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?

2 comments

2 Comments

logan_dixon1818d ago

Jump into watching how the old timer held his mouth when he worked. I'm not joking, I noticed this guy was relaxed and not gritting his teeth or tensing his jaw, and suddenly I realized half my struggle was just me being angry at the ground instead of reading it. Maybe it's just me, but I think we psych ourselves out thinking digging is all muscle when it's mostly about staying loose and letting the tool find the path of least resistance.

wren_jackson18d ago

Totally, catching myself clenching my jaw was a game changer for me too.