Switched from digging post holes by hand to using a power auger and it changed my whole week

I used to swear by the old shovel and clamshell digger for every job, figured it gave me better control and saved money on renting equipment. Then last month I had a 200-foot fence line in rocky clay soil outside Austin, and after three days of misery I finally caved and rented a one-man auger from the hardware store. Finished the whole dig in under four hours and my back didn't hate me the next morning. The control thing turned out to be nonsense, the auger actually cut straighter holes in the hard stuff. Anybody else drag their feet on upgrading tools and regret it?

2 comments

2 Comments

beth_hunt17d ago

No way, THREE DAYS for 200 feet? That's brutal man. I can't believe you stuck with hand tools that long in that rocky clay stuff, that stuff is straight up concrete when it's dry. Respect for the old school approach but that sounds like actual punishment. The straight hole thing is the real kicker though, I figured a machine would wander all over the place but its way more consistent than my tired arms ever were. Glad you finally saw the light, that upgrade sounds like it basically saved your whole project from being a nightmare.

sullivan.elliot17d ago

Honestly digging through rocky clay with hand tools sounds like actual torture, glad you finally got that machine.