# Auger with "hiccups" while spinning...



## agapito (Aug 7, 2021)

Hello,
My post hole digger is acting weird when I connect the auger. It wasn't doing that a few months ago when I dug a few holes around my property, but now it seems like every time I connect the auger it starts to have some sort of very short pauses while rotating. If I remove the auger the post hole digger shaft seems to be doing just fine, spinning with no hiccups. I was bush hogging last week and the pto seems to be working fine.
Any idea of what could be going on there? Attached some videos to show what I'm talking about.
Thanks in advance,


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## bmaverick (Feb 20, 2014)

agapito said:


> Hello,
> My post hole digger is acting weird when I connect the auger. It wasn't doing that a few months ago when I dug a few holes around my property, but now it seems like every time I connect the auger it starts to have some sort of very short pauses while rotating. If I remove the auger the post hole digger shaft seems to be doing just fine, spinning with no hiccups. I was bush hogging last week and the pto seems to be working fine.
> Any idea of what could be going on there? Attached some videos to show what I'm talking about.
> Thanks in advance,


You will need to open the gear head/box. Look for any broken teeth on the splines or gears themselves. Next look for any ring clips that have busted.


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## FredM (Nov 18, 2015)

You have the post holer sitting to high, and with the auger attached this pulls down the gearbox and that in turn locks up the universal drive, in other words, the angle the universal yokes have to run at is more that it is designed for, next time you have the post holer connected, lift it to where you carry it with out the auger and check the unis, both top and bottom and you will see the yokes have clearance to turn, fit the auger and then notice the auger drive shaft will become much more vertical and this then sharpens the angle at the yokes, hence your problem, try not to lift it too high with the auger attached.

This happens to mine as well.


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## SidecarFlip (Mar 25, 2021)

Mine too and I ALWAYS IDLE the engine when digging with mine, the drive angle is way too acute. I would also suggest wetting the ground prior to digging, that ground is serious bone dry hardpack. Wetting it down about an hour before digging will facilitate easier digging. Don't use mine much anymore since I bought a post pounder. Probably should sell it.


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## agapito (Aug 7, 2021)

Alright, I'm gonna take a look at it. Thank y'all very much, really appreciate the help!


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## sixbales (May 18, 2011)

Very interesting. I've always been aware of the possibility of U-joints locking up due to too much angle, but I've never seen it happen. Thanks for sharing the video. 

To reduce the angle, maybe wet the ground and hand-dig a small hole to get the auger started and reduce the angle??


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## SidecarFlip (Mar 25, 2021)

Usually, what happens with an extreme angle is, the U joints chatter (as in the video) and with prolonged use, they eat themselves up because the forged ears become an interference fit with each other. Had that exact thing happen on my ols backup hay mower. I somehow forgot to open it before I engaged the pto and it immediately ate 2 U joints and spit them out, and it wasn't a good thing. I'm very cognizant now about 'opening up' my newer mower as the driveling would do the same thing. The drive angles CANNOT be acute or U joint failure will occur. At least NH uses a double Cardan constant velocity U joint at the pot end of the driveline. That eliminates the variation on driveline velocity as the machine articulates in the field but, double cardan CV joints are extremely expensive to replace if they fail so I keep it greased religiously.

The 'hiccups' for lack of a better word, are the U joints crashing into each other as the rotate.


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## Tx Jim (Jul 28, 2020)

PTO shaft hesitating when rotating is the reason cv joints are so common on newer pto powered equipment. The hiccups are caused from pto shaft speeding up/slowing down while u-joint are at an acute angle while rotating. Hence the name CV for constant velocity. Put shaft u-joints is a straighter line & "hiccups" will stop.


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## SidecarFlip (Mar 25, 2021)

Problem is, with a PHD, that CV joint would increase the cost of the implement past the point of being 'economical'. As you are aware of, they are expensive. PHD's are at a price point, hence no CV joint.


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## agapito (Aug 7, 2021)

So I aligned the ujoints and it worked like a charm! Thank you all for the recommendations and ideas, it helped!


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