I was reading an old farm manual from 1910 and found out they'd just wedge posts in with packed clay and field stones, no concrete at all. Shocked me since half my jobs now involve mixing bags of quick-set. Has anyone else run across weird old-school methods that still hold up?
Been keeping count on a notepad in my truck and 500 posts at exactly 90 degrees felt like a bigger deal than I thought it would, anyone else track little stats like this or am I just weird?
I used to hand dig all my post holes with a clam shell digger, took forever but the holes were perfect every time. Switched to a skid steer auger on a job in Des Moines and the holes are way faster but I've noticed they're not as consistent depth wise after 2 years of use. Anybody else run into this shift in quality and figure out a fix?
I had to set 20 fence posts on a rocky property where digging was near impossible, so I tried the Simpson Strong-Tie anchors out of desperation and they held up fine through two wind storms, has anyone else had luck with them on tricky ground?
I was on a job in Denver where this older fella was setting up a curved section of cedar pickets and he pulled out a string line instead of a laser. He showed me how he uses the string as a guide to keep the top rail consistent even on the arc, and it looked way cleaner than what I usually do with guesswork and eyeballing. Has anyone else tried this approach for curves, or do you stick with lasers and measuring?
Out in Aurora last Tuesday, I was putting up a 6ft privacy fence. Got to the last gate and figured I could save 15 minutes by not digging out the old concrete from a previous post hole. Just set the new post in with some quickcrete and called it good. Three days later the homeowner texted me a picture of the whole gate leaning sideways. Had to go back, rip the post out, dig down 2 feet, and pour proper concrete. Cost me an extra $40 in materials and 3 hours on a Saturday morning. Anyone else ever learn a lesson like this the hard way?
He showed me how he drives them on a slight angle into clay soil and they hold just as good as wood for half the cost. Has anyone else found a trick that changed their mind about a certain material?
Broke my third one last month on a job in Austin, and it finally hit me that I've been wasting money on the wrong tool. My buddy Ron showed up with his old school steel digger from the 80s and finished my holes in half the time. Anybody else ditch the plastic handles for good and never look back?
I just wrapped a gate job outside Nashville where the previous crew set H-posts barely 18 inches deep in clay soil. By spring the whole 100 foot run had shifted a good 4 inches. Why do people think skipping depth saves time when it just creates callbacks?
I was digging post holes for a 150 foot privacy fence in a new development. Hit a gas line about 2 feet down that wasn't marked on the map they gave me. Had to sit there with the gas company for 3 hours while they fixed it. Customer was cool about it, but I lost a whole day of work. Anyone else have a utility hit story that cost you a full day?
Last week I had to set a single gate post in a tight spot where I couldn't get my mixer close. Figured I'd just mix a couple bags in a wheelbarrow by hand like the old days. Took me almost 45 minutes to get the consistency right and my arms were dead by the end. The post ended up slightly out of plumb because I was rushing. Next time I'm renting a portable mixer for $35 even for small jobs. Anyone else try hand mixing and regret it or is there a trick I'm missing?
Everyone told me wood stakes are the only way to go, but I used rebar on a fence last month in that rocky soil near Austin. The rebar bent like crazy on the third section and I had to cut them all out with a grinder. Has anyone else had rebar fail on them or did I just pick the wrong grade?
I used to hand dig every single post hole with a shovel and a clam shell digger, even in rocky soil. Took me 3 hours to sink 4 posts on a job down in Brighton last summer. Finally broke down and bought a used PTO auger for $150 off a guy on Craigslist, and now I can set 20 posts in 45 minutes with zero back pain. Has anyone else had that moment where you realized you were just making things harder for no good reason?
I figured post frame was overkill and the welded wire would be fine, took me 3 days to set it all up. The horses leaned on it twice and now I've got gaps big enough to stick my arm through. Anyone else regret going cheap on something that looked good on paper?
Been putting up fence for about 6 years now and always used a gas auger for post holes. Last week I had a job in rocky soil near Austin where the auger kept jamming on rocks. Got frustrated after 3 hours and tried an old school digging bar and shovel combo. Turns out I got 8 holes done in the same time with way less hassle. The auger would bind up and I'd waste 20 minutes clearing it. Anyone else had better luck with hand tools in tough ground?
I was setting a corner post for a 6-foot privacy fence in Austin and the tube just split right down the middle when I started tamping... lucky I caught it before the concrete set. Had to dig the whole thing out and start over with a heavier gauge tube from the truck. Cost me an extra hour and a half on a job that was already tight. Has anyone else had duds from a bad batch of tubes lately?
I was on a job in Asheville last week putting up a 200 foot run of cedar privacy fence. An old mason named Hank was pouring a footer nearby for a retaining wall. He came over and watched me dump Quickrete around a post. He just shook his head and said "you're gonna be back in 3 years to replace that." I asked what he meant. He said concrete holds water against the wood and rots it out from the inside. He said to use gravel instead. Let the water drain. I argued with him for a bit about stability and wind load. But he just shrugged and walked back to his forms. I sat there thinking about it and then I did some reading that night. Now I'm halfway through digging out the last 12 posts I set to switch to gravel. Has anyone else made this switch from concrete? How do you handle gate posts with the gravel method?
I was digging holes for a 200ft run of cedar fence last week and kept noticing the holes were coming out crooked. Turns out my old diggers had bent slightly over the years and I never even noticed until I put a level on them. Had to redo like 6 holes and it added 2 hours to my day. Anyone else ever had tools slowly go out of whack without realizing it?
I had a 200 foot run for a horse pasture and decided to try crushed gravel on half of it to save money and time. The gravel side already has two posts leaning after two weeks while the concrete side is solid as a rock. Anyone else ever have gravel work out for them or am I just wasting my time with it?
I keep seeing guys throw T-posts on 4-foot backyard fences around here in St. Louis and it drives me nuts. Set a few of those next to a good 6-gauge chain link terminal and the difference in stability is night and day after a rainy season. I pulled one job where the T-posts were already leaning 3 months in and the client was ready to sue. Have you all had better luck with them or am I the only one who sticks to round posts for anything under 6 foot?
I was picking up a load of 8-foot cedar pickets last Tuesday and an older guy loading his trailer said 'a fence that leans ain't a fence, it's a suggestion.' He was talking about setting posts deeper than the frost line even if the customer complains about cost. I've been cutting corners on depth to keep bids low and it hit me that I've been building suggestions for 3 years. Anybody else have a customer call back about a leaning section you thought was fine?
I was out on a job in rural Ohio and an 80 year old farmer came over to chat. He told me I was digging too fast and missing the hardpan layer that'll rot the posts later. He showed me how he soaks the ground first and takes it slow, and honestly I've never had a post stay straight like that. Has anyone else gotten advice that totally flipped how you do a basic step?
Installed a full fence line near Austin last month with these postsa friend swore by, and by week three three of them had cracked right down the middle. Had to pull the whole thing and start over on a Saturday. Has anyone else tried these and had them hold up in heat?
I always trusted my tape measure over string lines but last week I checked a 40 foot run with a laser level and found I was off by 3 inches at the end. Turns out temperature changes can stretch a steel tape by about an eighth inch per 100 feet in the sun... now I double check with a string line every time. Has anyone else caught weird tape measure errors on long runs?
Ngl, I was so annoyed when a customer pointed out my gate was already sagging 3 months after I hung it. He said I needed to add a specific diagonal brace from the bottom hinge to the top corner, not just any random angle. Tried it on the next job in Fresno and the thing is still dead level 8 months later. Has anyone else gotten feedback that felt like a burn but turned out to be a lifesaver?