The day I stopped digging post holes with a shovel and a prayer

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?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_lucas12d ago

Man, 3 hours for 4 holes in Brighton sounds brutal. I had a job down in Parker last fall where the ground was pure caliche and I spent almost 5 hours with a shovel and a digging bar just to get 6 fence posts set. Swore at that dirt so much my neighbor called the cops thinking I was fighting someone. Finally rented a towable auger from Sunbelt for a day and knocked out the whole fence line in under 2 hours. Felt like such a dummy for not doing it sooner.

kelly_rivera13d ago

Read a forum post a few months back where a guy said it took him a full day to dig 8 holes by hand in Missouri clay. Switched to a hydraulic auger and never looked back. Sounds like you made a good call.

the_lucas13d ago

Kelly, how long did that guy say each hole took him before he gave up on the shovel?