An earth auger is similar to a massive drill bit. But, instead of slotting the earth auger into your cordless drill, it’s attached to a special machine and goes into the ground. It drills slowly to prevent damage to itself. The shape of the best earth augers allows the earth to be pushed upward as the auger moves downward. This effectively shifts the earth and creates a hole in the ground. The hole will be the same size as the earth auger.
Of course, these items can be supplied in a wide range of sizes, depending on your needs. It’s worth noting that there are other augers that are designed to break up ice, pull liquid out of holes, or even remove blockages from drains. The corkscrew effect is very versatile.
While there are several promising uses for an earth auger, the following three can be called the best or most common applications:
Posts or Seeds
The smaller range of earth augers is well designed to manipulate the soil, creating small pockets that are perfect for placing seeds in. This makes a small earth auger an essential bit of kit for anyone looking to plant flowers and crops, even if it’s just s a hobby.
This is a much simpler and easier way to create the necessary seed pockets that manually digging each one by hand.
The smaller earth augers are also very good at shifting soil, allowing you to slide a post into the ground and secure it in place.
Bore Holes
This is possibly the most popular use for earth augers. The larger versions are excellent for creating boreholes that go deep into the ground. They are used by companies to find water or oil deep beneath the earth’s surface.
You can use an earth auger to create a borehole, or well, at home. This will allow you to pump water up and into your own small treatment plant. It’s a great way to be environmentally friendly or to access water when you’re off the grid.
These types of earth augers often have a pipe attached to them. It allows the metal pipe to sink into the ground just behind the earth auger. This ensures the hole stays open after being drilled, creating a well opening that will last for years.
Soil Samples
Another popular use of earth augers is to collect soil samples. This is especially useful in situations where the soil may be contaminated. Workers will be covered in protective suits, making it difficult to collect the soil samples by hand. But, with an earth auger, the soil can be pushed up and into a container. It can also be accessed easily from a variety of depths.
The soil can then be tested and assessed safely in the lab.
You may not think that you’ll have a need for an earth auger but you’ll be surprised. Now that you know what they can be used for it’s highly likely you’ll want to rent or purchase one for yourself.
