Cone-Shaped Auger Perfect For Tree Planting

Cone-Shaped Auger Perfect For Tree Planting AUGERS Nursery owner Bryant Ferris was tired of using a straight-sided auger to plant trees “We had to widen out the top of the hole by hand ” he says “Then we found a tapered auger in Canada ” It worked well at their Blue Grass Iowa business and the Canadian company offered them the opportunity to manufacture and sell the auger in the U S There are two-stage augers Ferris notes but they believe the one-piece tapered auger has advantages “Our flighting isn’t steep so dirt sits on it and cleans off to the side of the hole ” he says Simply lift the auger out of the hole and spin the dirt off The auger is a hydraulic-drive unit that comes with a round head or hex head drive to fit on skidsteers or compact utility loaders that are popular with landscapers Augers come in three diameters: 36-in for $1 300; 42-in for $1 600 and 48-in for $1 900 The auger is designed with a 25-degree angle and one replaceable tooth per half revolution to make holes that handle most tree balls without additional hand digging The cone shape also keeps dirt from going back into the hole As a bonus about a third less dirt is removed so it takes less time and is much easier to backfill holes For maintenance replace the teeth as needed before they wear down too far Ferris says The auger shafts are made with schedule 160 pipe Heavier pipe and extra brackets are available for customers working in rock or hard soil Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Ferris Tree Auger 3977 Highway 61 Blue Grass Iowa 52726 ph 563 381-8733; www treeauger com

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