Troubleshooting
Here is our troubleshooting video that solves 99% of problems you might have with your Power Planter.
Symptom
The Power Planter is turning on the surface but not penetrating even after 10 seconds or more?
Answer 1: This is usually caused from the drill being in reverse. There is a switch near your drill trigger that you need to move so that it is going in a clockwise direction when you have it pointed at the soil.
Answer 2: The drill is on high speed. If it is turning too fast it can spin on the surface and jump around a bit. Turn the drill down to the slowest speed possible. On an electric drill (240v) this is usually a dial on the trigger marked with + and -. Turn all the way to minus. Some drills it is just controlled by how hard you press the trigger. i.e press it softly to go slower. On cordless drills there is usually a switch on the top towards the back of the drill. Put it on 1 or Low.
Symptom
The Power Planter digs into the ground too fast and twists out of my hands
Answer : This comes down to technique. The Power Planter is very effective at digging so part of your job as the operator is to keep pulling it up a little out of the soil so that it doesn't bite in to too fast. Again having the drill on slow speed will help manage this. A side handle on your drill is strongly recommended as it makes it a lot easier to manage.
Symptom
The Power Planter starts to dig into the soil but then stops turning and makes a strange ratchet sound.
Answer: This is the sound of the electronic clutch on your drill activating.
This is a common reason for the Power Planter not working well. The dial around your chuck (with the numbers) is used to control the Electronic Clutch. People often mistakenly think this is controlling the drill speed, so turn it down to number one. What it actually does, is to control the amount of torque (power) the drill will give before disengaging the motor.
This is actually a good thing when used on the right settings, because it protects you from any kickback hurting your wrists when you hit something solid like a big tree root or rock.
The key is to turn it up to the maximum number (eg 15) so that you can have the power to dig, but not have any jarring. When you meet heavy resistance like a big rock... you will hear the ratchet sound which means the motor has been disengaged to protect you.
If you have good arm strength and a side handle on your drill, you may be able to switch the drill over to drilling mode (not screwdriver) This is a symbol on your drill that looks like a drill bit. This gives you the maximum power but please note.. you will get the drill twisting out of your hands sometimes and you will need to let go and reverse out of the hole. So only use this setting if you are confident in controlling the power of the drill. Otherwise use the above mentioned screwdriver setting with the clutch turned up to the maximum number and the drill speed set on the lowest number.
Symptom
My drill runs flat after only 2 holes.
Answer: You need to have a drill which is 18v or above. If it is older (eg. over 3 years) it may just be worn out, or not a great quality drill.
12V drills are really just screwdrivers and not powerful enough for a Power Planter. Remember, cheap drills are cheap for a reason. They might work ok, but if you want to dig into the hard ground, you would be better to invest in a well known drill brand.
The combination that works best is
18v or above
13mm chuck
Side handle
Large Capacity battery (4 or 5A/h)
I personally use a Dewalt 996 which has proved excellent.
Please do let us know if your problem is not on this list. We are here to help. There has been very few issues we couldn't solve. So don't give up.
Either by email
mark@powerplanter.co.nz
or call Mark Jones +61 423 248 746
Thanks for giving it a go.
Brian :-)