Ok guys I've been wearin this forum out lately but i need some more help before my brother blows a grand for a rock bit on my auger.
Anyway we pretty much live on top of a rock, he seems to voluntarily take care of the fences (using my auger on his tractor) around the family property. We need a bit for the auger and he keeps threatening to buy one from a local tractor dealer for 1K!!! He's poor as they come but is a compulsive spender!!
Since he and I both have pretty good welding skills I'm thinkin we could build our own bit, heat treat it and get off much cheaper.
Anyone got anything in your bag of tricks????
OR
If you guys know where we can purchase a good rock bit at a really reasonable price I'd be willing to forgo the personable labor.

 

You may also be able to (spray) a carborundum surface on it ( I've seen this done on disks for plowing) that will make the bit resistant to wear. Heating metal and hammering on will also improve thr "harness" of the metal.

 

Never tried it myself, so maybe someone else can back me up on this...but you can heat up the metal to red hot, and dip in used engine oil. The steel will absorb the carbon and essentially case harden it.

 

We used to have the leading edges of our dozer blades, loader buckets and backhoe teeth welded with some kind of hardening rod ... think it was heavy with carbon ... can't remember, been too long ago.

Cheers,
PISTOL

 

I think your talking about Borium (sp) we used to have beads of it welded to horse shoes for use on paved roads for better grip. High carbon stuff that will not wear as fast.

Ron, you are mostly in chunk rock so something like welding on the teeth might work.

 

Right now the auger has removable blades.
I'm thinkin maybe we could get some heavier stock, put a good sized weld down the leading edge and then grind some points into it.
What would be the best rod for such an application?

 

Best place I can think of to ask is over at the welders supply store on Main Street (old 287). They should be able to help.

 

A company called Stoody makes a ton of hardfacing rod, look em up. There are a ton of different rods, and I'm not real familiar with em, but everything I've read, they say If you need to build up the weld, use something like 7018, or some 10718. Then for your hardface rod, run stringers. If you weave too much, you'll melt into the base metal too much and draw the softer steel into the weld, therefore making the hard rod pretty much worthless.

There's a lot of info on Miller's forum, btw

 

Will this help Ron? http://www.goexpowder.com/product-commercial.html

 

Man I just want to drill a few fence posts.

 

My augers have replaceable cutting teeth on each flute and a replaceable pilot bit. I don't see why you couldn't just get the teeth and pilot for rock, surely they must be available.

 

They are......They're extremely expensive.

 

How about using some backhoe teeth and adapt them for use on the auger?

 

That might work!!!
I'd probably need the smallest that I could find and fab up a mounting plate to mate them to the flights of the auger.

 

You sure are going at this the loooonnnnggggg way. I say, take a roto-hammer with a 1" bit-24" long.... Drill down to the hammer collet..... pour in some ammonium nitrate......cap with our favorite fuel....diesel...... and run like your hair was on fire.....

Post holes will appear very quickly, rock will dissappear very quickly, and if you dont run away fast enough, your hair will be on fire and will dissappear very quickly....

(had to hijack this thread with a little humor cause it was getting too in depth)....LOLOL

Gary