c/fence-erectors

Visited a job site in Phoenix and saw the worst fence anchoring I've ever seen

I took a trip down to Phoenix last month to help a buddy with his crew on a big commercial project. The whole back stretch of their fence was anchored into this soft, sandy soil with standard 18 inch spikes. Meanwhile the wind out there is no joke, I saw gusts hit around 30 mph while we were working. Those posts were already wobbling after just two weeks of being up. I told my buddy he needs to switch to auger-style anchors with concrete collars for that type of ground. He pushed back saying it would cost too much time and money. But hey, you gotta weigh the cost of redoing the whole thing next season, right? Has anyone else run into this kind of soil problem in the southwest?

2 comments

jesse_craig26•27d ago

Shoutout to my old auger vs that rental I tried last Tuesday in Columbus

Been using my beat up one-man auger for three years and it always gets the job done. Rented a fancy two-man unit from the hardware store and it threw a chain after 12 holes in rocky clay. Has anyone else had a newer piece of gear just completely let them down on site?

2 comments

amy975•28d ago

Saw a huge difference in post stability after switching to 80lb bags of concrete instead of 60lb

I put up 30 feet of cedar privacy fence at a house in Manchester last spring. Used 60lb bags for the first 10 posts and they felt solid at the time. Went back six months later on a repair call and those first 10 posts had shifted almost 2 inches from frost heave. The other 12 posts I used 80lb bags for were still perfectly straight. Anyone else notice that extra weight makes that big a difference on frost lines?

2 comments

anna983•29d ago

Auger bit snapped mid-hole on a job outside Portland yesterday

I was setting posts for a 200 foot split rail fence near some woods and my auger bit just gave up halfway through a hole. It was one of those cheap 12 inch bits from a big box store, lasted about 15 jobs before it twisted apart. Had to dig the broken piece out by hand with a shovel and a pry bar, took me an extra hour. Switched to a 14 inch torpedo bit from a local rental place after that, finished the rest of the holes without issue. The old one was getting dull anyway but I didn't expect it to snap like that. Anybody else had auger bits fail on them? What brand do you guys trust for rocky soil?

3 comments

aaron708•1mo ago

10 years of setting posts wrong until a homeowner called me out

I was out near Springfield last month putting up a privacy fence when the homeowner came out and asked why my post holes weren't bell-bottomed. I told him I always just dig them straight down and pour concrete. He pulled out a 30 year old fencing manual and showed me the page. Turns out I was missing half the frost heave protection I thought I had. How long did it take the rest of you to figure this out?

2 comments

the_henry•1mo ago

Question about post hole digging - neighbor said hand tools are better than auger?

Last weekend I was setting posts for a new boundary fence in my backyard here in Columbus. My neighbor Bill, who has been putting up fences for 30 years, told me to put away my gas auger and use a clamshell digger instead. He said augers just spin the dirt around and don't get you a clean hole, especially in clay soil. I tried it his way and got 6 holes done in about 4 hours, but I was beat. The holes did look nice and straight though. Has anyone else had better luck with hand digging over an auger for clay ground?

2 comments

andrew854•1mo ago

Got called out for my gate posts being undersized by a homeowner last Thursday

I had been setting 4x4 posts for 6 foot gates for years without any callbacks, but this guy measured them and said they were too small for the wind load. He made me swap to 6x6 posts and concrete them deeper, and honestly that gate has been solid through two storms now. Has anyone else had a customer's feedback actually improve their work long term?

2 comments

joelp81•1mo ago

Had to choose between wood or metal posts for a 200ft run in Raleigh last month

I picked wood (cedar, specifically) because the homeowner wanted that look and it was cheaper by about $400. But now 5 weeks in I'm already seeing some ground contact rot on a couple posts near a low spot. The metal ones would have held up better in that damp soil no doubt. Anyone else dealt with this trade-off and regretted going with wood?

2 comments

robert_smith36•1mo ago

Chat with an old timer about post hole diggers...

Was talking to a guy who's been doing fences since the 80s over in Lancaster. He said he never uses a gas auger anymore, just a sharp shovel and a clamshell digger. Said it's more accurate and he can feel the rocks before he hits them. Has anyone else gone back to manual digging or am I crazy for considering it?

2 comments

luna_kim40•1mo ago

Had a week in June where every post hole hit rock, worst luck I've had in 10 years

Three days straight I was digging for a 200 foot privacy fence in Austin and every single hole hit limestone at 18 inches, had to rent a jackhammer for two of them. My crew and I were so behind we worked Saturday just to catch up, but somehow the customer was cool about it and even bought us lunch. Has anyone else had a job where the ground just decided to fight you like that or am I the only one cursed with bad dirt?

2 comments

clairer79•1mo ago

TIL using a concrete vibrator on fence posts is a game changer

I was setting 12 posts in rocky clay last week and fighting air pockets like crazy. A buddy loaned me his vibrator to run along the forms and the concrete settled perfectly with zero voids. Has anyone else tried this trick for keeping posts solid in tricky ground?

2 comments

the_oscar•1mo ago

Unpopular opinion: people are setting fence posts way too shallow in sandy soil

I was out on a job near Myrtle Beach last week and saw three different fences already leaning after one season. The ground was pure sand and the posts were maybe 18 inches deep. I always go at least 30 inches in that kind of dirt and use a concrete collar. Has anyone else run into this problem down south?

2 comments

jennifer_mitchell53•1mo ago

Showerthought: Is setting posts with dry concrete mix actually faster than mixing first?

I used to always mix my concrete in a wheelbarrow before pouring it into the hole. Took forever, made a mess, and my back hurt after every job. But then I tried the dry pour method on a 40-post job in Austin last month. Just dumped the bag in, added water, and tamped. My helper said I was crazy, said it wouldn't hold. But 3 days later those posts were solid as rock. Which way do you guys usually go for residential jobs? Has anyone had a post fail from dry pour?

3 comments

hall.nora•1mo ago

Unpopular opinion: I think post hole diggers are overrated

I was talking to a guy named Rick at the lumber yard in Tacoma last week. He said he's been setting posts for 25 years and only uses a shovel and a steel bar. Said diggers just waste time and make your arms hurt for no reason. Made me wonder if I've been making this job harder than it needs to be for no good reason.

3 comments

hall.nora•1mo ago

Why does nobody talk about using a transit level for fence posts

Old timer at the supply yard told me to ditch my string line and use a transit level for post alignment, I thought he was crazy. Tried it on a 200ft run in Austin and every post came out dead straight first try. Has anyone else switched from string to a transit?

2 comments

emery879•1mo ago

Called BS on quick-set concrete for fence posts, now I'm a believer

For years I only used regular concrete mix for setting posts. Last spring a guy swore quick-set would save me time on a 20 post job in Austin. I figured it would be weak or cure wrong, but I tried it on the back row. Set 8 posts in under 2 hours, no issues even after a thunderstorm hit the next day. Has anyone else had good luck with quick-set on sandy soil?

2 comments

karen410•1mo ago

That time I tried to use a post hole digger on frozen ground in January

Last winter I had a job up near Albany and the ground was solid as concrete. I figured I'd save time by just powering through with the manual digger instead of waiting for a thaw. First swing bounced right back at me and nearly clipped my knee. Second attempt I put my whole weight into it and the handles snapped clean in half. Landed flat on my back with mud down my coat and the customer watching from her kitchen window. Ended up renting a gas-powered auger for $85 that afternoon and finished the whole job in 45 minutes. Learned that pride and frozen dirt don't mix. Has anyone else had a tool fail on them in a spectacular way?

2 comments

victor_carr25•1mo ago

Had to choose between driven posts and concrete footings for a sloped yard in Austin

I was putting up a 6 foot privacy fence on a hillside lot last month. The ground was rocky clay, so I figured driven posts would save time. But after hitting solid limestone 18 inches down on the third hole, I switched to concrete footings with brackets. It took twice as long but every post is dead level and the customer was happy. Has anyone else had to switch methods mid job because of unexpected ground conditions?

3 comments

margaret_chen•1mo ago

Picked up a cheap laser level from Harbor Freight and it actually saved me time on a long run

I was dead set against those cheap laser levels, figured they'd be junk and just throw measurements off. But on a 300 foot fence job last month near Springfield, I tried one just to see if it could help with that slight slope we were fighting. It got the posts dead level and did it in half the time of using a string line. Anyone else found a cheap tool that worked way better than you thought?

2 comments

skyler_adams•2mo ago

Watched a crew dig 6 post holes by hand before I said something at a job site in Tulsa

I showed up to help a buddy on a 200-foot privacy fence last month and his whole crew was using clamshell diggers in rocky clay. After 3 holes took them over an hour I grabbed my PTO auger from the truck and knocked out the remaining 17 in about 45 minutes. Anyone else find it hard to suggest using better tools without sounding like a know-it-all?

3 comments

dakotacraig•2mo ago

Bought a cheap auger for setting posts and stripped the gears on the third hole

Lost about 200 bucks on a bargain auger from a big box store that couldn't handle rocky soil here in central Texas, and now I'm stuck hand-digging the rest of this 40-panel job, anyone else had better luck with a specific brand that won't die on you?

2 comments

joelp81•2mo ago

Spent $90 on a 'self-leveling' post hole digger that just jacked up my alignment on 12 fence posts

The hydraulic feature locked up after the third hole and I had to hand-dig the rest in rocky clay, has anyone found a brand that actually works without breaking the bank?

2 comments

kareng27•2mo ago

Went from a 2-man crew struggling with post holes to 1 guy with a hydraulic auger in 6 months, the difference is wild.

Our old hand digger had us spending 45 minutes per hole on this rocky clay soil outside Austin, but after renting a Toro auger last spring we cut that to under 10 minutes each, has anyone else made the switch and never looked back?

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joseph932•2mo ago

The homeowner in Bakersfield who asked me to pour concrete over a live sprinkler line

I was setting a new privacy fence in Bakersfield last month and the homeowner kept insisting I just pour the posts over his existing sprinkler line. I told him no way, we gotta mark and reroute it first. He got so mad he threatened to take the job elsewhere. I stood my ground, and 2 days later the line burst when he tested it himself. Has anyone else had clients fight you on basic prep work like this?

3 comments

blake_black47•2mo ago

Warning: That job on a muddy slope near Pittsburgh almost cost me my crew

We were putting up a 6 foot privacy fence on a steep hill in Oakmont last fall. Ground was soaked from three days of rain. I figured we'd just set the posts deeper and call it good. First big gust of wind and two sections just folded over like paper. Turns out the soil was so loose the concrete couldn't grab. We had to pull everything out and dig down 4 feet to hit solid clay. Now I always check soil composition before I even quote a sloping job. Has anyone else run into this with wet ground on a hillside?

3 comments