I was out on a job in northern Minnesota trying to set posts for a 200 foot run of privacy fence. Ground was frozen solid and my auger wouldn't dig more than 6 inches down before it bound up. I ended up chipping through the frost with a digging bar for 6 hours. Has anyone else run into this and found a trick to get through frozen ground faster?
I used to start every fence post hole with a manual digging bar, even on rocky ground. A few years back I switched to a rock post driver for the first pass, then follow up with the bar only for tight spots. Saves me about 20 minutes per hole on a typical 30-post job in this area. Anyone else find certain tools work better for specific soil types around here?
After 15 years in the trade and putting up 200 feet of cedar in 90 degree heat last August in Phoenix, I'm done convincing people that chain link won't warp or rot in 3 years.
I was putting up a chain link fence last Tuesday on a job out in Springfield. Normally I use the manual post pounder for gate frames and tension bars. Figured I'd grab my buddy's cordless nail gun to tack things together first. Worked way better than I thought and cut my setup time by about 2 hours for a 100 foot run. Only problem is the nails don't hold as deep in hard ground. Anyone else had luck using nail guns for fence framing or is it just me?
I spent 4 hours on 3 posts last week near Springfield because I refused to predrill in gravelly clay. My partner swore it would save time, but the digger just kept bouncing off rocks. Would predrilling have been faster or just added another step?
For years I just tamped dirt and gravel around my posts like everyone else around here. Then last spring a storm took down a 40 foot section of my fence near the gate where the ground stays soft. After digging out the broken posts I set them in concrete anchors from Home Depot and they haven't budged an inch in 14 months. Anyone else change their mind about a basic technique that everybody says is fine?
I was at the rental place last month picking up a auger for a big job and the guy talked me into buying this fancy post hole digger attachment for my skid steer. It was $80 and I figured hey it might save me time on smaller projects. First hole I tried it on hit a rock and bent the whole shaft. Spent more time grinding the weld off and returning it than I did actually digging. Has anyone else gotten burned by those cheap auger attachments from rental shops?
Made me realize some people just dont get what goes into a proper fence job until they try breaking through shale with a hand digger themselves, has anyone else dealt with clients who think this trade is easy?
I figured I'd save time on a 50-foot run of posts by renting a one-man auger instead of hand-digging (like I used to do back in the day). Got it from the equipment yard for a weekend, cost me about $400 with the deposit. First three holes went fine, then I hit a patch of what looked like old construction rubble mixed with ledge. That auger bound up so hard it nearly twisted my arm off before the shear pin gave out. Spent half the next day with a digging bar and a shovel anyway, plus had to pay for the damaged bit. Did I just get unlucky with the ground, or do you guys always scope the soil before renting power tools?
Used to spend 3 hours digging 8 holes for a basic yard fence, now I'm done in 45 minutes with way less back pain. Has anyone else made the switch and found a brand that doesn't bog down in clay soil?
Bought a one-man auger off the big box store shelf last spring because I was tired of digging post holes by hand. First job was soft ground after rain and it worked okay. Second job the soil had a little clay and that thing just spun in place. Ended up digging 12 holes with a shovel anyway. The auger is now sitting in my shed. Should have just rented a hydraulic one for $75. Has anyone else fallen for those cheap consumer augers?
I was setting a 200-foot vinyl fence line in Omaha last week and kept getting dips until I switched to a line level with a 50-foot mason's string. The bubble on a 4-footer just doesn't cut it for that span. Anybody else fight with sag on long stretches?
Last week I got a call to put up 150 feet of privacy fence in Rocky Mount, and my power auger seized up after the second hole. Ended up spending 8 hours with a clamshell digger and a digging bar to finish all 12 holes in rocky clay soil. Has anyone found a reliable way to get through tough ground without wrecking your back?
Was setting posts for a privacy fence over on Oak Street this morning and my brand new 12 inch auger bit just snapped clean off at the shank. Third hole in, hit some hard clay with a few rocks and it was done. Cost me 60 bucks and now I gotta wait two days for a replacement. Anyone else have bad luck with those budget auger bits from the big box stores?
I remember my first summer with the crew in Omaha, we dug every hole with a two man clamshell digger. My arms would be screaming by lunch. Now we use a one man gas auger and I can sink a 4 foot hole in about 3 minutes flat. The change happened around 2008 when we finally bought a Honda powered unit from the local rental place. No more fighting clay with a hand digger for 20 minutes per hole. Has anyone else gone back to hand digging for a specific soil type or are you all on the powered stuff now?
Last month a guy on a job site told me I was digging my post holes too wide. He said I was wasting concrete and time. I used to dig holes almost 12 inches across for 4x4 posts. He told me to go down to 8 inches max and pack the dirt tighter around the base. After trying it on the last 3 jobs I saved about 2 bags of concrete per hole and the posts feel just as solid. Has anyone else had a customer or coworker call them out on something they thought was fine?
I was on a job in Phoenix putting up a 6 foot privacy fence, and I managed to set exactly 500 posts in one shift. My record before was around 350, so this caught me off guard because the ground was actually harder than usual. Anyone else ever hit a number that surprised them on a big project?
I was at a supply shop last Tuesday and overheard a guy lecturing his apprentice about measuring every post hole three times before digging. I get it for complex stuff, but on a basic 40 foot chain link run on flat ground? I just measure once, mark it, and go. Been doing fences for 12 years now and I can count on one hand the times I messed up bad enough to cost me money. That little extra time adds up when you are doing 5 jobs a week. Does anyone else just trust their eye on straight runs or am I the only one who thinks the old timers over complicate it?
Was digging for a new section of privacy fence near Cincinnati last Tuesday and the handle just cracked clean through on a rock. Has anyone else switched to those steel handled diggers or is there another trick for breaking through hard clay?
So I used to just eyeball post hole depths and hope for the best. But last month I took a job in Austin where the clay was so hard I spent 4 hours on a single hole with a manual digger. I finally caved and rented a skid steer with an auger attachment for the rest of the holes and finished the whole fence in 2 afternoons. That wait on the rental was brutal though, I was stuck sitting there while the crew waited. I probably wasted a full day on that first hole when I could have just rented the equipment upfront. The rental cost me $180 for the day and it saved me at least 8 hours of labor. Has anyone else found that one stubborn soil type that forced them to change their whole setup?
I always dug 4ft deep for fence posts until last week when a job near the Mississippi floodplain had me swapping to concrete gravel boards and only 2ft holes. The old timer on the crew proved it by showing me a 10-year-old fence still standing straight with no rot at the base. Anybody here switch to gravel boards for dealing with wet ground or do you stick with deeper posts?
He said 'you're checking two sides, but you're missing the twist,' and now I always check all four sides with the longer level before the concrete sets, which saves so many callbacks for leaning fences.
My Milwaukee M18 driver finally gave out right after hitting that number, which felt like a weirdly perfect sign to finally replace the brushes. Anyone else have a tool that quit on a round number like that?
Went with the cedar for privacy, but the install took three days longer and cost about $800 extra because of the grade, so now I'm wondering if the client would've been just as happy with the cheaper, faster option.
We hit a layer of pure sand 18 inches down that washed out after the first big rain, and three sections leaned over. What's your go-to method for sandy ground?