Debate: post hole diggers vs power augers for residential jobs

Used to swear by my 12-inch post hole diggers for every fence post. No machine, just sweat and digging bars. Last year I bought a cheap 2-stroke auger from a pawn shop for $180 and it changed my pace completely. The auger handles rocky ground way faster but it binds up on roots and I snapped a bit in clay last Tuesday. Now I'm split on which to use for standard 6-foot privacy fence jobs. You guys bringing augers to every site or sticking with hand diggers for certain soil types?

3 comments

3 Comments

andrew_rodriguez24d ago

That part about snapping the bit in clay hit me. I used to think power augers were overkill for residential but after fighting through rocky soil with hand diggers for two days straight I bought a used hydraulic one. Now I hand dig the first foot to check for rocks and roots then let the machine do the rest.

seanlee24d ago

Two days with hand diggers in rocky soil? That's not a fence install, that's a form of torture from the medieval times. I bet your back still sends you a little thank you card every morning when you wake up. Smart move on checking the first foot by hand though, nothing like snapping a $400 bit on a hidden rock to ruin your whole week. I swear clay soil has a personal vendetta against anyone trying to dig a straight hole. At least now you get to feel like a proper excavator operator instead of a human mole with blisters.

hugoh553d ago

Machine rental is the only smart play once you hit clay. Hand digging that stuff is just punishment for no reason. The ground doesn't care how tough you think you are. Power auger pays for itself in saved time and not hating your life.