Welcome to the Digga blog

Did you know that tradies are twice as likely to commit suicide than other people in Australia? Statistic surrounding suicide and mental health within the construction industry are quite confronting. In this male dominated industry people are often asked to ‘toughen up’ with negligence of possible consequences and people’s feelings, what is happening in their lives and why they might be feeling depressed or not themselves.   And let’s face it. It’s been a rough couple of months for everyone during this pandemic with impacting changes in both our work and personal environment. Which is why we should all be looking out for each other and let our mates know that it’s okay not to be okay.   At Digga we want to encourage you to be a good mate and ask ‘R U OK’. As part of R U OK day we want to promote awareness for people that may be at risk of mental health issues or potentially suicide in our community.  Here are some useful tips on how to ask R U OK, as well as how...

Have you heard of HALO, the biggest innovation in pendulum drilling in the past two decades? HALO is Digga’s brand new Auger Alignment System.  HALO has been designed to save operators time and money. It helps you drill straight holes and therefore provides a number of advantages to the earth drilling industry. Its benefits include, amongst others, reducing the number of in-hole angle adjustments which can create an oversized hole, also reducing the amount of concrete required to fill the hole. Not drilling straight can additionally cause sideload on the auger bit and drive, potentially causing damage and expensive repairs. With HALO operators drill more efficiently, as you can return to drilling faster after returning the auger into the hole. Another great advantage is you won’t need a spotter with a spirit level guiding you through the hole. So, if you’re trying to save on labour costs, HALO is the way to go - remember HALO does not take holidays or sick leave! So, how does it wo...

5th of August 2020 The Victorian State Government has announced Stage 4 workplace restrictions for businesses in Melbourne. This includes direction on industries that can continue to operate under restricted guidelines.  We can advise that our Melbourne facility will continue to operate with a COVID Safe Plan in place through this period of enforced restrictions. Our warehouse and manufacturing operations are maintaining strict hygiene, social distancing and safety protocols, while our office team will transition to working remotely from Thursday the 6th of August. Collection of orders from our facility will be limited and will operate under a contactless click and collect model. Customers will be required to call our office once they arrive onsite to collect their goods. Carpark signage will guide customers through the pickup process.  Shipping of orders will continue as normal from our Victorian facility. We may ship product directly from our QLD or NSW facilities to reduce ...

To ensure longevity and performance, it is crucial to service your Digga drive unit and change the oil in regular intervals as advised in the operator’s manual. While you might be wondering why, we have got all the answers for you. Why is gear oil important to ensure the longevity of my drive? Essentially, the oil in your drive unit is independent to your hydraulic system. Meaning that the oil from your machine does not lubricate your drive unit. As a result, your auger / anchor drive requires regular oil changes to remain in perfect working condition and to avoid damage to the gears. What happens if my auger / anchor drive is not serviced regularly? We have tested 3 drive units in our Hydraulic Cyclic Testing Unit where 10 years of wear and tear was simulated. Oil was changed in the drives at different intervals illustrating the wear caused by neglect.  The images below illustrate the importance of regular servicing of your auger / anchor drive and what happens if failed to do so....

Having trouble operating your Digga bucket broom? There are a few tips and tricks when it comes to brush adjustment & height, rotation direction and the broom emptying procedure. We've summarised them for you below. Direction of travel and brush rotation Always sweep at a high enough brush speed and low ground speed to effectively discharge the material being swept. Brush height adjustment Remove the handle pin, twist the handle, and replace the pin. Re-adjust the axle to the correct height using both handle adjusters. Return handles to their original position. Correct Brush Height Set the height of the brush so the bottom of the brush is approximately 30mm lower than the bucket cutting edge. The brush must be level. Emptying Procedure When the bucket requires emptying, stop the rotation of the brush, lift your loader arms and crowd the bucket forward so the Bucket Broom hood swings away from the bucket. Examples of Damaged Bucket...

17th March 2020 The Digga Australia Group is currently monitoring the impacts and concerns associated with the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) very closely. In line with our core values, we are committed first and foremost to the welfare of our employees, contractors and business partners and we are taking every precaution to prevent the spread of COVID-19 to protect our community. At this point in time, we are not aware of any significant impacts to our supply chain, however we are working closely with all our supply chain partners to monitor the situation and provide regular updates as necessary. Given the challenging and evolving situation, we will be implementing new processes and policies as more information becomes available. The Digga Australia Group has implemented the following strategies, in line with Australian Government COVID-19 guidelines: All onsite non-essential business meetings are to be postponed or rescheduled online Domestic air travel is limited to ess...

The Government has announced an increase in the instant asset write-off threshold from $30,000 to $150,000 initially until 30 June 2020. This has now been extended to the 31st of December 2020! As a result of the continued spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) and its impact on the Australian economy, the Government has announced a comprehensive package focused on backing Australian businesses. Access to the incentive has also been widened to include businesses up to $500m in annual turnover, up from $50m since the previous announcement, aiming to provide significant cashflow benefits to small, medium and large businesses. The considerable threshold increase brings larger equipment within the scope of the incentive package – ideal if you own a business in the earthmoving industry, which generally requires large investments. Immediate write-off of tax deductions of up to $150,000 on things like vehicles, tools and office equipment are now available for eligible businesses. The inc...

When Carla’s mother, Suzanne discovered she had Stage 4 Ovarian Cancer in November 2012, her family support team flew into action. In the three years that followed, Carla, her siblings and her father were by Suzanne’s side as she faced an operation, chemotherapy, and tried every natural remedy or treatment that was available. Throughout all this, Suzanne planned big holidays every year, to all the places she had always wanted to go. Sadly, Suzanne passed away at the age of just 66. Today, Carla works in the family business that was founded by her parents, Krinklewood Biodynamic Vineyard in the Hunter Valley. “For the past few years I have thought about trying to raise some money for OCRF but just didn’t feel ready to stand up and talk about it with our members, but this year I decided I could do it. I really wanted to do it in honour of Mum, and to help support all of those currently going through Ovarian Cancer.” Each year, the vineyard restaurant holds a members luncheo...

Keeping on top of your Trencher wear parts will prolong their life and keep you working efficiently for longer! So, when should you be replacing Trencher teeth? How do you know they are worn out? At Digga we have two different tooth options. Have a look at the description and images below. Tungsten Carbide Teeth : once the carbide at the tip of the tooth is gone, the tooth is ineffective.  Cup teeth : once the tip starts wearing back through the tooth and you’ll notice some hard facing – that's when it will start to inhibit the ability of the chain to penetrate the ground. Consequently, you will be labouring your machine and burning extra fuel. Make sure you exchange your wear parts regularly to avoid working inefficiently. Further maintenance checks on your Trencher Chain Whenever you replace teeth make sure to check your bolts as well – you don’t want to risk losing the teeth by re-using worn bolts. Check all your spacers, make sure there is no fa...

Maree Taifalos was just 21 when she was rushed to hospital with severe abdominal pain. She underwent surgery a couple of days later for what everyone thought was a large cyst, but what was in fact dysgerminoma—a rare type of ovarian cancer. “A week after surgery, I was told about the chemotherapy. It was a particularly strong type that was developed earlier that year. Three cycles, each one three weeks long, with the first week being five days of treatment in a row. It made me so sick. I would barely be able to walk to the car from the hospital. I would be so nauseous that the smell of food passing my room to get to other rooms would make me vomit. But throughout it all, I had some amazing support around me. My parents never left me alone in hospital and would juggle work and my siblings to always make sure I had the best care at home. My brother took on so much more in the family—he was at university at the time so I don’t know how he managed it, but he’s a pretty special person...

"Kate lost her sister, Sue, to ovarian cancer seven years ago. She was in her mid-40s and working as a kindergarten teacher. Like too many women with her lethal condition, she had no symptoms. In fact, by the time she was diagnosed and treated, doctors told her that her tumour could have been there for two or three years—the silent killer. For Kate and Sue, ovarian cancer runs in the family. Their grandmother had died from it decades earlier. Now, Kate is taking part in the Silver Lining Ride to combine her passion for cycling with her determination to spread awareness." --- OVARIAN CANCER AWARENESS MONTH Last year Digga raised 99K for Ovarian Cancer Research! This is a very close cause to our heart as Digga suffered a big loss in June 2018, when Suzie Wright, our CEO and Managing Director, passed away after a long struggle with a rare form of ovarian cancer. As a tribute to Suzie and with February being Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, every Friday during ...

Fencing of any kind; whether you’re installing a security fence, garden privacy fence, flagpole or replacing old fence posts, will need you to dig out post holes. Using a shovel is time-consuming and labour intensive; you will possibly make your hole larger than you need and most probably do your back in. Digga has a range of attachments and tools to make digging post holes easy when fencing. Suitable for attaching to a mini loader, tractor, skid steer or excavator whether you’re in a garden, on the farm or on building site – we have the attachment for you and/or your team. Don’t have a machine? We have a one-man post hole digger. Digga ramdrills: If you’re working with a tractor, Digga manufactures a range of ramdrills . Digga ramdrills use the 3 point linkage at the rear of the tractor to connect and each option offers different levels of power suited to the different levels of usage and requirement; Digga manufacture 3 options of ramdrill: PHD ramdril l - the safes...

Customers often ask us about excessive wear on rock augers. As rock augers are designed to drill through very tough ground and hard rock, we’d like to outline what kind of wear should be expected, why rock augers wear and how this can be avoided to keep your augers operating at maximum performance. First of all, what types of rock augers are there? At Digga we offer three variations of rock augers. The Digga Earth/Rock Combo Rock Auger features tapered tungsten taperloc teeth and is designed for drilling in earth, shale, permafrost and some fracturable rock. Dedicated Rock Augers on the other hand, come in a standard and Tapered Rock variation, both featuring rotating picks and used to drill in fracturable to hard rock. The design with short flighting and rotating pick pilot encourages regular spoil removal, allowing cool air to enter the hole, and facilitate regular tooth inspection. Additionally, a hard-faced finish is applied to the flight edges and pockets of the dedicate...

We recently delivered a custom drilling solution for one of our customers, who uses a piling process called Sheet Piling. For this particular application, Digga developed and provided CFA style augers with a removable cutting-head-design and varying lengths.   What are traditional CFA augers? Here is some background information: Continuous Flight Augers (CFA) are mainly used for drilling water-bearing sandy soil, sludge, clay, muddy sub clay, sandy gravel, cobble, and weathered soft to hard formation (rock).  CFA piles are a type of drilled foundation in which the pile is drilled to a final depth in one continuous process, using a continuous flighted auger (CFA). Concrete or grout is then pumped under pressure down the hollow stem of the auger to the bottom of the bore. Once pumping starts the auger is progressively withdrawn bringing the soil with it to the surface, leaving the Concrete/Grout in the pile. Reinforcement (Reo) is then added to the concrete p...