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To The Next Yard And Beyond

To The Next Yard And Beyond

May 11, 2016

Hydraulic earth drill tree planting5 Ways Earth Drills Increase Your Productivity

Never let poor productivity of handheld equipment and the risk of disturbing the turf with skidsteer tracks slow down your landscaping business. Whether you’re installing fence posts, planting trees or soil sampling, using an earth drill helps you work faster with minimal impact to the customer’s lawn. Here’s how earth drills maximize your productivity.

  • Features that protect the operator and equipment also save your budget.
    Paying workers’ compensation, or shop repairs can have a huge impact on your bottom line. Avoid dangerous kickback to the operator with a steel torque tube on mechanical and hydraulic models. The torque tube transfers drilling torque from the drill head to the engine carriage, virtually eliminating the risk of kickbacks to the operator as well as damage to the transmission and drive cable. Traditionally, contractors used two-man hole diggers, but choosing a model with a torque tube cuts labor costs in half. Another safety feature found on hydraulic units is a pressure-relief valve to stop the machine if hydraulic pressure reaches unsafe levels. More safety and less downtime equals greater productivity.
  • Accuracy and speed are fundamental for completing more projects.
    Manually digging holes is a tedious and inefficient process. Drill several feet deep in seconds rather than minutes with Little Beaver’s mechanical and hydraulic drills. Mechanical drills achieve speeds as fast as 360 RPM and hydraulic drills reach 285 RPM.
  • Little Beaver hydraulic drill torque tubeComfortable and convenient features lead to more productivity.
    Avoid throwing the towel in early due to operator aches and pains. If you hit an obstacle, hydraulic earth drills feature a comfortable one-touch reverse control to help you back out without having to manually lift the dirt and auger on your own. And, padded handles, easy access to the throttle controls and on/off switches on mechanical and hydraulic earth drills ensure a comfortable operation.
  • Simple maintenance equals less downtime.
    Easy servicing ensures that equipment is always ready to go and helps protect your equipment against wear. An earth auger with easily replaceable and reversible points and blades keeps the project running smoothly by cutting through a variety of soils and extends the auger’s service life.
  • Easy maneuverability is key to getting around the worksite.
    Bulky equipment, such as skid steers, are difficult to maneuver through tight spaces and might require following up with handheld tools to get the job done, which can eat up valuable work hours. Compact mechanical or hydraulic earth drills with wheeled power sources, on the other hand, easily access narrow side yards. The pneumatic tires, coupled with the drills’ light weight, prevent lawn damage and make them easy to move. Save valuable truck or trailer space for hydraulic earth drills by using a 2-inch ball hitch for transporting. Or, for additional hauling options, cut the weight in half by unhooking the removable power pack for easy loading and unloading.

Here are some products that can help you be faster and safer as well as grow your job list. Have more questions? Contact us.

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Hercules and the Hurricanes

Hercules and the Hurricanes

Apr 8, 2016

Hercules Fence

Little Beaver’s hydraulic drills easily bore hundreds of holes for the Hercules Fence crew as they set miles of fence that were destroyed by Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita in the Gulf Coast.

Fencing Company Always Ready to Fight Back with Mechanical Earth Drills

It was a crushing one-two combination. In the fall of 2005, Hurricanes Katrina and Rita beat down the Gulf Coast within weeks of each other, leaving splinters of devastation in the wake of their Category 5 forces.

It didn’t take long after the floodwaters receded from New Orleans and surrounding communities for the phone to start ringing at Hercules Fence. One call became a deluge, and for the next three years the fence replacement jobs kept the Lake Charles, Louisiana company working nearly double-time days, with their mechanical earth drills setting thousands of holes. Company owner Charles Harris never appreciated their dependability, power and versatility more than he did in the aftermath of the storms.

Six Decades of Posts

Hercules is a family-owned business that has been installing fences for more than 60 years. There was a time when the work suited the name: crew members dug all the holes by hand, muscling through the toughest soils with manual augers. But for nearly five decades now, Little Beaver mechanical earth drills have been driving the company’s installations because of the drills’ power, reliability and safety. Today, Hercules owns three MDL-8H mechanical drills and uses them for chain link, ornamental, wood and vinyl fences on residential and commercial projects. They’re the most efficient option for bread-and-butter jobs that cover 200-600 feet of fence with 30-60 holes that are 3 feet deep.

Hercules does more expansive commercial and industrial projects, too, installations as long as 25,000 feet that require as many as 2,500 holes up to 12 inches in diameter and 42 inches deep. Because of the sheer scope of the jobs, the crew uses a skid steer equipped with a drill to do the bulk of the digging work. Even for those larger and more challenging projects, the small but mighty Little Beaver machines never get left behind. That’s because for areas with soft soils, a skid steer may get stuck but a couple of workers can get in with a mechanical drill, do the work and get out again.

Workers Use Drills With Skills While Putting Others First

Because of the tremendous amount of devastation from sister hurricanes, Hercules Fence once again turned to the Little Beaver to help them quickly complete the many landscaping projects on their list. The destruction started with Hurricane Katrina, which not only destroyed businesses, homes and infrastructure in the area; it also took out nearly every fence. Making an already horrible situation worse, Rita blew through a couple of weeks later adding to the destruction, even claiming Harris’ own house.

Despite their own devastating losses, Harris and his crew members helped others rebuild. Over the year and a half following Rita, they replaced fences that provided hard-hit residents and companies with the extra measure of privacy and security they’d lost. It was a huge undertaking, but day in and day out, the crew of three men put all three of their Little Beaver drills to work.

The highly efficient Little Beaver drills rotate at up to 360 rpm to quickly bring spoil to the surface and leave clean holes. The fast operation allowed the Hercules crew to work quickly so they could complete as many projects as possible each day. And with the torque tube, one person could safely operate each drill, even when digging with large diameter augers, without getting fatigue from drill kickback.

Hercules and their drills were again put to the test almost three years to the day after Rita roared through, when Hurricane Ike pounded the Lake Charles area. It took more than a year, but once again the Hercules crew worked long days to restore the area’s fences.

Since then the workday hours have backed down to their normal eight, and Harris found the time to rebuild in Lake Charles. The threat of a hurricane will be there every year. But if and when the next hurricane throws some punches, Hercules will be there, armed with Little Beaver mechanical earth drills to sink the holes and put the pieces back together.

Navigating Mechanical Drill Maintenance

Navigating Mechanical Drill Maintenance

Apr 8, 2016

Mechanical Drill Maintenance

Minimize Downtime with Proactive Maintenance

A little maintenance work goes a long way to decrease costs, expand the lifespan and enhance the power of your earth drill. Contractors choose our Mechanical Earth Drills for high power in a variety of applications such as fence installation, deck installation or landscaping. Like most equipment, a mechanical drill requires simple, routine maintenance to stay up and running. By maximizing uptime, you’ll generate higher profits across the board from your landscaping projects.

Earth Auger Maintenance Basics:

  • Transmission/gearbox: Every 30 days, or after 40 hours of use, verify the transmission oil level offers adequate lubrication. Low oil can cause excessive gear wear.
  • Flexible Drive Shaft: Examine, clean and grease the flexible drive shaft after every 50 hours of operation. Apply sufficient grease so that it’s not gumming up the flex shaft but not so little that it’s dry and puts the cable at risk of breaking.
  • Clutch: Check the clutch every 30 days or when you lubricate the flexible drive shaft. Clean the shoes and drums and replace if any clutch padding is missing. A worn clutch can slip or cause the drill to jerk. Worn springs might result in the auger spinning at idle or overheating.

A Comprehensive Approach

While these are the most frequent maintenance areas, it’s important to keep other components on your radar, as well. Be sure to monitor other parts, including the throttle, torque tube, augers, points and blades, and the engine to identify any potential issues.

To learn more about warning signs and maintenance tips, check out our online service videos. They offer step-by-step guidance on Little Beaver maintenance protocols. You can find further advice in our product manuals as well as our blogs.

You can also contact us directly regarding any technical issues. Our dedicated support team is just a click or phone call away.

Keep It Moving

Keep It Moving

Mar 21, 2016

mechanical auger maintenance

Mechanical Earth Drill Maintenance

When using an earth drill to install fence posts, deck footings or landscaping, a well-maintained machine is key to ensuring productivity. Mechanical earth drills have many moving parts and some simple maintenance goes a long way toward keeping you up and running with every drill component in top-notch shape.

Completing routine, preventative maintenance allows you to achieve the most uptime for your hole-digging projects and keeps your drills moving along.

Preventative maintenance starts with checking wear parts.

1. Transmission/Gearbox

Check the transmission oil level every 30 days or after 40 hours of operation.

Problem Indicators: Inspect the transmission or gearbox immediately if it begins making unusual sounds or experiences extreme heat. An operator can detect extreme heat if they smell burnt oil or feels warmer than usual. Unusual sounds and heat are the first problem indicators, and if ignored, the motor might start to lock up when in use. This could be a sign of low oil. If you spot oil leaks along the top of the transmission, around the bottom seal and the lower output shaft, check the fluid in the gearbox and change the oil if necessary.

2. Flexible Drive Shaft

Examine, clean and grease the flexible drive shaft after every 50 hours of operation.

Problem Indicators: Replace the shaft housing if there are deep cuts or torn wire braids in the rubber casing. Replace the core of the flex shaft if you find broken wires, sharp kinks or if the motor runs and the gearbox will not turn. Doing so ensures the shaft will function properly. Also remember to use caution when applying grease — excessive grease can gum up in the flex shaft, reducing the shaft’s life. Not enough grease can dry out the cable, which will break easily or generate enough heat to burn through the outer housing. If you hit too many hard objects, like rocks, it will result in helixing of the flex shaft. This damage can cause it to lock up or diminish performance.

3. Clutch

Check the clutch every 30 days or when you lubricate the flexible drive shaft. Clean the shoes and drums and replace if any clutch padding is missing.

Problem Indicators: The clutch slipping or the drill jerking while it’s running is a problem indicator. A clutch will continue to run even if no more clutch padding exists, which causes a weaker performance when engaging the auger and accelerating the engine from idle to full speed. If the auger spins at idle or overheats, this might also indicate that the clutch springs need replacing. Also check the bearing in the clutch drum after replacing the flex shaft. Make sure it’s loose and turns easily. A clutch drum that does not turn easily will lock up and cause the clutch to slip.

4. Other Wear Parts

  • Throttle: If the speed and power of the drills seem a little off and the throttle lever doesn’t pull smoothly, try adjusting the throttle wire to minimize slack.
  • Torque Tube: Before each use, inspect the torque tube for cracks. And always check that the spring-button attachment is securely snapped into place and replace it if it’s bent or broken.
  • Replaceable Points and Blades on the Auger: Look at the replaceable points and blades before and after drilling to ensure they’re not excessively worn and replace if necessary. Using worn blades eventually wears down the auger and may cause a tear or damage to the flighting, resulting in a costly repair or the replacement of the entire auger. Failure to replace blades or keep them sharp causes the drill point to taper, and become cone shaped and as a result, it won’t drill effectively.
  • Engine Maintenance: Depending on the model, mechanical drills differ in the engine that powers them. However a good rule of thumb is to check the engine oil level daily and change every 50 hours or annually. Change air filters every 25 hours or annually. Air filters protect the internal engine parts from dirt. Dirt can cause wear to the intake system and contaminate of the oil, which reduces the engine capability. In dusty conditions, clean and maintain the engine wear parts more often. Refer to the engine manufacturer’s instructions for proper procedures and recommended fuel and oil.

For safety reasons never operate drills with damaged or missing parts. If you have a maintenance issue or question, check out Little Beaver’s online parts and operators’ manual and online service videos or contact us for in-house technical consultation.

Hit a Home Run in Fence Construction

Hit a Home Run in Fence Construction

Jan 31, 2016

4 Tips for Building the Perfect Fence

Mechanical earth auger for fencepost installationYou’ve become an expert in landscaping throughout the region. From planting trees and flowers to installing decks and curb edging, you’ve completed many projects for satisfied customers. Now it’s time to step up your game and add fence installation to your services.

Let these fence-building tips lead you to success.

1. Get Answers.
Start like you would with any project, by working with the homeowner or business owner to establish the size, scope and specifics of the project. To do this, always have a set of questions ready that will get to the heart of the project. What kind of fence does the customer want? What will the layout be? Where do they want gates? How high should you build it?

Check with city building codes and, if applicable, neighborhood association rules, so that the fence specs meet all of the codes. If the city assessor has not surveyed the property recently, you’ll want to coordinate that to ensure the fence is built in the proper location and, depending on the area, you may need a permit. Call 811 a few days prior to digging to have utility companies mark underground utility lines, gas pipes and sprinkler systems.

2. Get Your Tools.
Selecting the right hole digging equipment will help you finish on time and on budget. If it’s a small project, you might use a hand-held posthole digger. If you’re doing more than a dozen holes, though, it will be slow work to muscle each hole clean. To tackle bigger or multiple projects, you’ll want the speed and ease-of-use that comes with an earth drill. A Little Beaver mechanical one-man or hydraulic drill can bore each hole in less than a minute with little effort. It’s equally important is to make sure you select the correct auger, points and blades for the soil type you’re working in. This will help you dig holes faster with less pain.

3. Get it Straight.
You can’t get a straight fence without evenly spaced holes and firmly set posts. Set the spacing by marking and digging all corner and gate post holes first. Run a string from corner to corner and then measure the post spacing along the line.

For chain link fences, space postholes no more than 10 feet apart. For wooden fences, posts usually stand 6 to 8 feet apart. If installing posts in soft soils or windy areas, use a hand posthole digger to flare out the hole, creating a bell shape for more stability. The hole diameter needed is based on the size of the post used. For instance, a 4-by-4 post requires an 8-inch diameter hole. This can be easily achieved with Little Beaver’s snap-on augers that range in diameter from 1.5 to 16 inches. Holes are typically 24 inches deep, but you’ll need to ensure the depth is 3 inches below the frost line to prevent posts from cracking in the frozen ground. In some parts of the northern U.S. and into Canada, that means going as deep as 4 feet. If you’re in windy areas or sandy soil, you may want to dig your posts even deeper.

4. Get the Concrete.
Position the posts so that they are the correct height and plumb; even the slightest lean can create a slanted and potentially unstable fence. Next, shovel concrete into each hole. Avoid touching the post, which could cause it to move. Choosing concrete rather than a dirt and gravel mix will give the fence better stability. Allow 24 hours for the concrete to set, and then attach the chain link fabric or wood framing and face boards. With both types of fences, complete the gates last.

Once you’re done, it’s an ideal time to touch base with your customer on fence maintenance and landscaping recommendations. A job well done here can translate to more work, whether from this customer or referrals, as you continue to expand your landscaping services.

Feel free to contact us for further fence-building tips; or general questions on our full line of augers, one-man earth drills and two-man earth drills. We’re always happy to provide the tools and assistance you need.

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