We're putting in Target Stake Pockets for our Youth Group, Ladie's Group, and Apple Seed,.....We bought a 15 Amp, 65 Lb electric "Demolition Hammer" and went to work with a regular chisel bit last week,......horrible HARD work was all we got.

There's more to do, both on our Competition and Public ranges, so I cobbled this beast up this afternoon out of a standard "BullPrick" and 3 "Twin Tiger" Back Hoe Teeth with their pockets cut back.Just done testing, and gotta tell ya, this is one happening unit.....I mean a HOLE DIGGIN" FOOL ! One 'Set", Hammer, pull, and muck out the hole.

Thought there might be some others here that have to fight with Caliche Soils, and that I'd pass it on.

Fine looking tool and the welds are great.

Another great idea!

We live in challenging times and places.

You know,..that would make an awesome Zombie killer...

Used that repackaged McKay "GP", ....."God Rod".Figured with the tools steel, and cast steel, and old cutting edge for gussets, I'd splurge.

Was damned pleased to get it for $20 Lb, Too. Our local weld supplier REALLY looks after us.

Greg

What hole diameter will it cut?
Mark

get it patented.

At thars one of them Zombie diggers ain't it?

Hows she work?

Nice!
Man I could have used that when we were living out by Maricopa.
The caliche was hell out there. Made planting my trees a nightmare.

Kind of what I was thinking.

Pull picture

Looks like your on to something!!!Looks great too.Nice to see that a few people still have a little innovation and use their head instead of their Arse.But then,when you have to use your arse,it tends to stimulate the brain into figuring out that there has to be a better way!!!You did good,congrats to you.

In the old days, we had Mexicans for diggin holes in Caliche......



















Ha! gotcha!

Sycamore

This Harbor Freight $400 Hammer is a BRUTE of a thing. I'm going to build a Lifting Framework around it, with a lifting eye,....set it up to hang off of a receiver hitch mounted arm,....Hang the thing off of Bungees, or a little Block and tackle, .....and get back to enjoying life. Runnin' this thing by hand is not my racket,....there's actually only one guy on the entire team that can handle the damn thing.

So,....adapt, overcome, and improvise,...eh ?

GTC

I use a Pionjar (sp) gas powered rig. What dia hole does your bit drill? How well does it work?
Mark

BTDT, Roger,.....

No offense, but the signers of the GATT agreement basically SCREWED us out of anything resembling "Patent Rights", back in the very early 90s.

I had a bunch of stuff patented than, some NEAT and innovative tools,.... all of it was stolen, the only recourse being living one's life in Lawyer's offices, and forkin' over hard earned for SLIM to non-existent success.

Hell, I can think up stuff faster than brain dead azzwholes can steal it anyway.

If seeing this helps someone get ahead of a digging problem, I'm cool with that.

GTC

A wetback on the end of a mexican dragline with a green card hanging over his head will out work your contraption 2 to 1. Plus you get to entertain his senorita while drinking cold cervesa while you keep an eye on him. Once you get the holes dug, you pick up the phone and dial the INS. I sometimes get the idea you way overthink simple things.

I'm getting 7-8" cut in my Ground here, and anticipate same out on the range (where we shot). Looks like the Taper upward tends to eject small rock, out at a proportionate angle, so I may have to rig a guard above the rascal.

On can make the sucker any size, within reason, I'd venture, sure makes a nice ROUND hole, ....

GTC

OUTSTANDING Cross, you are a MOTHER of invention is all I can say.

Looks very functional, Cross.
I built a flat bottom one for tamping sand with the Bosch elec hammer but never needed anything for hole diggin.

In sandy spots (most of this region) you can dig post holes with a leaf blower



You're defective.

Damn Cross you've got a start/stop on a corner, QC ain't gonna dig that..... Cool azz tool for sure. Whatcha calling 'god rod'?

I would market it as The ManHandler. That sob would work a man into the ground if he let it.

The thing about Caliche is it's damned ELASTICITY, The chit soaks up energy like rubber,.....and "Shearing" it, whether with a tool or explosives is a bit of a challenge.

Ours out at the range falls into the 'Blue Caliche' realm,....and in places resembles flexible limestone,...no kidding. I LOVE drilling problems,....any driller worth his salt should, I reckon.

This particular "Shallow Hole" tool would really light off with rotary percussion,....but is adequate just with the re-cip,....we're just concreting in little stubs of square tubing, and not going very deep.

This will save us a small fortune on target stands, in the long run, and worth the effort.

GTC

i hate Caliche.

'Re-Packaged" McKay GP,.....one of those doped 309s, I reckon. WAY cheaper than some.

Wish I could find that old blue Eutectic 9598,.....repaired truck leaf springs with the stuff, on occasion. It was NOT cheap.

GTC

I'll drink to that,....

GTC

Is that Demo hammer a hammer drill too? Looks like just what the doc ordered for a couple projects I've lined up.

309 is one of my least favorite rods..... along with 316. Damn puddle wont seem to stay where you put it and the slag burns the holy chit out of you....

Hey cross rig up a sling for your little cannon.
It would break up some of that caliche and might be fun.

We've used the 2 1/4" Mountain Howitzer for "Mowing" steep sided berms,..... crammed full of Pea Gravel "Cannister", fired transversely,.....Worked very well, too.

That was back in the time when we were testing a lot of different BPs for the magazine Articles, and there was always LOTS around .

GTC

All of a sudden I have the hankering to watch Mad Max...

I have hundreds of pounds of Eutectic that I had shipped up from the Boeing Plant in Washington State. I paid Six yep 6 dollars for a pallet full of it. All different rod, but all the same brand. I like the Eutectic 680 best for overall use. They shipped it by air cargo and it was cheap for delivery, less than I figured for. You say it isn't cheap there, you should see what the Boeing Plant might have. I have bought tools from them for pennies by the pound. Yep they weigh it and sell it to you by the pound. Anything you can imagine, they have it for sale every so often. All NEW. NO Junk.

That's some Medieval looking chit.

damn, just thinking about using a post hole digger in caliche has made my sciatica flare up. nice looking tool.

NO it's NOT a "Rotary Percussion" drill,....strictly reciprocating.

GTC

Crossfire, neat stinger and great idea, but putting it in a Harbor Freight hammer. Come on now! Whatever works I guess...Russ

That thing was purchased by, and is owned by the Sierra Vista Range, I had nothing to do with speccing it.We're not in the excavating or demolition business, we dig a few holes every now and than.....

A.) What would be a better choice ?

B.) Price of the better choice ?

GTC

Just teasing, I have a few tools from them myself...Russ

A reguar post hole auger won't work in Caliche??

We've got some real tough Lava rock up here & most guys with the Auger setups on their Jeeps, have rock bits for them & they just punch right through it.

Lee

I'm REALLY curious, I intend to set something along the lines of that thing up as a Trip Hammer /Die Stomper for forging Cable damascus heats.

I like the idea of having it mounted above the work area, with a foot control.

Hilti, or Bosch make these things, no ?

I can just begin to guess what they're worth.

Pawn Shops in this part of the world are CRAMMED with tools, and Craigslist is overflowing with em', too.

GTC

Can you set up a jeep and an auger for $500 ?

GTC

That's what i was wondering? I guess they don't use PTO tractor mounted post hole digger/auger in the SW.

Brilliant

GTC

Central Valley of California they would refer to the process of digging them as a "one stick" or "two stick" hole.

Did i ask you a question?? If you can't respond with a civil reponse, keep your smart azz'd responses to yourself. Better yet don't even respond. Remember your just a member here, just like the rest of us. Your not the owner.

The electric hammers I have used seem to work good out of the gate but don't seem to last very long. Have used both Bosch and Hilti and the Hilti gets the nod. If you are thinking of a forging hammer you might be better served making up a sliding trip hammer setup using a flywheel driving a connecting rod that breaks over at top dead center. We have built several drop testers using that setup....Russ

I understand that. There's portions of TN. that's just one big rock slab. They use a lot of rock drills, dynamite,and those hydraulic jack hammers mounted on a track hoe to bust up the rock.

I'll HAVE to build one,....any pile of rubble vaguely resembling an original Trip Hammer seems to be worth an arm and a leg.

Been thinking about an Air Jack, as well,.....but at some point, the cost break over makes the all Electric rig appealing.

In terms of longevity, and sheer durability, those 140 year old designs probably still RULE.

GTC

You're [bleep]' clueless about Three point, PTO driven augers, it would seem.
Down pressure ? Caliche ?....."DOOoohhhhh, what's them words mean."
Sheesh,...Brilliant is way to kind.

GTC

One bad thing I see using any kind of hammer air or electric, would be that they are to quick to allow repositioning the work if used in a forging application and the stinger needs to be in compression in the hammer to apply any force. In other words if you hold a jackhammer up off the surface it doesn't hit the hammer...Russ

So a guy would need some sorta' "Primary Lift" travel to raise and lower the hammer ?

GTC

What's a good jack hammer weigh, 80lbs?

Key to running one is let it do the work and don't get the 'dong' stuck.


Skidsteer mounted break alot of concrete up pretty quick.


Cross, that is a wicked invention!

90#

I see a bit, where is the hole?

Yep, would need to be held up in the hammer. Same reason you have 40 and 90lb jack hammers. The weight of the hammer resting down on the bit is the reaction force of the hit. If you have ever had the opportunity to run one hung level on a sling breaking a wall you would remember how much you have to lean into one to get any work done...Russ

Haven't worked with em' all that much. Strikes me that lifting and lowering them off the work, e.g. 'Preloading' the set up could get a bit ponderous.

Guess I'll fall back into conventional trip hammer mode .

Sure appreciate all the input.

GTC

Yep most tools are built to do the work, not the operator.

Ya never know about Harbor Freight stuff. lot oh junk, some isn't. Bought a el cheapo air chisel thinking, "if it will just do this one job it has paid for itself". That was years ago, and since I have at times worked the hell out of it, and she's still kickin.

Nice looking Bit

No, you hire someone who already has one to do the work.

I bet if you look in your yellow pages, you'll find a fencing contractor who can do the work for $500 or less & since its for a good cause maybe even cheaper or free if they are into shooting.

Most guys who drill post holes for a living would jump at the chance to only have to drill a foot deep.

Lee

Fine suggestion,.....the Hammer and the "Plan" were already in place when I drifted into this particular project, though.

These days we're building, and growing the place like crazy, and the "Volunteer Work Parties" are part of the glue that binds the whole effort together,.....WAY more than sitting around in meetings. That in and of itself is hard to put a value on. It wasn't always this way, and over the years, some big projects have been pulled off by a few dedicated souls.

There'll be any number of small jobs for this particular tool to do, downline, so it's part of a growing inventory of gear.

If you haven't seen the place,....here's a brief tour.

Link: http://www.sierravistarange.org/

I'll get some pics of the Tool Shacks, and Target shacks, ....we've got a "maintenance loonie" that's got everything really squared away.

GTC

thats some TOOL you have there a bull pric like that might overpenitrate
norm

thats a wonderful range ,good on you guys ,

just what is the soil you are going through,please discribe
norm

It is like digging thru a solid thick wall of 10 year old dry wall, like sheetrock that has absorbed moisture, crystalized and dried out and solidified.

If you have ever unearthed an old adobe hut that has been buried for a thousand years, that is almost like it is only harder. I have no idea why the mexicans want to take it back but they do.

I've sat on ram hoes for hrs tryin to break a knob of caliche in a ditch

PTO posthoe digger - lmao- we aint got potato dirt here


bachoe ram dont get it - we get the bigger track hoe hammer

post apic of a 5/6 shank ripper bucket for caliche

I see potential..

From the 'caption this' files, I give you my humble entry:

The Last Thing I Saw,

by Hunter1960

Words that dont go together... "caliche soil"

Actually in the past few years I've had to dig maybe five bird house poles in the stuff, 36" deep and 24" wide.

"Digging" don't describe it, "carving" is more like it. And that 60" iron nail with a pointy end at one end and a chisel end on the other is your best friend (I forget how much it weighs 30lb maybe??).

You learn right away to let the weight of the nail do the work, trying to stick that sucker in there with muscle power hammers yer joints real quick. Just drop the nail reg'lar and put aside all thoughts of "hurry". The post hole diggers become what you use to lift the pieces out once the hole gets deeper.

Thats just Texas caliche, I would expect Arizona caliche is harder yet. One good thing is that a pole set in caliche NEVER shifts, everything I set in our local black clay tilts constantly. Clay or caliche? I'll take caliche every time.

Birdwatcher

LMAO

G'Mornin', Norm.

I think some of the other fellows here have covered the basic "Caliche Story",......would just add that it's one of the few geological structures that you actually have to go POKE, PROD, and SHAVE to get a feel for "What next?", that being which Tool, what sorta' Drilling fluid, and whether that will be a Bentonite or a foam type,.....

It can be VILE stuff to work with, and at the same time probably one of the better "Bedrock" foundations one can tie a structure to. Out here in my zone, we get an added challenge, that being High Volcanic Silicate content in the overburden ,.......so your tool will not only "skate" on the Caliche, it also grinds itself to death in the process. Aggressively SHARP tooling, and VERY high down pressure capabilities are mandatory, in consequence. Once a tool "Skates", the worked face of the cut can develop a Glass Smooth, Mirror like finish. "Surfactant" type drilling fluids ( Dish Soap'll work) seem to have an edge, and it's not uncommon for conventional "Mud Rotary" outfits that work in zones where Caliche is encountered to have "Foam Injection" as a backup solution.

Caliche, one of the original "Drilling Problems" from ancient times forward,.....

Nothing that one challenges with a farm tractor and a post hole auger,......the comments about it not being "Potato Soil" were bang on.

Best regards,

GTC

laffin' here

Mount that on a three point and the fur ought to fly!

This is not really a "straight rotary" setup,....

needs percussion, though SLOW rotation would make it more effective.

With rotation, production would go up, but wear rates would too,....

GTC

I picked up a jack hammer once. I tweaked my wrist when I picked it up. I put it down and concluded I didn't ever need one.

What Rancho said about Central Cali. Much of the valley floor is hard pan a few inches under the top soil. I had one house near a 100+ year old fig orchard, and I asked a farmer how in the heck they dug the holes for the trees, back in the day. His answer was, "dynamite, of course".

when i was 18 i had to dig a trench for a water line, in calichie using one of those bars birdie mentioned. took me weeks to dig that 12 inch deep 300ft trench.

Cross, I'm dumb about Caliche, so if this is a stupid question tell me. What does high pressure water do to it, ie taking a pressure washer and pointing it down the hole?

we use calichie for ranch and some county rd's because it doesn't turn to mud when its wet.

Dang. I was thinking the exact same thing.