TIL my old post hole diggers were way off after 15 years

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?

3 comments

3 Comments

jesse_smith1016d ago

Man thats rough. 6 holes is a pain to redo when you already think youre almost done. So here's what I gotta ask - did those handles feel loose or wobbly at all before you noticed the blades were bent? Seems like there had to be some kinda sign besides just the holes being off. I've had a shovel handle get a hairline crack on me and I kept using it for weeks cause it felt fine until it snapped clean in half.

the_laura16d ago

@jesse_smith10 nailed it - you usually feel something off before seeing the bend, like a weird vibration or slight wobble.

angela72815d ago

First time I had this happen was with a snowblower auger last winter. Felt a weird shudder in the handles before I saw anything wrong, but I figured it was just ice chunks. Wound up being a bent blade from hitting a hidden rock buried in the snowbank. It's funny how your body picks up on stuff way before your brain does. Same thing with tools around the shop, you'll get a weird feeling about a hammer or a saw that just feels off, but you keep using it until it breaks. That instinct is usually right, we just talk ourselves out of listening to it.