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My auger threw a baseball sized rock into a brand new window yesterday | Fence Erectors - HW Forums

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.

2 comments

2 Comments

mason.paige5mo ago

Oh man that sucks so bad! I feel your pain, same thing happened to me last summer. I was trenching for a sprinkler system and a chunk of limestone flew out and cracked my customers sliding glass door. Cost me $220 and a whole afternoon waiting for the repair guy to show up. I always wear safety glasses now but even then you can't predict where stuff will shoot off. My trick now is to wet down the soil a bit before I start digging, it helps keep the dirt and rocks stuck together so they don't fly as much. But honestly sometimes the ground just decides to fight back and there's not much you can do about it.

mason.paige5mo ago

Wait, did you check if your auger has a shield or guard on it? My buddy Tom had almost the exact same thing happen to him last spring. He was digging fence posts for a shed up in Denton and a sharp rock flew out and hit a neighbor's truck window. Cost him $250 to replace it and the neighbor was pretty upset about it. He said he's gonna start using that foam filler stuff they sell at hardware stores to pack around the auger bit. It's supposed to catch debris before it can go flying. Heard it works okay but not perfect if you hit something big.