HART 40V Battery Powered Auger Quickly Digs Soil
We recently had the opportunity to meet with our friendly neighbor rancher Eli Mosley to put up a few fences on one of his dairy pastures. It's amazing how we are "invited" when he has work to do…often a tiring process involving a digger or even a shovel and multiple blisters. This time, we've brought a HART 40V battery powered 8" ground drill to help lighten the load.
The ground we're working in isn't your typical soft Florida sugar sand, so we crank it up to high gear and the auger's brushless motor eases through the soil at 200 RPM. To help turn the bit, the motor produces up to 53.98 foot-pounds of torque.
In addition to the 3" posts, Eli also needs to set up some new 8" corner posts. The posts need to be set a little deeper than the others because they are under the tension of the barbed wire. The auger drilled through the dirt quickly and we used all 31" bits and left a perfect post hole in seconds.
In one of the holes we managed to grab a root which eventually triggered the anti-kickback feature. The handle stops turning immediately after turning about 45° abruptly. One thing we appreciate that HART added to this auger is a strip of foam padding on the left handle to cushion you in the event of binding.
You can install the auger bit with a standard pin-based quick-connect, so if you want to add another size, other brands of bits are also compatible. For fence and landscape planting, we recommend adding a 4-inch drill.
HART 40V Battery Powered Auger Design Notes
size and weight
The tool weighs 38.25 pounds and is 44 inches tall with the 8-inch auger bit included in the kit. Even with the 4.0Ah battery, that's on par with what we've seen on petrol models. Even at your weight savings compared to gas, there are no pull cords, gas or maintenance to deal with. Just pull the trigger and you're off to the races.
ergonomics
The look and feel of this auger reminds me a lot of its natural gas counterparts. This makes the transition to battery powered augers very smooth. The large side handles give you a very firm grip even in harder soils. There is a little play in the connection between the bit and the driver, but that is typical for earth drills.
control
The control switch is located on the right handle. There are high and low speeds and reverse. The trigger has a small safety to help prevent accidental activation during transport. To engage the auger, select your desired work mode, place both hands on the handle to control the drive, and pull the trigger to begin.
Pro Tip: If you know you're going into harder soil, rocky soil, or dealing with roots, it may be helpful to continue to rest the left handle pad against your leg/hip for extra control.
HART 40V Battery Operated Auger Price
HART's auger is available as a kit that includes an 8-inch auger, 4.0Ah battery, and charger for $396. Hart includes a 5-year limited tool warranty and a 3-year limited battery warranty with the kit.
the bottom line
After testing the HART 40V 8" Auger, we were pleased that it speeded up our hole digging process. It handled a range of soil types with ease and showed no sign of letting up. This is a great option if you're looking to replace an old drill or just want to retire your backhole digger.
Hart 40V Battery Powered Auger Specifications
- Model: Hart HLAUG01
- Power supply: Hart 40V battery
- No-load speed: 200 RPM
- Max Torque: 53.98 ft-lbs
- Digging capacity: 30 holes per charge (with 40V 4.0Ah battery)
- Gearbox: Low/High/Reverse
- Weight: 38.25 lbs.
- Height: 44 inches
- Maximum drill diameter: 10 inches
- Anti Kickback Protection: Yes
- Maximum Auger Depth: 31 inches
- Warranty: 5 years (tool), 3 years limited (battery)
- Price: $396 (kit)