OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS
DRILLING
1. Depress latch levers and rotate the handle bars to the
normal digging position if it is not already.
2. Slowly depress the right side of the control lever. Use
caution here as the auger will start to turn and dig at this
point.
NOTE:
This unit has a throttling feature. The more that
you depress the control lever, the faster the auger will
turn.
3. Allow the auger to dig at its own speed, keeping the
auger straight in the hole by moving the machine back
and forth as needed.
4. Increase or decrease the auger speed until you find a
digging speed that you are comfortable with.
5. Do not attempt to drill the hole in one pass, you could
bury the auger. Drill to a depth of approximately one foot
and lift the auger to spin the dirt off. Be careful not to lift
the auger completely out of the hole. Repeat this
procedure until you have reached the required depth.
6. Release the control lever and lift the rest of the dirt out
for a clean hole.
7. To reverse the rotation of the auger,, depress the left
side of the control lever slowly. Use caution at this point,
the auger will tend to climb out of the hole.
8. For up close digging, rotate the handle bars to the up
close digging position and follow the instructions above.
NOTE:
Allow the auger to dig at its own speed.
Attempting to force the auger into hard ground and
through buried objects could result in the auger
becoming locked in the hole. If the auger bit should get
locked in a hole, slowly engage the valve control lever in
reverse to unlock the auger bit.
9. For digging on uneven terrain, rotate the boring head
to the desired angle. Some digging conditions may or
may not require you to tighten the swivel lock.
STARTING THE HD99
1. Start the engine following the procedures outlined in
the engine manual supplied with the earth drill.
2. Before attaching the auger, always start the earthdrill
at the job site and allow it to warm up. While the
machine is running, check the controls to be sure that
everything is working as properly.
STARTING WITH AUGER ATTACHED
1. After the engine has been allowed to warm up, and
everything is operating as it should, shut the motor off
and attach the auger using the clevis pin and clip that
we provide (part #1300).
2. Place the machine in the digging position.
3. Following the procedures outlined in the engine
manual supplied with the machine, start the engine. If
the engine does not start after 3 pulls of the starter rope,
disconnect the auger from the machine and determine
the cause. When the machine is in operating condition
again, follow the procedures listed above before
proceeding to the next step.
4. Set engine to maximum throttle.
DANGER
Determine that the earth drill is in its original,
factory configuration and has not been modi-
fied or damaged and is not missing parts in any
way. If there are any questions about possible
modifications made to the earth drill, do not
use until the modifications have been corrected
using only genuine replacement parts as rec-
ommended by Ground Hog or the engine
manufacturer.
STOPPING THE HD99
There are two stop switches on the earth drill; one on the
pivot plate and one on the engine. Refer to the engine
manual for the switch location on your particular earth
drill. The operator can turn the earth drill off at any time
by switching either stop switch to the “ OFF “ position.
WARNING
Hitting a buried object, such as a rock, could
cause a sudden side thrust against the
operator. Injury could occur if the operator is
not prepared to deal with this condition.
WARNING
Never connect or disconnect the auger while
the engine is running.
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HD99
