The Community Guide

c/fence-erectors

20

the_nathan•22h ago

Shoutout to the guy who told me my post hole digger was too small

I always thought bigger was better for post holes, but a 6-inch auger left me with loose gravel fill that settled after a rain. A 4-inch bit on the same Toro saved me 30 minutes per hole and the fence has been solid for 6 months. Anyone else find that smaller tools actually work better in rocky soil?

12

terryrobinson•2d ago

Shoutout to the guy who showed me how to fix a leaning gate with just a shovel and a pipe

I spent two years replacing posts on gates that sagged until a old timer at the job site in Tulsa showed me his trick. He digs a little trench on the hinge side, slides a 4 foot piece of steel pipe under the post, then pushes down on the pipe to lift the gate back level. Takes maybe 15 minutes and costs nothing if you have scrap pipe around. I tried it on a 6 foot wooden gate last month and it worked perfect. Why do so many guys jump straight to pulling the post out when they could just adjust the bottom in the dirt? Anyone else got a faster fix for a sagging gate?

1

lee.casey•3d ago

Holes set with a string line vs a laser level - no contest

Spent 3 hours on a 200 foot run trying to keep posts straight with a string, then borrowed my buddy's rotary laser and did the whole thing in 45 minutes with no wobbles. Anyone else have one tool that just made your life instantly easier?

8

lucas_carr24•4d ago

Serious question, is a post hole digger really better than a shovel for rocky ground?

I've been setting fence posts for about 5 years now, mostly on the outskirts of Austin where the soil is half limestone. Last month I tried using a regular shovel versus a clamshell digger on the same stretch of fence line. The shovel took me 15 minutes per hole and left me cussing, while the digger cut that down to 8 minutes but still hit rocks just as bad. Has anyone else seen a real difference between these tools in rocky dirt, or is it all the same in the end?

20

emmajackson•4d ago

Shoutout to the guy who told me to spend $45 on a laser level for post alignment

Bought a cheap Bosch laser level for $45 after fighting with string lines on a 200-foot run last month, and it saved me like 3 hours of re-digging holes after I found out my second post was already off by half an inch, anyone else swear by these things or still use the old string method?

-1

black.patricia•4d ago

Took me 8 years to realize I was setting posts wrong

I always used gravel backfill for my posts, thought that was standard. Then a guy from a crew up in Portland told me I was basically creating drainage issues around the wood. Switched to crushed rock and concrete mix last month, 3 to 1 ratio. Anyone else had a similar wakeup call on their post setting method?

25

wendyk63•5d ago

Dry-stacked a 50-foot limestone wall in my backyard and the difference after one winter is wild

I put up a dry-stacked limestone wall near my cabin in Hill Country last October. After the freeze and thaw cycles this spring, I thought it would be leaning or bulging all over. But nope, it settled maybe a half inch and looks tighter than when I built it. Has anyone else seen dry-stack hold up better than mortared walls in cold weather?

5

stellablack•6d ago

Can we talk about how much fence post hole digging has changed since I started?

I pulled out a 20-year-old post hole digger from my dad's garage last week and it took me twice as long as the hydraulic auger I rented from Home Depot. Made me wonder how the old timers did whole neighborhoods without modern gear - are you guys sticking with hand tools or renting equipment now?

11

emma_perry•6d ago

Hot take: Setting posts in concrete vs gravel backfill

I was putting up a 6 foot privacy fence near Portland last June and had a post start leaning after a heavy rain. I used gravel backfill like some guys swear by, but another crew I talked to says concrete is the only way for wet ground. The leaning post cost me 2 extra hours to pull and reset with concrete. Which method do you use for clay soil that stays soggy?

2

parker543•20d ago

Can we talk about how much fence posts sink in clay soil after a wet spring?

Ngl, I used to think setting posts with gravel at the bottom was fine for drainage. But after doing a job near Denver last April, we dug up a 5 year old post that had dropped 4 inches into the mud. The customer showed me a photo from when it was first installed, and the difference was wild. What do you use to stop sinking in heavy clay?

5

joseph_baker•21d ago

Tried setting posts with crushed limestone instead of concrete on a job in Ohio this spring

After three heavy rains the posts are still rock solid and I didn't have to wait for concrete to cure. Has anyone else given up on concrete for certain jobs?

12

brookebailey•21d ago

Wasted $300 on a post hole digger attachment that sucked

I thought I was being smart last spring buying one of those PTO driven auger attachments for my tractor. Figured it would save me time on a big fence job out near Springfield. First hole it got stuck on a rock about 2 feet down. Second hole the thing started wobbling so bad I thought it was gonna snap off. Called the dealer and they said I needed a shear bolt kit that cost extra. After three holes I gave up and rented a handheld auger from Home Depot for the rest of that 40 hole job. That attachment has been sitting in my shed for 6 months now. Has anyone else had bad luck with these things or did I just buy the wrong brand?

26

aaron_gonzalez•21d ago

Just realized post setting is way more important than I thought

I used to think it was all about getting the holes dug straight and the panels level. Then I did a job last month in Austin where the ground was nothing but clay and rocks, and I skipped the backfill tamping every 6 inches like my uncle told me. That section of fence has already started leaning after one good rain storm. Has anyone else had post setting fail on them with heavy clay soil?

6

harris.emma•21d ago

Saw a cedar fence on a job in Portland that was built all wrong

Was checking out a fence in Portland last week that some guy put up himself. He used galvanized nails instead of stainless steel on cedar and they were already rusting after 6 months. How long does that stuff usually last before you gotta replace the whole thing?

11

wren_jackson•24d ago

Switched to concrete anchors for every gate post after a bad job in Austin last spring

Used to think digging deep and packing gravel was plenty for gate posts, but after a 6-foot gate sagged in 4 months I'll never skip anchors again. Anyone else had a gate fail because they skimped on the base?

17

mitchell.mark•26d ago

Always blamed my post hole digger until I watched a guy 30 years in the trade handle one

I had been digging posts for about 3 years and was convinced my digger was junk. Rocks in the soil, the handles would split, I hated it. Then I helped a crew out near Springfield and this older fella showed up with the same exact model I had. He put that thing in the ground like butter. I watched him for maybe 5 minutes and realized I was turning the blades way too wide and wiggling the whole time instead of keeping them straight. I also had a death grip on the handles. He just let the weight do the work. Felt like an idiot driving home. Anybody else get hit with a reality check like that?

14

max472•26d ago

Noticed a huge difference in post holes after I switched auger bits

I was digging post holes up near Greenville for a 6-foot privacy fence and kept getting stuck on roots. Switched from a standard 9-inch auger to a 10-inch Pennington after 3 holes and it cut through like butter. The time difference was almost 45 minutes total across the whole run... has anyone else seen that much change just from a wider bit?

21

iris_dixon91•27d ago

Vent: That $600 "pro grade" post hole digger was a total waste of money

I spent $600 on that fancy hydraulic post hole digger everyone raves about from the big box store. Used it on a job last month out near Maplewood, rocky clay soil like we all deal with. Thing got stuck after 4 holes, bent the auger bit on a hidden root, and I spent 3 hours cleaning mud out of the gears. My old $40 manual clamshell digger never let me down like that, just took a bit more elbow grease. I ended up finishing the fence with a shovel and a digging bar, felt like a fool. I know people swear by power equipment, but sometimes simple tools win. Has anyone else been burned by a fancy gadget that couldn't handle real conditions?

15

elizabethpalmer•28d ago

That criticism from a homeowner about my post holes changed how I set my line

Last month a guy watched me dig a post hole and said 'your string line is bowing in the middle, you're gonna have crooked posts'. I was using a single mason line like always. He showed me how to use two lines pulled tight and a spacer block. Now I check every hole before I set concrete. Anyone else had a homeowner teach you something obvious you missed?

6

elizabethhart•29d ago

Vent: Hidden rock shelf cost me 4 extra hours on a gate post hole

I was digging a post hole for a 6 foot gate near Lakewood yesterday and hit a granite shelf about 18 inches down that wasn't visible from the surface. Wasted 4 hours with a digging bar and an SDS max trying to chip through it before I gave up and moved the post 3 feet over. Anyone else run into surprise bedrock that threw off your whole layout?

24

cooper.taylor•1mo ago

Tried a pull-through post hole digger on a clay job last month, total disaster

I rented one of those hydraulic pull-through diggers for a 150-foot fence line in Austin where the soil is pure clay. It got stuck three times and took me twice as long as just using my two-man auger. Has anyone else had bad luck with those things on heavy soil?

25

michaelw26•1mo ago

Old timer's advice about post spacing saved my butt on a tricky job

Back in 2018 I was putting up a privacy fence along a weird sloped yard in Denton. This retired fence guy, maybe 70 years old, walked over from next door and told me to measure my post spacing from the corner posts inward instead of the other way around. I thought he was crazy but tried it anyway. Ended up with perfectly even panels and only wasted about 4 feet of lumber total. Has anyone else run into old school tricks that just plain work better?

30

joseph_martinez35•1mo ago

Guy at the supply house told me my post holes were too wide...

He said I was wasting concrete by digging too deep and wide for 4x4 posts, so I switched to a 10-inch auger bit and saved about 3 bags per hole. Has anyone else cut back on concrete like that or am I risking the fence blowing over in a storm?

1

nancy929•1mo ago

I finally tried setting posts with gravel instead of concrete

I did a small 40-foot fence run near Albany last month and decided to use crushed gravel backfill instead of my usual concrete mix. My buddy swore it drains better and won't rot out the posts as fast in wet ground. Got it done in half the time since I didn't have to wait for concrete to cure, and it felt solid right away. But now I'm second guessing because a few of the posts wobble a little when I push on them by hand. Has anyone else switched to gravel and found it holds up long term, or should I have stuck with concrete for this clay soil?

23

mark49•1mo ago

Talked with an old hand from the 70s at the lumberyard last week

He said he never used a string line, just eyeballed everything and it all came out straight. Made me wonder if I lean on my tools too much instead of trust my gut.