I've been putting in fence posts for about 7 years now and always used the standard clamshell diggers. Last spring on a job in Austin, my crew lead showed up with one of those expensive two-handle lever action diggers. I laughed at him honestly. Figured it was just a gimmick for guys who didn't want to get their hands dirty. But after watching him knock out 12 holes in rocky clay in like 45 minutes while I was still struggling through number three, I started to wonder. He let me try it and I gotta admit, it sliced through roots better than anything I've seen. But then I borrowed one for a week and the handle broke on the sixth hole. So now I'm split. Anyone else tried these things and have a real opinion on whether they hold up for daily use?
Guy named Mike spent 20 minutes showing me how a 1/4 inch gap at the top throws off the whole gate latch. He had me adjust each hinge one turn at a time with a socket wrench right there in his yard. Said he learned it from his dad who built fences for 40 years. Has anyone else run into customers who school you on something basic but dead useful?
Had a customer who wanted that classic wood look but their soil was pure ledge and frost heave city. I told them T-posts with heavy gauge woven wire would outlast any cedar post in that ground by 10 years easy. They hesitated at first but after I showed them the cost difference ($2.80 per post vs $18 per cedar) they went with steel. The whole thing went up in two days with a driver and the line is still dead straight after a brutal winter. Has anyone else found a good way to make steel posts look less farm-y for picky homeowners?
I was on a job last week outside of Columbus setting posts for a 200 foot privacy fence. The ground was pure clay and kept shifting after we dug. After the third day of redoing two sections, I dropped the water just a hair and added an extra shovel of Portland per batch. That last section held solid even after a rainstorm hit overnight. Anyone else struggle with clay soil screwing up your concrete set?
Seriously, everyone had a different brand or style, from old-school clamshells to augers. Has anyone else noticed how much variety there is in just one tool for this trade?
I put up a 6-foot cedar privacy fence for a client in Portland last spring and it looked PERFECT. Eight months later half the panels are cupping like crazy, I think the supplier stored their lumber wrong or something. You guys running into this with any specific wood grades lately?
I used to think wood posts looked more natural and were easier to work with. But after setting 30 metal posts on a 200-foot run near Springfield last week, the time saved on digging and leveling convinced me. Has anyone else found a specific type of metal post that holds up better in wet clay soil?
Last month on a job near the coast, a guy from an old crew walked by and said my 24 inch depth wouldn't hold a gate in sand. He showed me his trick of going 36 inches and adding a gravel collar at the base. Has anyone else adjusted their depth based on soil type and regretted not doing it sooner?
I set a gate post without checking level last month and ended up with a 2 inch gap at the bottom when it rained. Now I always throw a cheap angle finder in my truck before I start digging.
He told me to use those PVC sleeves on a fence I built for my aunt's place outside Denver, said they'd last forever. Now the sun's made them brittle and half of them are splitting open at the seams. Has anyone else had bad luck with those, or did I just get a cheap batch?
Wasted $85 on materials and 3 afternoons because the batch kept cracking, should have just bought the pre-mix sacks from Home Depot in Phoenix has anyone else been burned trying to DIY the mix?
I used to dig every post hole with a manual clamshell digger and a bar. It took me about 45 minutes per hole in the rocky soil we have here outside of Nashville. My back would be killing me by the end of the day and I could only get maybe 6 holes done before noon. Then my buddy Lenny let me borrow his one-man auger with a 12-inch bit. I finished a 200-foot fence line in one afternoon with half the sweat. The trick was keeping the bit sharp and not forcing it when you hit a rock, just let the weight do the work. Now I own my own auger and I charge less per hole since I can move faster. Has anyone else made the switch and noticed a big jump in how many jobs you can take on in a week?
I spent 15 years setting fence posts the old way with a level and a buddy yelling at me, figured those self-leveling diggers from the trade show were just gimmicks. Last month on a job in Phoenix with 110 degree heat and a solo deadline, I finally borrowed one from a crew next door and sunk 12 posts perfectly straight in under two hours. Has anyone else tried them yet or am I just late to the party?
Was at the supply yard last Tuesday picking up some PT for a job in Bristow, and this old timer behind me muttered that under his breath after the guy at the counter messed up an order. It's got me thinking about how much time I waste re-digging or re-cutting because I rush the first go. Anyone else find their best jobs come from just slowing down the math part?
I used to just dig my holes straight down with a clam shell digger and call it a day. Thought I was saving time by not flaring the bottom out. Then I got a job on a marsh front property in Savannah last summer where the ground was pure sand and the fence kept shifting. A old timer I was working with told me I was being lazy and showed me how to bell out the bottom of the hole like a flower pot. Now I take the extra 5 minutes per hole to scoop out the sides wider at the base before pouring concrete. It gives the post a way better anchor and I haven't had a single lean since I changed. Has anyone else had to unlearn a bad habit that took them way too long to fix?
Been doing fence work about 3 years now and always struggled getting posts perfectly square when I'm working alone. Last week I tried clamping a 4 foot level to the post with a bungee cord instead of holding it. Let me adjust and check both sides without dropping anything. Actually worked better than having a helper stand there guessing. Anyone else got a one-man trick for squaring?
I was picking up some cedar pickets last Friday and this older crew was arguing about post spacing. One guy swore by 6 feet even on all his jobs, said anything wider and the rails sag. Got me thinking about how I always do 8 feet to save on materials, but I've had a few gates warp on me after a couple years. Maybe I need to tighten it up on longer runs. Has anyone else had gates go wonky from stretching it too wide?
I was driving through an old neighborhood I used to work in back in 2009 and noticed almost every fence back then was chain link with trees growing right through it. Now those same yards have vinyl privacy panels or cedar slats, no trees near them at all. Has anyone else seen this shift in their area or is it just the city I'm in?
Three days of rain in a row and the auger kept getting stuck in clay so bad we had to dig out every single hole by hand. What's the weirdest soil you've ever had to fight through?
We got caught in a sudden storm on a job and had to stop for two hours to dry out, but the crew next door just suited up and kept working because their foreman kept extra gear in every truck.
I was setting posts for a cedar privacy fence in an older part of town and pulled the original plot plan. The document stated the setback was measured from the center of the old stone wall, not its edge, which shifted the whole boundary. Do you always double-check against the original survey notes, or just go by the modern stakes?
Used to think it was overkill, but after seeing a whole row of 4x4s snap in high winds last spring, I won't go back. Anyone else make that change after a specific job?
I was putting in a fence on a steep backyard last month, and the ground dropped a full 18 inches over a 10-foot run. I had to choose between setting 4-foot posts and stepping the rails, or using 6-footers and cutting them down to follow the slope. I went with the 6-foot posts to keep the top rail line smooth. It took more time to trim each one, but the finished look was worth the extra hour. Has anyone else faced a slope that sharp, and what's your go-to method?
I was re-tensioning a fence I built two years ago in Boise and measured a full quarter-inch gap on a gate post. I found the stat in an old forestry service bulletin about wood movement. Anyone else have to adjust for this much seasonal movement?