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When drilling in different ground conditions you need the right speed and the right cutting system on the auger to suit the different ground conditions. So which auger should you choose for your application?For efficient drilling on any machine requires power (torque) and down pressure. Digga augers perform better at an optimal RPM against the ground conditions they are against. Similarly the auger diameter will perform better at certain speeds. For example: the larger the hole and harder the ground conditions, the slower you will need to drill. The smaller the hole and softer the ground conditions, then more speed is required.  As a general rule we recommend the following RPM/speeds: 55-65 RPM for general earth conditions. 45-55 RPM when drilling in heavy earth, clay or shale.  20-45 RPM when drilling in rock. Results will depend on rock hardness, type of auger being used and machine down force.  Digga recommends the following for attachments for the different ground c...

It is said that the first recorded use of a screw pile was by Alexander Mitchell, a brick maker and engineer from Ireland who coined the term ‘screw-pile’ in 1833. Initially the concept of screw piling was used to provide solid foundations for lighthouses in soft soil and provided enough holding power to safely moor ships in the harbour. The original screw pile concept cannot be officially confirmed but in the April 1848 issue of the Civil Engineer and Architects Journal the article highlights the mechanics of the bearing power of screw moorings and screw piles which Alexander Mitchell is argued to have introduced:  "The origin of the screw-pile was the screw mooring, which was designed for the purpose of obtaining, for an especial purpose, a greater holding power than was possessed by either the ordinary pile or any of the usual mooring -anchor blocks, of however large dimensions.... whether this broad spiral flange, [or ’ground screw,’ as it may be termed] were fixed...

Are you having trouble drilling in hard rock? We can help you out with some tips to make your job easier.. and more efficient! Without damaging your drillhead or wearparts. Let us explain why rock drilling may cause difficulties and issues when not carried our correctly: When drilling rock or frost for extended periods of time, air is trapped in the hole creating an oven effect. The trapped temperature and friction causes the wearparts and pilot to heat up to an extreme temperature, causing them to melt. It will damage the drilling head and can result in the face of the rock to 'glaze over' and become an even harder surface. This is why we recommend that you periodically remove the auger from the hole to allow fresh air back in the hole every 5 minutes. This means - stop drilling and bring the auger head to the surface to allow air into the hole. Below is an example of an auger, which was left down the hole for too long. While it may seem excessive to have to bring ...

If you’re working with multiple sized augers or often in different ground conditions you’ll understand the expense and time wasted that comes with needing multiple drive units for the different applications. When the ground is soft you want a higher speed to get the hole drilled quickly and then move onto the next one. When the ground is hard or you’re using a large auger you need torque to get the job done efficiently. Speed and torque are always a trade-off; when you increase your speed you lose power and when you increase your power, you lose speed. Similar to a manual car, fourth gear allows speed but struggles with the power required to get the vehicle up the hill Standard, single speed drives are typically manufactured as a cost effective solution to provide a speed and torque to suit most applications but will give you one or the other. 2 speed auger drives have grown in popularity over the last few years and, as leading manufacturers, we can understand why. We unde...

Adrian Eagan, aka Baldy has been drilling in one form or another all his working life. Working for one of Queensland largest earthmovers L&D Earthmoving , we wanted to hear what he makes of the Digga drives he puts to work every day.   L&D Earthmoving were established in 1954 and Baldy has been with them for the last 25 years explaining that the company service a mix of commercial and domestic customers “from backyard bobs to major infrastructures – there is virtually no where we can’t service!” Covering all of South East Queensland working in light dusty sands and clay to solid blue metal Baldy really puts his drives through their paces. “I run a few 4.5 or 6 tonne combos for all our everyday work and light duty drilling with the Digga PD3. Then I operate an 18 tonne excavator with a 2 speed Digga PD30.” The Digga PD30 is an upgrade from the PD18 Baldy used to operate but he admits “after 8 years of heavy work, I finally managed to break the PD18…”  Of ...

Coming from a background of Australian small business, helical piling experts Brodie and Rob Houghton believe that supporting Australian manufacturing, skills and ingenuity should be top of the list when selecting new machinery attachments. Brodie and Rob Houghton have over 25 years of experience in small business development, servicing specialist engineering and construction industry niches, including extensive experience in the Residential, Civil and Commercial Construction disciplines. Brodie and Rob are now the Directors of Solidity Pty Ltd , specialists in Helical Pile manufacture and installation. Solidity service the entire state of Victoria, with emphasis on areas with swampy or sandy foundations, where helical piling provides significant economic and structural benefits over the concrete bored pile equivalent. The Solidity team operate using a number of different machinery platforms, and have recently purchased a new 5.5T excavator. Each of their excavators is matched ...

Steve Hassett, Foundation Technologies Australia business owner and co-founder used his first Digga auger drive unit in January 2017 and since then he’s never looked back; making a commitment to Digga and their Australian manufacturing. Starting off with just one machine in 2012, Foundation Technologies now have six machines ranging from 1.7 – 13 tonne excavators, specialising in residential screw piling. For the last five years Steve has been using alternative machinery attachment brands but following his success with his first Digga purchase earlier this year he has decided to change all of his auger drives over to Digga Machinery Attachments . Steve has been extremely impressed with the technology the Digga auger drives offer, particularly the 2 speed units (which he now owns 2 of) and he says it’s something that the rest of the market doesn’t offer, “our Digga PD12 on the 3.5T Yanmar gives us up to 9000nm of output torque with the opportunity to help out our cl...

A man who spent years trying to break Digga screw anchor drive units now says he can’t run his business without them. Geoff Taunton runs Gold Coast Screw Piers , a Queensland-based deep foundation system provider servicing more than 200 clients from Coffs Harbour to Cairns. Explaining the history of his business, Geoff told us: "Back when Digga was still in the R&D phase they would give me a new test auger drive unit and tell me to go and break it. Installing screw piers and bored piers involves putting extreme vertical force on the piece of machinery attachment. It’s extremely harsh on the equipment, so it was really an ideal testing ground for the drive units. I would break the drive and tell Digga exactly what I was doing and what pressure it was under when it broke. They would use that information to improve the design, then give me a new one to break and the process would start again. These days it’s pretty hard to break a Digga screw anchor drive. For such a sev...

We know that our customers are busy working long hours in often remote locations so our focus at Digga is to work closely with them to understand their needs and requirements, ensuring we supply a high quality range of machinery attachments with the best sales and service possible, going over and above. For one customer in particular, Phil Shovlin of Shovlin Plant Hire Australia time is always of the essence so when he takes time out to write an email to our head office thanking staff for their exceptional service, we know he means business! Offering specialist plant hire to the railway, mining and construction industries across the east coast of Australia, Shovlin Plant Hire recently purchased a 900mm Digga Rock Auger to fit to their 128 Komatsu Excavator for drilling work on the Roma Street railway. Phil told us “The rock augers and core barrel drills worked a treat,” and as a result of their success at Roma Street have bagged further work from their international clie...

Screw piling comes with a range of advantages and their application continues to grow as we continue to build and develop marginal sites; from the instant foundations of manufactured homes and pre-engineered metal buildings to axial compression and lateral tension load supports. There are a number of benefits to screw piling over traditional methods and we often here industry experts saying helical piling is more efficient and better for the environment. Here we dig a little bit deeper to look at some of the pros to screw piling. Screw piling is quick to install - providing the job brief has clearly defined the parameters effectively, screw piling can be completed efficiently. There is no requirement for cement, waiting on setting times or digging out the ground, so you can move straight onto the next one without having to hang about. Measuring and recording - one of the most important features of screw piling is the ability to verify the load capacity during the installation ...