 Bser,
My tree planter setup, takes a lot of hp to pull.
I plant typically 200-500 (bare root) trees per year on my small tree farm. Just hook the the planter and go. Can plant up to 10' trees. Its just a bigger vee-ditcher sub-soiler combo. But since yours are potted at 18" you really should be using a 36" auger. Some people say the hole should be 12" bigger on each size than the pot. That would put you at 42". Biggest auger I have seen around here is 36". For 1000 trees, I would rent a Bobcat and a 36" auger. The auger is right in front of you, no loader to block your view. Reversing the auger is just flicking your thumb back on the switch.
And they are pretty much self-leveling within reason. Trying to mount an auger on a fork lift, I would bet you would have half of the holes punched before you got it mounted good. There is an extreme amount of torque on a 36" auger when it catches a rock or something hard in the ground. Bobcat $200, post hole digger and auger $100. My thoughts,
Rick
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