Looking for a digger for my skid steer. Anyone have a Belltec? Looks like they have a lot of different models. Overwhelmed by the number of options.

What skid steer are you using? What flow? What bit do you need?

I have a John Deere 332D standard flow. Looking for a 9" rock bit for my corner posts and a 4" puffer bit for t-posts.

Aren't belltecs more geared for tractors without hydraulic down pressure? A John Deere attachment should work just as good.

Agree with brush country, except there are a bunch of aftermarket diggers and bits out there way cheaper than OEM, that in my experience work as well if not better.
I have a Bobcat 250, and do not own one Bobcat tool.
SkidSteerSolutions is a good place to shop.
There is another one, I will find the name of.

SD_71 said:

---

Agree with brush country, except there are a bunch of aftermarket diggers and bits out there way cheaper than OEM, that in my experience work as well if not better.
I have a Bobcat 250, and do not own one Bobcat tool.
SkidSteerSolutions is a good place to shop.
There is another one, I will find the name of.

---

The only issue i see with that is finding someone to service an attachment they did not make. Thats a challenge.

We have 4 skid steers each equipped with auger and other attachments, all OEM, and I'm damn sure that when one goes down I can take it to the local dealer and they'll have the parts and willingness to get it back to work quickly.

Well the Belltec is actually cheaper than the John Deere from my dealer. Not surprising. I've only ever heard good things about Belltec.

The Belltech augers have been very good and very reliable in my experience with them. Parts are easy to get since the company is based in Belton.

Be prepared to get creative on adding weight for the hard rock

Brush - Belltec has both models, for tractors and skid loaders. They also make a skid loader auger with 2500 lbs of steel on it for rock digging. Never used that mdel, but had a guy with a 333e dig some for me last year. Worked great in dirt and flintrock, but put on the 2" puffer bit to dig in solid rock (after trying a 12 inch where not even the small starter head/teeth made more than a small bowl shaped hole) and it took 15 minutes to go less than 2 ft with all the down force the operator could stand.

I would be curious to see how the rear tractor mount compared, and the weighted one also. The owner of the rock bits we borrowed said he starts with smaller diameter holes and expands when digging with his weighted model .

I think the H300 series is what most folks use in your situation. I priced one last week for $2165 if I remember correctly. Also, be careful about buying the weighted auger if you will be on steep terrain. I know you have a bigger machine, but the guy I borrowed bits from said his wheeled machine had challenges moving between hole locations in the hills.

JDAg- Do you have special Texags pricing?

What kind of machine are we talking about?

Nothing on a tractor will compare to a skid steer

A wheeled skid steer won't compare to a track skid steer

Only thing that will beat a big track skid steer in terms of downforce is a heavy machine.

Don't know much about digging in rock cuz we don't face that challenge in our market, but the biggest determining factor at how effective you'll be is the machine, not the attachment, IMO.

The 333e was the biggest track skid steer JD makes before the g series came out, and it didn't cut it in rock with an H300 standard mount Belltec, despite the operator putting max effort on it. I'm not sure how much of the 10000+ machine weight gets transferred onto the drill bit.

I've never used the tractor mounted 3 pt Belltecs, but I've heard from people that have that they do better due to amount of force they provide.

I've got a few miles of fence to build or have built in half rock/half dirt and am curious about the experiences of others. I also hear about folks using air drills instead and then driving pipe into the holes. Not sure which way I want to go.

I'm looking for leads for good steel corner posts, if you have any.

Brush Country, my apologies sir.
I do not have the experience that you do as you do with 4 machines to my one.
I guess that would make a big difference.
We run our equipment ourselves and I guess being lucky we have only had to replace hoses and miscellaneous parts.
Good luck to you guys, the skid steer as best as I can see is the handiest piece of equipmet we have ever owned. Can only wish I had bought mine years ago.

Why is there need for an apology? We were just having a discussion and I merely made a point.

Relax. I wasn't trying to talk down.

Did not think that at all. I figured with you having 4 machines, your operation was was much larger and more experience was much greater than mine, I have only one machine, a used S259, but have a great salesman who has given me advise on what to buy. My absolute favorite is a root plow that is about 1' wide.With it you can grub mesquite and huisache and get the tap root.lay it to the side and put the dirt back in the hole.It is not fast but it does an excellent job of getting it gone where it won't come back. You can also use a shear and cut them off out with about a foot above the ground, Then spray the stump with Remedy and diesel, with this you can get a 95% kill rate if you work at it AND spray the stumps good. After a year you cab go through with your bucket about 6" to 1' off the round and just pop the dead stumps out. rake the up and burn them.

Sd71 - which brand grubber do you have? Does it have a v notch or straight cutting edge? I've been looking at various ones and have come across some homemade ones as well.

Ft. Worth Ag......I own a ranch in the hill country and have built myself lots of our own fence.....high fence and low. In having the place for 25 years I have tried or rented just about everything for digging holes in everything from solid yellow flint (hardest rock in our region) to fractured rock to hard caliche to grey flint, bedrock in creeks to plain old dirt. I have used rock bits and compressors, front augers on skid steers and three point hitch Belltecs. I own a Belltec front auger for my John Deere 332G Skid Steer....I installed he extra weights and use both the RAD Solid Rock Bit and the Fractured Rock Bit. I also own the three point tractor version of the Belltec Model TM-48, which uses the tractor weight plus its own hydraulic down pressure. I use this unit on a John Deere 6615 100HP tractor. To use the TM-48 your tractor must have dual rear hydraulics and be at least 30 HP.
Without a doubt the three point TM-48 Belltec drills much better in the rock than the Skid Steer mounted Belltec. Its all about keeping heavy down pressure to make the teeth on the bit work. If you don't keep the down pressure you will dull your teeth on the bit very quickly. Which one you choose should be dependent on what material you will be drilling in. I use the three point TM-48 Belltec for solid and fractured rock and can dig a 43-45" deep hole without extending the bit. I only use my skid steer auger for dirt and gravel type of soils.
If you are on slanting terrain the auger skid steer type can be dangerous or can move suddenly and snap off your auger shaft. (Expensive to fix). The TM-48 works much safer and better on steep terrain.
In extreme conditions I have even used a second tractor with a front end bucket to set on top of the TM-48 Belltec for even more down pressure.
In regards to the "puff bit"....it was designed for drilling a hole in rock for T-Post. It drills a 2" hole so a T-Post will move around in it. I purchased one when I bought my other Belltec units......I hardly ever use it as it is much easier and faster to use a regular Bosch or De Walt rotary hammer with a 1 1/8 bit which is perfect for t-post.
I just drilled 23 holes in solid bedrock in our creek this week using my Belltec TM-48. I had to change my teeth out one time but was done in a day.
Whatever you get make sure your teeth can turn and are relatively sharp each time you use it in rock. I have drilled literally over 500 holes over the years with my Belltec machines...mostly in solid or fractured rock....they have held up really well..and the company is really good to work with and parts are very easy to come by.

Thanks for the info Gunny. I'm close to your neck of the woods so will probably encounter the same material you are currently drilling in. With that said you have convinced me to abandon the Belltec digger for the skid steer and instead look at one for my tractor. Also thanks for the great info on the puffer bit. Seems a lot cheaper to just buy a good hammer drill. I really appreaciate it!

Glad to be of help......We went through the school of hard knocks over the years drilling holes in this country as tried everything. I started out with a regular post hole digger that went on the back of the tractor...what a waist of money....then I rented a compressor and rock bit with 90 lb hammer. Just about ended up in the ER that week from heat stroke and breathing the damn dust. Then I learned about the Belltec TM-48 and rented one on a 50HP Tractor.....worked real well so I manned up and bought one. Then a buddy told me about how much better it woukld be to have one on a skid steer......I should have rented one first.....but no I went and bought one.....the issue with it again is down pressure if your are in solid rock you gotta have that and skid steers just don't have that ability unless you add weights and out riggers (bunch of money).
Let me know if I can help in anyway.Gig'em

Gunny - what size holes were you drilling with the TM -48? I understand that they have different options on the TM 48, with the basic one only requiring one set of remotes? How hard is it to get the machine set if you are in really rolling territory? In drilling that grey creek bedrock, which bit would you recommend?

I use both the RAD and SRA auger bits in 9" diameter. The RAD bit is a little harder to start than the SRA. I was not aware that they make a machine that is only for one set of remotes as the TM-48 needs one for tilting front and back for leveling and one set for the hydraulic down pressure. If your tractor only has one set of remote hydraulics they make a valve that will allow you to pick which function you want to use. It is an electric valve that can toggle between two positions. It would work as you would never use both at the same time. I have used mine on some pretty good slants. There is additional adjustment on the two stabilizing bars that will allow you to keep it vertically level if you max out your center link travel. Belltec started making a more aggressive SRA bit and that is the bit I use the most....use it for solid rock, bedrock, fractured rock and hard caliche. It works ok in good dirt as well.

Gunny - Thanks. Any interest in selling your skid steer digger since you like the TM 48 more?

milkman......I traded it about two weeks ago to an implement company for a skid steer mounted cement mixer. Sorry man.

This is a good discussion.

Gunny - where in the Hill Country are you located?

I'm in NW comal county and getting fence bids, thought you may know an outfit or a good guy that knows fencing and knows building fence into rock.

milkman. I've got one that has been in the barnyard for a couple of years now. I need to putz with it to see if it still works. The hydraulic lines are several summers cooked in the sun. Contact westsideveterinaryclinic@yahoo.com I can check on it this coming weekend and let you know status. We drove it on a New Holland skid steer. Have punched hundreds of holes with it. Dr Pete

Sending email now.

PFG - I am west of Fredericksburg. I recommend Kuntz and Sauer in the Fredericksburg area but don't know how far they would go. They do great work and are very fair in price.