c/fence-erectors

Old timer on site told me to stop pounding my posts in dry ground, said to soak the holes first with a hose. I laughed but tried it on my last job in Indiana, saved almost 2 hours on a 20-post run.

I finally figured out why my post holes kept caving in on a rocky slope near Chattanooga

Took me 3 extra days of digging and resetting before I realized I needed to wet the ground first and use a clamshell digger instead of the power auger. Anyone else dealt with loose shale that just won't hold a post straight?

I finally fixed a gate that took three times longer than it should have

Had a basic 4 foot wooden gate in Austin that kept sagging after every rain. Spent two full days messing with braces and different hardware. Turned out I just needed to dig the post hole a foot deeper and add a bag of quick concrete. Anyone else waste half a Saturday on something that simple?

Talk with a homeowner changed how I approach gate posts

I was putting in a gate for a guy named Mike last Tuesday and he asked why I always dig the post holes so deep. I told him it was just how I was taught, never really questioned it. He showed me this diagram from some old farm manual he had, where they used a concrete collar at the surface instead of a deep footing for gates. At first I thought it was crazy, but he walked me through the math on frost heave and leverage. Now I'm rethinking my whole method for gates under 6 feet wide. I still dig deep for big drive gates, but for pedestrian ones I might try his way on the next job. Has anyone else run into homeowners calling out old trade secrets like that?

Rant: leveling rod saved my back but wrecked my timeline on a 200ft run

Honestly, I tried using a laser leveling rod for the first time last Thursday on a big chain link job in Austin. I figured it would make my posts perfectly straight without all the bending and checking. Thing is, it took me almost twice as long because I kept second guessing the laser line and adjusting posts. I ended up having to re-set three posts when the battery died and i noticed they were off by half an inch. What do you guys use for leveling on long runs, a string line or something else?

Drove past a ranch in Montana and saw fence posts set in concrete instead of tamped dirt

I was up near Billings last month checking out a buddy's property and noticed about 200 posts all set in concrete with no gravel drainage at the bottom. The rancher swore it's the only way to go for wind load out there but I've always heard concrete traps moisture and rots the wood faster. Which way do you guys think holds up better over 10+ years in heavy wind country?

Been setting posts with crushed gravel for 8 years until a soil test on a job in Vermont showed I was basically making my own swamp

The soil guy pointed out the fines in my gravel were holding water against the wood and rotting everything out, so now I only use washed stone and has anyone else had a client question why you charge more for clean rock?

Guy on a job in Akron showed me his trick for digging post holes in clay soil

I was working a fence line last summer in Akron, Ohio, and the ground was just terrible. Pure red clay, hard as a rock after a dry spell. I was sweating bullets trying to get these holes dug, my auger was barely making it 6 inches down. Then this older fella, maybe 70 years old, walks over from the house next door. He says "you gotta soak that clay overnight first, then dig in the morning when it's soft." I thought he was blowing smoke, but I was desperate so I tried it. Next day I was able to get 30 inch holes no problem. Has anyone else run into that trick with stubborn soil? Worked way better than I expected.

I finally saw a farm fence done right out in Lancaster County

Was delivering a package out in Amish country near Bird-in-Hand last Tuesday and noticed this beautiful post and rail fence. They used locust posts and white oak rails, all hand-split. The posts were set at exactly 8 feet apart from what I could pace off, and the joints were tight even after what looked like years of weather. Made me think about how I rush my own builds sometimes. You guys ever take a detour just to inspect someone else's fence work?

Why does nobody talk about using a string line for setting post depth?

After fighting with a laser level on a 200-foot run in bright sun last month, I tried the old string line trick my grandpa swore by and got posts dead straight with zero rework, so what do you use when the laser washes out?

My auger threw a baseball sized rock into a brand new window yesterday

Was digging post holes for a backyard fence in Arlington around 2pm. Hit a patch of that rocky clay we get around here and the auger kicked something loose. Next thing I hear is this loud crack and the homeowner's basement window is just gone. Had to stop, apologize, and call my glass guy to come measure up. Cost me $180 to get it replaced and lost half a day. How do you guys handle hitting things that could fly up? I usually go slow but this caught me off guard.

That cold morning in Michigan where everything went sideways

I was putting up a 200 foot stretch of privacy fence near Lansing last winter and the ground was frozen solid right down to 4 inches deep. My post hole digger bounced off the first hole like it was concrete, so I had to switch to a heavy duty spud bar to chip through the frost layer piece by piece. Has anyone else dealt with frozen ground like that and found a quicker way to break through?

Pro tip: stop pretending gravel backfill is optional for gate posts

I used to think it was just upselling until I had to reset a 6 foot gate near Sioux Falls 6 months ago and now I won't set a gate post without at least a 4 inch gravel base, has anyone else had their mind changed on a specific step like this?

Hated T-posts for 5 years. One job in Oklahoma changed my mind.

I always used wood posts. Refused to touch T-posts. Called them cheap junk. Last month I had to fence 400 feet of rocky hillside outside Tulsa. Guy I was helping pulled out a box of T-posts and a driver. We finished that whole stretch in 4 hours. Wood would have taken two days and 3 broken auger bits. Still not my first choice for a front yard. But for rough ground they flat out work. Anyone else come around on a tool they swore they hated?

Thought I'd save time mixing concrete for a post base in the rain

Had a job in Portland last week where the forecast said light drizzle, so I figured I could still set a few posts. Used a standard 60lb bag of Quikrete, but the rain picked up halfway through mixing. The concrete ended up way too wet and soupy, took almost double the time to set up. Learned that even a little extra water from rain can throw off the whole ratio. Anyone got a good trick for working in wet conditions besides just calling it a day?

A homeowner in Charlotte told me my post tops looked like 'spikes for birds' and now I always round them over.

Hot take: I think everyone's wrong about using a post driver for those tricky 8-foot cedar pickets in wet clay.

After a brutal week in Seattle rain, I switched to a hand auger for the holes and a 4-pound sledge to set the posts, which saved me from three snapped posts and a ton of backfilling.

That old auger bit sheared off in a rock at a job in Cedar Park last Tuesday, but we managed to finish the line by hand with a digging bar and a lot of elbow grease.

What's your go-to method for getting through a stubborn rock seam without wrecking more equipment?

Just dropped $350 on a post driver and it's already saved my back

I was doing a long cedar fence in Boise last week and decided to rent a gas powered post driver instead of using my manual pounder. It cost about $350 for the week, which hurt at first. But we got all 42 posts set in a single morning with zero shoulder pain. Has anyone else made the switch and found it worth the cash for bigger jobs?

Saw a fence in the historic district that made me rethink my go-to post spacing

I was walking through the old part of town last week, checking out some of the older homes. One place had this beautiful cedar fence that had to be at least twenty years old. What got me was the posts were only set six feet apart, not the eight I always do. The whole line was still perfectly straight, no sagging at all. Has anyone else tried tighter spacing on a long run and found it holds up better over time?

Had a real stubborn gate post in wet clay near Portland

Honestly, the ground was so soft the post kept leaning no matter how much concrete I packed. Tbh, I ended up driving two 4-foot steel stakes at an angle on opposite sides and lag bolting them to the post before the pour. Ngl, it held rock solid. Anyone else have a go-to trick for posts in pure mud?

Tried a different post hole digger on a rocky lot in Boise

Used a manual auger with a rock bit on a property full of river stone, thinking it would be easier than the machine. It just bounced off and nearly threw me off my feet. Anyone have a better method for setting posts in ground that's more rock than dirt?

I always thought pressure treated posts were the only way to go for a long life

I was reading a trade magazine at the supply house yesterday and saw a study from a university. They said a cedar post set in concrete can actually rot faster at ground level than one set in gravel... because the concrete holds moisture against the wood. They had pictures of posts pulled after 8 years and the difference was clear. I've been setting everything in concrete mix for a decade. Has anyone else switched to a gravel base for certain woods after seeing something like this?

Showerthought: I tried a new post hole digger and it almost cost me a whole day

I was doing a job in Cedar Rapids last week and grabbed this new 'Turbo Dig' auger attachment for my skid steer. The ad said it could handle 30 holes an hour in rocky soil. After the first 5 holes, the motor started smoking and the whole gearbox seized up. I had to rent a standard auger to finish the job, which put me 6 hours behind schedule. The lesson is that sometimes the fancy new gear just can't handle real world conditions like the old reliable stuff. Has anyone else had a new tool fail spectacularly on a simple job?

Hot take: I was setting posts wrong for a decade

I always packed the base with gravel and thought concrete was overkill. Then a big windstorm in Tulsa last spring took out three of my fences while the one I did with full concrete footings stood fine. Anyone else make the switch after seeing real damage?