Posted by Billy on February 16, 2009, 12:36 am
I'm digging post holes in my yard for a fence and have come upon hard
clay soil with tons of tree roots below. I cant get my shovel more
that 2 inches deep. I have to finish my fence because i have half done
all this work to get 1/2 up already. The one side was very moist and
muddy but the trouble section is hard/clay like cememnt.
What are the tools and options I have to inexpensively get these holes
dug? Is there any reasonably priced machine that I should use? I'd
rather do manually if anyone has any tricks....
Posted by SteveBell on February 16, 2009, 12:56 am
>I'm digging post holes in my yard for a fence and have come upon hard
>clay soil with tons of tree roots below. I cant get my shovel more
>that 2 inches deep. I have to finish my fence because i have half done
>all this work to get 1/2 up already. The one side was very moist and
>muddy but the trouble section is hard/clay like cememnt.
>What are the tools and options I have to inexpensively get these holes
>dug? Is there any reasonably priced machine that I should use? I'd
>rather do manually if anyone has any tricks....
Some options:
* Fill the hole with water. After it soaks in, the soil might be
softer.
* Buy post-hole diggers.
* Buy a digging bar. It looks like a six-foot, thirty-pound nail. Use
it to break up the bottom, then take out the chips with the diggers.
Wear gloves if you're fond of the skin on your palms.
* Sharpen the diggers with a file.
Best option:
* Rent a motor-driven auger. You'll finish each hole in about three
minutes. Half a day's rental will be about the same as buying good
digging tools.
--
Steve Bell
New Life Home Improvement
Arlington, TX USA
Posted by Tomes on February 16, 2009, 9:59 pm
"SteveBell" ...
>>I'm digging post holes in my yard for a fence and have come upon hard
>>clay soil with tons of tree roots below. I cant get my shovel more
>>that 2 inches deep. I have to finish my fence because i have half done
>>all this work to get 1/2 up already. The one side was very moist and
>>muddy but the trouble section is hard/clay like cememnt.
>>
>>What are the tools and options I have to inexpensively get these holes
>>dug? Is there any reasonably priced machine that I should use? I'd
>>rather do manually if anyone has any tricks....
> Some options:
> * Fill the hole with water. After it soaks in, the soil might be
> softer.
> * Buy post-hole diggers.
> * Buy a digging bar. It looks like a six-foot, thirty-pound nail. Use
> it to break up the bottom, then take out the chips with the diggers.
> Wear gloves if you're fond of the skin on your palms.
If you look for this, it is also called a shale bar. [For busting through
shale like where I live... One literally throws this heavy bar at the
bottom of the hole to bust up the shale.]
Tomes
Posted by Mike Paulsen on February 16, 2009, 9:37 am
Billy wrote:
> I'm digging post holes in my yard for a fence and have come upon hard
> clay soil with tons of tree roots below. I cant get my shovel more
> that 2 inches deep. I have to finish my fence because i have half done
> all this work to get 1/2 up already. The one side was very moist and
> muddy but the trouble section is hard/clay like cememnt.
>
> What are the tools and options I have to inexpensively get these holes
> dug? Is there any reasonably priced machine that I should use? I'd
> rather do manually if anyone has any tricks....
How inexpensive? If you have a lot of holes, and the digging is that
tough, it may be worth the money to rent a Dingo.
http://www.toro.com/professional/sws/loaderattach/auger/22804.html
XML site map
>clay soil with tons of tree roots below. I cant get my shovel more
>that 2 inches deep. I have to finish my fence because i have half done
>all this work to get 1/2 up already. The one side was very moist and
>muddy but the trouble section is hard/clay like cememnt.
>What are the tools and options I have to inexpensively get these holes
>dug? Is there any reasonably priced machine that I should use? I'd
>rather do manually if anyone has any tricks....