This is an article that I wrote for the 2014, Sept./Oct. issue of L> magazine. It’s a summary of information contained throughout this section of my website. L> magazine is a great magazine and I highly recommend it.
Starting in 1966 and lasting into the middle 70’s, Danuser Corporation of Fulton, Missouri, manufactured a posthole digger made specifically for garden tractors. The Danuser CD-1 posthole digger was manufactured for Cub Cadet, Cub LoBoy, Case, Bolens, Jacobsen, John Deere, Massey Ferguson, Wheel Horse, Allis Chalmers (called an A-10 by Allis) and Ford. (There may be others I don’t know about.)
I received an email from Glenn Danuser, great grandson of the founder of Danuser, that stated there were 289 CD-1’s built. The CD-1 was built from 1966 to 1977. The serial numbers apparently ranged from 1001 to 1290.
I’ve been collecting serial numbers and so far have come up with the following for the CD-1’s:
Serial Number Date Shipped Destination
1036 12/15/1966 Ephrata, PA
1054 5/26/1967 Chester, PA
1116 3/28/1968 Waukegan, IL
1236 8/31/1971 Ephrata, PA
1244 3/7/1972 St. Louis, MO
1245 3/7/1972 Gaylord, MI
1259 6/28/1972 Syracuse, NY
1279 7/9/1975 St. Louis, MO
All the diggers are basically the same except for the tractor mounting and PTO drive. The auger head and support are all the same.
The auger head is raised and lowered by a cable connected to a hydraulic cylinder that is powered by the tractors own hydraulics or a hydraulic pump provided with the digger. The auger rotation is provided by a dual v-belt drive system that is powered by a jack shaft that connects to the tractor PTO. The dual v-belt drive system allows the digger auger to move up and down vertically without moving in an arc as larger 3 pt. diggers. The undercarriage that mounts the digger to the tractor varies for different brands of tractor as well as the drive system to the jack shaft. The digger could be purchased with 2, 4, 6, 9, 10 or 12 inch diameter augers and digs to 30 inches deep.
I purchased my CD=1 in March of 2012. It originally came with an undercarriage for a Bolens garden tractor. The gentlemen I purchased it from had started the construction of an undercarriage for a Cub Cadet, but hadn’t finish installing the digger on his Cub Cadet. I finished the project shortly after purchasing the digger.
Danuser Machine Company, Inc. is a family owned business founded in 1910. They still produce post hole diggers as well as several tractor attachments and parts. Danuser no longer has parts or supplies for the CD-1 but have been very helpful in providing information to me.
The Danuser Compact Post Hole Digger is one of the most sought after garden tractor attachments. It’s a great, well built piece of equipment and a delight to own.
