Just changed my mind about setting posts in frozen ground

I had a job in early January here in Grand Rapids where the ground was rock solid. The client really wanted their privacy fence up. I figured I could use my gas powered auger and muscle through it, maybe add some hot water to soften things up. That was a bad call. What should have been a one day job for six posts turned into three full days of fighting. The auger just bounced and the water froze almost right away. I ended up having to rent a proper ground heater and a demolition hammer to break up the frost line, which was almost two feet down. It cost me an extra $300 in rental fees and a lot of lost time. Has anyone else found a better way to handle deep frost for a small residential job like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_robin9d agoMost Upvoted

That's just how winter goes, man.

adams.spencer9d ago

Yeah, that's true, winter just hits different. I mean, last year I was so over the cold and dark. What kinda worked for me was just forcing myself to do one small thing, like making a point to walk to the coffee shop on my block even when it was gloomy. Or just cooking a big pot of soup instead of ordering in. It didn't fix everything, but it made the days feel a bit less like a slog.