I did a bit of gray literature research and it seems they can shear the bit, they may be slower, and may be less accurate. I'm not convinced that accuracy is at a premium with the organic nature of our installs. Speed could be, depending on how much slower an impact would be. Shearing a $500 bit would suck, so that's a nope for me.
Driving auger bits?
- Thread starter LordFarkwad
- Start date
I did a bit of gray literature research and it seems they can shear the bit, they may be slower, and may be less accurate. I'm not convinced that accuracy is at a premium with the organic nature of our installs. Speed could be, depending on how much slower an impact would be. Shearing a $500 bit would suck, so that's a nope for me.
I doubt they have ship auger bits over 3 feet long...
Reach
Been here much more than a while
- Location
- Atglen, PA
Correct, they only sell up to a 30” impact rated bit. However, such a bit does exist that is designed to take the pounding of an impact gun, as long as you’re not drilling through something more than 30” diameter.
Edited to clarify the bit is 30”, not 30’ long!
Merle Nelson
Been here much more than a while
- Location
- SF Bay Area, CA
And you've seen that TreeStuff has 48 and 60 inch bits too right? Perhaps called something other than ship auger bits.
Edit: Ahh I see why you said that. Nevermind.
If the impact driver has a legit place in the workflow I'd like to know. For now, I'm not seeing it. I would never have an opportunity to use a 30" bit for bracing rod installations unless I was grafting two branches together. No one ever requests supplemental support for ornamental trees, which is where it seems like a short bit would work. I don't do non-through bolting, even though it is part of the ANSI standard, so all my drilling is pretty long. My shortest bit is a 2 footer that is used for establishing a hole for my 15 footer. My shortest bit for getting all the way through a tree is just under 6 feet long. I wouldn't buy an impact gun just to start holes for my superhawg.
Reach
Been here much more than a while
- Location
- Atglen, PA
We don’t do much bracing rod installation around here; if we do it we are usually bolting together a beloved Bradford Pear, so 30” is more than long enough, although we drill with a big right angle drill, not an impact gun. Typically on bigger trees we are cabling, and have never cabled limbs a 30” bit won’t reach through.
I can understand your perspective though, with what you’re doing. For us, that impact gun would work, and would make it possible to drill a hole abandon tighten the nut on the eye bolt with the same tool. We don’t do that much cabling though, so we wont likely buy one of those any time soon.
flushcut
Been here much more than a while
- Location
- Delavan, WI
I wouldn't brace a Bradford out of shear principal. Just a horrible tree . But But the flowers are so nice! No just no.
I'm trying to get a 30 ft. tall one out of the woods by pruning out the most acute crotches. I have no idea if I'm going to succeed or if I'm going to kill it trying, but I just finished a second prune after leaving it alone for 2-3 years after the first prune... Looks a little thin, but the structure looks a bit less unacceptable...
flushcut
Been here much more than a while
- Location
- Delavan, WI
Basil prune and burn it with fire.
Either way good luck and take some pics.
Either way good luck and take some pics.
Reach
Been here much more than a while
- Location
- Atglen, PA
I wouldn’t normally either, but if one of our customers wants to pay us to try to keep one of those pests together, we will sure put the effort into it!
flushcut
Been here much more than a while
- Location
- Delavan, WI
If they are paying.
Travel can be quite costly when you think about it. Most of the time I have financial trouble with rental agencies. Renting a car is rarely a fun activity. I don't see how van-suv-rental can be a bad thing, it's only fun. For many of us, it means we’ll devote time to finding the right price, deciding which features to add, and debating the cost and need for extra car rental insurance.
Basil prune and burn it with fire.
Either way good luck and take some pics.
Took a pic from the road while pruning nearby. You can see that it still has acute junctions, but there is a tiny bit of room between each one, which did not used to be the case...
And, if I'm not fooling myself, I'm just barely ahead of it in terms of being able to make small cuts/few cuts before the branches fuse together... Also has that cool "cathedral" look still, which would be very cool if it wasn't so prone to failure.
flushcut
Been here much more than a while
- Location
- Delavan, WI
Right on. I salute your efforts.
LordFarkwad
Branched out member
- Location
- Chatham Co.
Did a cabling job yesterday - Super Hawg wins again. Thanks for the guidance, gentlemen. Very heavy, but once the bag's in the tree and the work positioning is good to go...man that thing rips.
Rooted.Tree.Solutions
Branched out member
- Location
- Elkhart, IN
Amazing info in this thread on cabling especially the tools needed. I’m curious if any of you would be willing to share where you buy your threaded rod? Should it be galvanized? Thanks.
- Location
- Retired in Minneapolis
I don't see any reason to use galvanized. get the largest, thickest washers you can find.
Check out a steel supply house for in town pickup. Shipping six foot bundles gets spendy. There is usually a price break at six pieces. Fastenal may be one place
Check out a steel supply house for in town pickup. Shipping six foot bundles gets spendy. There is usually a price break at six pieces. Fastenal may be one place
Rooted.Tree.Solutions
Branched out member
- Location
- Elkhart, IN
Can the Super Hawg dill a 3/4” bit 4’ through the trunk of an Oak for installing a rod?
Reach
Been here much more than a while
- Location
- Atglen, PA
I have never tried to drill such a hole, but I would guess that it will do it. You will probably have to drill it in steps though, say 6 inches at a time, I don’t think even an auger bit that long will effectively pull chips that far without binding up.
