Glossary Of Terms

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Name Definition
Adapter (Adaptor) A device which fits into the output socket of the Little Beaver gearbox and allows the use of other brand augers or attachments.
Anchor Handle A type of attachment for the Little Beaver hydraulic power source which is designed for the installation and removal of a mobile home or utility anchors. It is not suitable for diggings holes because of its very low rpm.
Auger The part which actually digs the hole. As it turns, it removes the soil from the hole and augers it up the flighting.
Auger Extensions These are augers that have a female socket at the bottom which attaches to the top of the auger, allowing the user to increase the depth of the hole. Auger stop - A U-shaped fork with a handle that is inserted around the center tube of an auger or extension to prevent it from falling back into the hole.
Big Beaver An all hydraulic, mast-type auger drill rig which is used in conjunction with the PS-18 hydraulic power source. This is the most powerful earth drill in the Little Beaver product line.
Bit A generic term that is commonly applied to both the auger and to the cutting blades. At Little Beaver, we use more precise terms to distinguish the auger, the replaceable point, and the replaceable blade.
Blade The replaceable cutting tool which is attached to the flighting in the case of the standard snap-on auger, or installed in the blade holder in the case of the heavy-duty rock auger.
Bucket Auger An auger that is built in the form of an open bucket and is designed to fill with soil as it turns. When full, it must be lifted from the hole and emptied. It usually takes several repetitions of this sequence to dig a complete hole. It is not suitable for use in very loose sand (it will pour out) or in rocks.
Carbide Blade A cutting blade that has tungsten carbide cutting edges applied to the cutting surface, usually with silver solder. Little Beaver has two styles of carbide blades. One style fits the standard snap-on auger. This carbide blade bolts on in place of the point and is different for each diameter of auger. The other style is for the heavy-duty rock auger (Pengo¨ style). This one will fit any size auger (some sizes require two or more blades).
Centrifugal Clutch The style of the clutch mechanism used on the Little Beaver mechanical earth drill. It disengages from the drive train when the engine is at idle, preventing the auger from turning.
Core The inner wound cable within the flexible shaft that spins with the engine and transmits power to the gearbox.
Drill Chuck Attachment An attachment that allows the Little Beaver earth drill to be used with wood or masonry bits to drill small diameter holes in fence posts, decks, or brick.
Earth Auger See "Auger."
Earth Drill The power unit, whether mechanical or hydraulic, which provides power to turn the earth auger. Otherwise known as a post hole digger or just digger.
Earth Saw A term to describe the technology that is used on the Kwik-Trench models of earth trenchers. Rather than use a digging chain, they use a rotating wheel with teeth to "saw" through the ground.
Flexible Shaft The power shaft or cable that connects the engine to the gearbox on the mechanical drive models of Little Beaver Earth Drills.
Flexible Shaft Core See "Core."
Flexible Shaft Housing The outer casing of the flexible shaft assembly. The core is contained inside of it and is lubricated with a special grease.
Flighting The spiral (helix) of steel which is wound around the center tube (barrel) of the auger. It "augers" the soil from the hole while digging.
Hard Facing The tungsten carbide wear material which is applied to the edges of the standard blades and points. It can optionally be applied to the flighting of an auger.
Helper Handle An optional handlebar that can be used with the Little Beaver hydraulic one-man handle. It allows a second person to help in lifting large augers from the ground.
Hollow Stem Augers Special augers which allow a soil sample to be taken through the center without completely removing the string of augers from the hole. Suitable only for use with the Big Beaver auger drill rig.
Horizontal Boring Drilling a hole horizontally under a sidewalk or driveway using the Little Beaver Earth Drill and a wet or dry type accessory kit.
Horizontal Boring (Dry) Drilling horizontally using the dry kit, which consists of a 5-foot long auger, universal joint extension, and key. This kit is easy to set up but is limited to 5 feet in distance.
Horizontal Boring (Wet) Drilling horizontally using the wet kit, which consists of a water swivel, adapter, special cutting bit, and key. This kit is more cumbersome to set up, but it can be used to bore up to 50 feet in distance. Not designed for use under roads or highways. Lift square - An accessory that attaches to the top of an auger or extension and has a loop that can be hooked to the tripod winch for lifting a string of augers and extensions from the hole. The lift square is included as part of the tripod kit.
Mini Trencher A common term for the Kwik-Trench style of earth trencher. These types of trenchers typically use small engines of 8 HP or less and are not self-propelled.
Pengo™ Auger A style of auger cutting head originally designed by the Pengo Corporation which uses replaceable cutting blades held in place with a rubber lock. It is a more aggressive and rugged design that is useful in rocky soils.
Point The replaceable tip bolted to the bottom end of the auger.
Safety Drive Hammer A 140-pound drop hammer which is used in conjunction with the Big Beaver auger drill rig and soil sampling kit to collect samples for determining the properties and characteristics of the soil. This device can be used to perform the Standard Penetration Test (SPT) as prescribed by ASTM D 1586.
Sidewalk Auger Kit See "Horizontal boring (Dry)."
Side Cutter Blade See "Blade".
Small Diameter Augers Little Beaver augers which are smaller than 4 inches in diameter. They use a different type of construction than the larger augers and usually require an adapter.
Snap-On The method of auger connection used by Little Beaver which uses an enclosed snap button to secure the auger to the gearbox. Also refers to the standard Little Beaver auger design with bolt-on points and blades.
Split Tube Sampler A type of soil sampling device, used in conjunction with the Big Beaver auger drill rig and soil sampling kit, which is used to take an undisturbed sample of the soil. The soil is pushed up into a tube that can then be separated lengthwise into two halves for inspection and removal of the sample. It can also be used to perform the Standard Penetration Test (SPT) as prescribed by ASTM D 1586.
Telescoping Torque Tube A one-piece torque tube used with the Little Beaver Hydraulic Earth Drills. It will extend or collapse but will not come apart.
Teeth Another term sometimes applied to cutting blades and points.
Throttle Cable The cable that runs from the throttle control lever, down the length of the flexible shaft, to the engine on the mechanical Little Beaver Earth Drill.
Torque Tube The steel tube that connects the handle to the engine and prevents "kick-back" when the auger encounters an underground obstruction. The torque tube is standard equipment on all Little Beaver models except the towable hydraulic unit.
Tube Extension A universal auger extension that has no flighting. The tube extension can be used with any size auger to increase the digging depth.
Water Drilling Kit See "Horizontal boring (Wet)."