View Full Version : Dyna Diggr
MediaHound
08-09-2008, 01:54 PM
Anyone have the Dyna Diggr?
It's a power shovel, a gasoline powered spade.
I'm getting ready to invest in one and looking for feedback if anyone has used one or owns one. I have to move a lot of palm trees and banana plants and such and this thing seems like a dream come true.
For those wondering, I priced it out, it seems to run $1350 or $1395 or so.
Thanks in advance.
Welcome to DynaDiggr (http://www.dynadiggr.com/)
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MediaHound
08-09-2008, 02:00 PM
Too bad there isn't an attachment for my gas auger that gives a gearbox and the spade...
http://www.bananas.org/f2/just-ordered-gas-hole-digger-222.html
harveyc
08-09-2008, 02:24 PM
Jarred, I watched the videos and it looks like this would have good potential for your needs. How many plants do you have to move, approximately?
I don't know of any similar "tree spade" alternatives. Too bad someone doesn't have it available for rent locally.
Harvey
harveyc
08-09-2008, 02:25 PM
Too bad there isn't an attachment for my gas auger that gives a gearbox and the spade...
http://www.bananas.org/f2/just-ordered-gas-hole-digger-222.html
"Page not found"
Richard
08-09-2008, 03:34 PM
My neighbor owns a 30 lb electric jackhammer, which can be used vertically or horizontally (for demolition). Like most of these, the bits that came with it included a spade attachment. It proved very effective digging post-holes in serious clay soil. The ability to change bits is also a plus, because a spade is not the only head you need to dig 18" to 24" in clay.
Dean W.
08-09-2008, 03:50 PM
That's quite an investment. Hope you can use it often. Seems like a great tool.
MediaHound
08-10-2008, 12:20 AM
"Page not found"
You sure? Works from here.
I need to move over a hundred trees and banana plants... . .
:0519:... . .
microfarmer
08-10-2008, 12:42 AM
I need to move over a hundred trees and banana plants... . .
:0519:... . .
You're not moving further North to see what the zone 9'ers are dealing with, are you? :ha:
I was beat to the punch on the 30lb and 60lb demo hammers. They usually come in electric models like the Bosch. The spade on the video is substantially longer than the spade bits you'll get, but you can get a longer shank, which will make up for the spade's length. Price is about the same, however, it is much more sturdy, designed to go thru asphalt and concrete. Works like a charm on hardpan!
MediaHound
08-10-2008, 12:48 AM
You're not moving further North to see what the zone 9'ers are dealing with, are you? :ha:
I was beat to the punch on the 30lb and 60lb demo hammers. They usually come in electric models like the Bosch. The spade on the video is substantially longer than the spade bits you'll get, but you can get a longer shank, which will make up for the spade's length. Price is about the same, however, it is much more sturdy, designed to go thru asphalt and concrete. Works like a charm on hardpan!
Further North, yes, but its reportedly zone 10! :woohoonaner:
harveyc
08-10-2008, 01:09 AM
You sure? Works from here.
I need to move over a hundred trees and banana plants... . .
:0519:... . .
Works fine for me now. Maybe the site was just running slow. Need to have a talk to the owner of that site! ;)
In looking at your old post, one thing that is sometimes useful for using a posthole digger for planting is to weld a bolt onto a flight of the auger so that the sides of the hole are rough, not glazed. Maybe that's not a problem with your soil, though. In clay or silty clay soils, it can create an area that plants have a hard time penetrating beyond.
On the jackhammer option, I've never tried one but they are built heavier but that also will wear you out lugging around and also be a bit more tiring to be holding over at an angle to dig under the trees. The Dyna Diggr is probably a decent compromise between mobility and durability.
Rmplmnz
08-10-2008, 08:05 AM
You sure? Works from here.
I need to move over a hundred trees and banana plants... . .
:0519:... . .
Hey Jarred,
So you sold your house and are moving to wide open spaces?
Would it make sense to rent one?
If it is gas powered you do not want to leave it sitting around idle..
Good luck buddy!
Chris
MediaHound
08-11-2008, 12:18 AM
It would make sense to rent one but I cannot find anyone who is renting them out...
Let me think its a good investment, lol.
microfarmer
08-11-2008, 03:57 PM
It would make sense to rent one but I cannot find anyone who is renting them out...
Let me think its a good investment, lol.
Hey! It's a good investment! After you use it, you could rent it out...:ha:
MediaHound
08-11-2008, 08:11 PM
So I went ahead and got the Dyna Diggr today!
This machine is a dream come true. I was able to dig and pot up 8 palms and 1 screw pine in less than an hour. And I was taking my time.
Setup was as easy as bolting the blade to the unit via 3 screws and gassing it up. I used the 18" blade it came with but also purchased the 24" blade for an additional $88.
The unit itself was $1350 + tax. And worth every last penny.
NANAMAN
08-12-2008, 01:51 AM
Further North, yes, but its reportedly zone 10! :woohoonaner:
Jarred, what area are you moving to?
MediaHound
10-24-2008, 09:34 AM
Brian, I moved to Stuart FL. It's undercrowded (my insurance is about a third less!), extremely beautiful, and the people are so nice!
The move overall was a lot of work, it took several trucks to move all the plants. Some fruit trees I probably should have not attempted but figured I would give them a shot. I lost some avocados, mangoes, caimito, chocolate pudding tree, some jakfruit, variegated pink lemon, and others.
But this gas powered shovel I had purchased made the entire move a much more simple process. I did almost cut my big toe off on my right foot, the nail is still black.
I was digging saba corms. They were so large they needed to be cut down to the soil level, totally topped off. The diameter of the pseudostem at that level were approx 26" or so. The best way was to slice the corms into pie and half pie shaped pieces, like cutting a pizza in half, and pry those smaller chunks out of the earth. Using the spade made it simple, you just start at the edge, go straight down, lift up, move over, go straight down, lift up, etc till you cut a fairly straight line. It goes down through the corm like a hot knife through butter. But its a heavy machine so its work to keep lifting ad moving it over. Well, one time I lifted and moved it over, it was sort of stuck, so I had to use force to lift up. It came up, and went down on my toe. The edge 1" of the blade hit the edge 1" of my shoe. Leather sneaker, Nike. The shoe saved my toe. The blade hit just before where the nail starts, it would have cut the toe right after the knuckle had I been wearing anything less protective. I actually thought it was cut off, the pain was enormous.
So I recommend nothing other than steel toe boots when using this machine.
It's funny, when I bought it, I joked with the guy that loaded it into my car. I said, when I cut my foot off, I'll come back and sue you. He said "no way, no guarantees!". We both laughed. It almost happened! (well, I wouldn't have sued, that part was really just a joke).. As careful as I was, a little fatigue combined with a little off balance force goes a long way.
Those of you that watched the instructional videos I embedded in post #1 saw how they show how to sharpen the blade, I'm very glad I did not take that recommendation, I would have 100% for certain cut off the toe had I done it!
Anyway...
If you ever need to move a lot of trees around and want an amazing tool thats designed to do exactly that, get your hands on the Dyna Diggr! I highly recommend it. Any members from here that are nearby that ever wants to rent, borrow, or barter to use it, just let me know. Your feet and toes and everything else (your power and cable lines) are your responsibility though! It is an amazing tool and I'm very glad I got it, without it would have made moving the plants much harder, some I would not have even attempted. It paid for itself in those regards alone.
harveyc
10-24-2008, 09:57 AM
Thanks for the report, Jarred, and glad it worked out so well for you and that you didn't lose your toe! I work around a lot of dangerous equipment and have learned to take a rest when I' exhausted (I have a large commercial chipper and that can really wear you out and is extremely dangerous.)
Did you also have to haul soil from holes in your new yard to fill in holes at the old house? I keep picturing in my mind the image of the yard at your old house looking like a mine field! lol
Glad that Stuart is working out to be such a nice home for you. I just looked at it on the map and it looks to be a pretty area. I'm not that familiar with most cities there but it also gave me the chance to find out where Port St. Lucie is located; I was curious as I had a strange run of three orders from there this week.
Did the risk of hurricanes have any influence on your move? Are you better off or worse off in that regard now?
Best wishes,
Harvey
Glad your digits are intact and you survived the move.Trust me most accidents happen when your tired(guess how I know). Flesh and bone aside , how do you think it would work in clay. I picture Fla. soil as being on the sandy side. BTW my Rhino horn has 2 leaves,ok 1 and 1 starting and is doing great.
D_&_T
10-24-2008, 03:07 PM
Thats why I wear steeltoed boots with metatarsal plates!!! That way only outside edge of foot is exposed!
Dan
Chironex
10-24-2008, 03:23 PM
Just hearing about it gives me the "willys"! Yikes!!!
MediaHound
10-24-2008, 03:26 PM
Soil where I live now is more natural, sandy (I live on the bank of a river). Where I lived previously it was white fill just a few inches down, it was horrible. We do have clay patches here, mine are probably different than yours, but this machine would probably eat right through them. A followup with a pic axe if you are digging planting holes would probably help in that case but the trunk of the tree is your friend if you are digging existing trees.
Glad to hear about the Rhino horn, it will pull through. Initial growth is in the roots, then leaves. That corm will definitely do you good. It's such a beautiful banana plant, looking forward to pics of it in your gallery next season.
Harvey, the hurricanes here are just as bad, if not worse. Rain is elevated as well since we're now east of Lake Okeechobee and we get a lot of precip from it.
The two areas of major hurricane crossroads in the SE corner of this map are basically where I moved from and to!
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=14190 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=1302)
I did fill the holes with dirt as there were mine holes everywhere, it was a sight! And yes, Port St. Lucie is going through a major boom lately. It's going from "uncrowded" to "less uncrowded" ;) The Treasure Coast area is wonderful, the move was long overdue!
Patty in Wisc
10-25-2008, 05:29 PM
You guys, please be very careful with your machinery. And, know when to turn it off.
Less than 2 weeks ago, a news helicopter was live at the scene of a farm accident few miles north. That's all they said about it. My fiance' knows one of the Medics that responded & got the details. It was worse he's seen in 25 yrs.
It was a guy (in his twenties) that got out of his machine to grease a part. He didn't shut it off, & his clothing got sucked in the blades & it took him. It's like a horizontal egg beater - to chop up corn stalks. I'm sure he didn't know what hit him, but I will always cringe at the thought.
harveyc
10-25-2008, 05:35 PM
I've done similar things, Patty, though I usually try to remember to use my brains.
Dad almost had his leg ripped off and could have easily died from a farm accident (fortunately the grain auger driven by a 10HP electric motor was belt driven instead of chain driven) and I've had my share of accidents but have always been lucky. I can chuckle about them though I know it's not funny and I try to teach my son to be smarter than me. He is very cautious and I know he didn't inherit those genes from me, thank God!
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