being able to run enough flow through the drive unit will result in an underpowered auger skid steer.
<br>
<br>
Drive units will be rated for a gallon per minute range. For example, if your skid steer auxiliary hydraulics produce 16 GPM, purchasing an auger drive unit rated at 10 - 20 GPM would result in the best performance.
<br>
<br>
<h2><center>What Is The “Flight” on a Skid Steer Auger?</center></h2>
<br>
The flight on an auger is the spiralling ribbon that is welded onto the augers shaft that lifts the augured material out of the hole.
<br>
<br>
Knowing the weakest point on any of your skid steer attachments is essential when shopping around. On an auger, this is the weld connecting the flight to the augers shaft. A weak weld in this area will result in premature failure of the auger.
<br>
<br>
As an additional note, skid steer augers are engineered with single or double flights. A single flight is all that is needed to manage loose soil.

How Long is a Skid Steer Auger?

Blue Diamond auger extensions available


Most skid steer augers are built to be 48" in length, but will have varying diameters depending on the customers needs.
<br>
<br>
There are exceptions to this. For example, Star Industries sells a 30" t-post auger which increases the speed and efficiency of drilling t-posts.
<br>
<br>
<h2><center>How Deep Can a Skid Steer Auger Dig?</center></h2>
<br>
There are accessories available to allow your machine to dig deeper than the standard 48". For example, various lengths of auger extensions are available. An auger extensions mounts directly to your auger drive and adds anywhere from 24" to 72" of depth.

What Types Of Augers Are Available?

Auger head specifications made in USA steel

<br>
Augers are often built to serve specific purposes. Popular categories are regular dirt augers for post holes, <a href="https://skidsteersdirect.com/blogs/news/heavy-duty-rock-augers" target="_blank" title="Heavy duty rock augers" rel="noopener noreferrer">heavy duty rock augers</a>, and even heavy duty augers to grind stumps.
<br>
Auger bits will have different styles and arrangements of teeth to perform different functions. This is largely what makes a standard auger different than a rock auger.
<br>
The diameter of augers are variable so be sure to buy one that will work for your application.
<br>
<br>
<h2><center>What Are Skid Steer Augers Used for Most Commonly?</center></h2>
<ul>
<br>
<li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Fence Installation: Skid steer augers are used daily for digging fence post holes. Residential, commercial, or agricultural fencing projects, all can be knocked out with a skid steer auger attachment.</span></li>
</ul>
<br>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Foundation Excavation: Skid steer augers are used in foundation pier or footing installation. They can easily penetrate all soil types, including clay, gravel, and rocky terrain.&nbsp;</span></li>
</ul>
<br>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Tree Planting: Planting a tree may seem easy but repeating the task for several trees can prove to take up a lot of time. Skid steer augers can dig a hole to the perfect depth in less than a minute and be off to the next tree site.&nbsp;</span></li>
</ul>
<br>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Utility Pole Installation: Utility poles get their strength and resilience from having a large portion of the pole in the ground. Augers for skid steers allow you to dig the hole quickly and efficiently</span></li>
</ul>
<br>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Landscaping and Ground Preparation: Various landscaping tasks, including installing bollards, signage, and outdoor lighting fixtures are made easy with a skid auger. Irrigation systems are another common use case.&nbsp;</span></li>
</ul>
<br>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Not sure what auger will fit your skid steer or other auger question? Give us a call today!</span></p>