Augers are large-diameter, drill-like devices used for drilling holes in soil, stone, rock and pavement. The move material via rotating helical flightings on a feed screw. Toothed flights or drill bits remove debris from the hole being drilled. There are many different types of augers. Industrial augers such as auger boring machines are heavy-duty equipment for drilling, landscaping, and environmental applications. They are driven by a gasoline or diesel-powered engine that is often air-cooled. Product specifications for auger boring machines include engine type, rating, fuel capacity, clutch, transmission ratio, gearbox ratio, auger drive and working range. Torque, speed, weight, and forward thrust also important considerations. Dirt and rock cutting heads, hex adapters, and casing size adapters are examples of auger accessories.
Some augers can be used to move grain or augers. Agricultural augers are driven by a tractor or internal combustion engine and use mechanical, electrical, pneumatic, or hydraulic power. Complete auger systems consist of feed screws, truss cables, discharge doors, and structural tubing. As the helical flighting on the feed screw rotates, the grain moves upward through a long metal tube. Important feed screw specifications include inside diameter (ID) or core size, the outside diameter (OD) of the flighting, and the length of pitch. Capacity, speed an orientation also important specifications to consider. Most agricultural augers are used to move grain from truck or carts to storage bins. Gravity wagon augers can be used to convert gravity wagons into planting or drill-and-fill systems.
Many augers are handheld, portable, and relatively lightweight. Soil augers are used to remove soil samples for environmental, geological, and agricultural applications. Earth augers are manually-operated and designed for hole-digging. General-purpose products feature an internal combustion engine and specifications such displacement, engine power, weight, fuel capacity, drilling gear-speed, gear ratio, engine torque and auger torque. Wood augers are boring drills for building docks, fences, outbuildings, and other structures when electricity is not available. Planting augers are suitable for landscaping applications, and for drilling holes for fences and sign posts. Ice augers for recreational purposes are also available.