c/fence-erectors

I was setting my post hole digger wrong for years

I was setting my post hole digger wrong for years

It hit me last Tuesday on a job in Springfield. I was fighting this heavy clay soil, and my helper just asked, 'Why do you keep the handles so close together?' I always held them tight, thinking it gave me more control. He showed me how to spread them wider, almost like you're opening a big book. The difference was crazy. I went from needing three tries per hole to getting it clean in one go. Has anyone else found a small change like that that saved a ton of time?

Just finished my 100th vinyl fence install in the county

I kept a simple tally on my truck's visor, and hitting that number made me think about how much ground we cover. It's not just about the fences, but all the different yards and property lines we've worked on. Do you guys ever track your local jobs like that, or is it just me?

Rant: I used to set posts with just a shovel and a level. After a job in Everett with pure clay, I bought a gas-powered auger.

That Everett clay was like concrete and we were a full day behind by lunch. My old boss drove over with his Stihl BT 360 and we finished six holes in an hour. Now I won't start a wood fence without one, even for just a few posts. Anyone else have a tool they fought buying that became a total game changer?

The difference a proper gravel base made on a job in Bend last month

We did a 200 foot cedar fence line where the first 50 feet had the old, shallow gravel base from the last fence. The new 150 feet got a full 4 inch deep layer of 3/4 minus gravel packed down. After the first big rain, the old section was already leaning, but the new part was solid as a rock. Has anyone else seen a problem that clear from just changing the base prep?

A guy in Tacoma told me my post holes were too clean and it clicked

I was putting up a cedar fence for a client, doing my usual thing. Drill the hole, clean out all the loose dirt, set the post, pack the gravel. This older guy who was watching from his porch came over and said, 'Son, that hole is too clean. You're making a cup for water to sit in.' He explained that leaving a bit of rough, undisturbed soil at the bottom gives water a path to drain away from the wood instead of pooling right against it. I'd been doing it the 'clean' way for about five years, thinking I was being thorough. Now I always leave that bottom layer alone, maybe just roughen it up a bit with the auger. It makes sense when you think about it. Has anyone else had a simple tip like that change a basic part of their routine?

Am I the only one who sees crews setting posts in concrete that's way too wet?

I was working a job in Boise last Tuesday and saw the crew next door mixing their concrete so thin it looked like soup... they poured it right into the holes. That mix is going to shrink and crack as it dries, leaving gaps around the post. I've been using a stiff, almost crumbly mix for twenty years and never had a post rock loose. It takes more work to tamp it in, but it locks the post in solid. How do you all mix your concrete for a standard 4x4 wood post?

My uncle told me to never use a post driver on cedar, said it was a waste of money. He was dead wrong.

That time a storm in Tulsa showed me why post spacing matters

I was putting up a cedar fence for a client there, and we got hit by a sudden wind gust that must have been 50 mph. I had set the posts at my usual 8-foot spacing, but the whole middle section just leaned over like a row of dominoes. The ground was pretty soft from rain the day before, so the posts didn't have enough hold. Now I always check the soil and cut that spacing down to 6 feet if it's sandy or wet. Anyone else adjust their spacing for different dirt types?

Cleaned out the truck and found my 100th pair of work gloves

Honestly, I never kept count before, but seeing them all in a pile made me think about how many miles of fence they've helped put up. It's not just the gloves, it's the calluses and the small cuts on every finger that tell the real story. Anyone else got a weird collection of worn-out gear that marks the time?

Tried a new way to set a corner post in heavy clay and it worked way better than I thought

I was putting up a fence in a backyard in Springfield last week, and the soil was that thick, sticky clay that just sucks. I usually dig down the full 36 inches, drop the post in, and pack gravel around it. This time, I saw a video where a guy mixed a bag of quick-set concrete with the clay he dug out, made a slurry, and poured that around the post base before adding his gravel. I figured it was worth a shot. I did it on one corner post, let it set overnight, and came back the next day. That post was rock solid, no wiggle at all, and it saved me from having to haul away a bunch of extra wet clay. The other posts I did the old way already feel a bit looser by comparison. I think the mix really bonds with the native soil and locks things in. Has anyone else tried a trick like this for bad ground?

Spent $150 on a 'groundhog' auger bit for rocky soil and it's already bent

The ad said it could handle anything, but I hit a chunk of granite about a foot down and the whole thing twisted. Now I'm back to using the manual digger for this job in the hills... anyone have a brand that actually holds up?

Update: I used a 4-foot level on a 200-foot run in Austin and everyone said I was nuts

The line was dead straight, but it took all morning and my knees are killing me. Has anyone else tried this on a big commercial job, or is a string line really the only way?

I finally had a treated 4x4 post snap clean off at the base on a job in Tempe last Thursday, and it was only 18 months old.

The homeowner was understandably upset, so I had to dig out the old concrete footing and pour a new one, which set the whole project back by a full day and cost me about $300 in extra materials and labor, so what's the best way you all handle warranty calls on materials that fail way too early?

I used to think string lines were a waste of time for a simple chain link run, but after my post holes were off by 3 inches on a 50 foot job in July, I finally tried one.

Now I won't even start a dig without setting a line first, because that one mistake cost me half a day of rework, so what's your go-to method for keeping a long fence straight?

Just read that cedar posts can last 30 years in the ground without treatment

I was looking through an old trade magazine from 2005 and they had a study on post rot. It said untreated cedar, if the heartwood is used, can go three decades before failing. Anyone have real-world experience that matches up with that?

Warning: A squirrel chewed through a brand new cedar post in under a week

I installed a nice 6-foot privacy fence in a backyard in Springfield last Tuesday. Came back this morning for a final walkthrough and found a post with a hole the size of a golf ball, full of acorn shells. The homeowner said she saw a squirrel working on it every afternoon. Has anyone else had a pest problem ruin fresh wood that fast, and what do you do about it?

Hot take: I thought those plastic post caps were just for looks

Honestly, I always skipped them on chain link jobs in Phoenix to save a few bucks. Last summer, I had a client insist on them for their whole 150-foot run, and after a year, the top rail looks brand new while my usual jobs are already showing rust. Has anyone else seen a real difference with them, or did I just get lucky with that batch?

Question about setting posts in really wet ground

Just finished a job in Portland where the ground was basically mud. Had to choose between using a standard concrete mix or a fast-setting mix with extra gravel. Went with the fast-set and added about 30% more gravel by volume to help with drainage. It set up fine overnight, but I'm a little worried about long-term frost heave. Anyone have a better method for super soggy spots like that?

Met a guy at the lumber yard who said he never uses a level on his posts

He told me he just eyeballs them and trusts the string line, said he's been doing it for 20 years. Happened last Tuesday at the yard on 5th Street. Has anyone else run into this, or is he just asking for callbacks?

PSA: A client's comment about my post holes changed my whole approach

Last spring, I finished a cedar fence in Springfield and the homeowner pointed out a slight lean on one section after a heavy rain. He said, 'Those holes look a bit shallow for this soil, don't they?' I was using my standard 24-inch depth. I went back, checked the local frost line and soil type, and realized he was right. Now I always check the town's frost depth map first and adjust my digger. Has anyone else had a simple comment make them change a basic habit?

Read that cedar posts can last 30 years but treated pine might only get 15

Found it in an old extension service guide from the 90s. Does that still hold up with modern pressure treatments, or is that info outdated now?

My dad always told me to set cedar posts in concrete, but a job in Seattle proved him wrong.

He insisted concrete was the only way for a fence to last 20 years. On a big cedar fence project near Green Lake last spring, the ground was pure wet clay. I followed his advice, but by fall, half the posts were heaving and leaning because the concrete trapped water. A local guy at the lumberyard said to use gravel for drainage in that soil, and he was right. I had to redo 15 posts using a 6-inch gravel base, and they've been solid for 8 months now. Has anyone else had to switch methods because of local soil conditions?

A client in Boise told me my post caps looked like 'little hats' and now I can't unsee it.

I've been using the same basic ball post caps on wood fences for 15 years. Last week, a homeowner pointed at them and said, 'Why the little hats? Makes the whole thing look like it's dressed for a party.' I laughed it off, but it bugged me. Switched to a low-profile flat cap style on the next section, and honestly, the whole fence looks cleaner and more serious. What's your go-to cap style for a six-foot cedar privacy fence?

Pro tip: I learned the hard way that a 4-foot frost line isn't a suggestion in Minnesota

I was setting posts for a vinyl fence in Duluth last January, thinking the ground was solid enough after a few warm days. The whole first section leaned like a drunk sailor after the next freeze-thaw cycle because I only went down 2 feet. What's the coldest ground you've ever had to dig into for a proper set?