Abstract: A sampling head for a vehicle mounted mechanized soil sample collecting unit includes an auger mounted at one end of a drive shaft supported on a positioning arm on the vehicle. The drive shaft is connected to an auger head which is driven into the soil. A linear power source, such as a hydraulic cylinder is used to provide vertical force to drive the auger head into the soil. A separate rotational power source is used to rotate the drive shaft and auger head. The soil from the drilling process is collected in a receptacle and can be transferred into a separate container for soil analysis.

Abstract: A vehicle mounted mechanized soil sample collecting unit including a sampler arm pivotably affixed to a base mounted upon the vehicle. At its remote end the sampler arm pivotably carries a soil auger and soil accumulator container. An actuator is coupled to the sampler arm for swinging the arm between a lowered, soil-collecting position and a retracted container discharge position. A power unit rotates the soil auger, which is adapted to advance through the bottom of the container and into the earth as the container engages the surface of the earth upon lowering of the sampler arm. As the auger rotates the soil sample is drawn upwardly into the accumulator container by the auger flights. With the sampler arm in the retracted position the accumulator container is positioned over a funnel device into which collected soil is deposited through a bottom trap door of the accumulator container for reception in a sample container beneath the funnel outlet.