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.