Last month a guy looked at my work and said I was cutting corners on the gate posts. At first I got defensive, but then I looked closer and yeah, he was right. I started marking my post holes with a string line instead of just eyeballing it. Now I set each post with a level on two faces and wait 24 hours before even thinking about rails. It takes me about 30 minutes more per gate, but the corners come out square every time. Has anyone else had a customer point out something that actually made you better?
We plumbed it perfect at the bottom but the ditch witch kicked the base sideways when we backfilled, so now I always tamp the gravel in 4 inch lifts before adding any dirt on posts over 6 feet.
I keep a tally in my truck console and when I added up the year so far I was sitting at 10,020 feet. That is nearly 2 miles of fence I built with my own hands in 8 months. Has anyone else kept a running total and hit a number that made them stop and think for a second?
I was dead set against laser levels for fence work after my first cheap one gave me false readings. Then last month a buddy let me borrow his Bosch GLL 3-80 during a 200-foot run of privacy fence in Austin. I checked every 10th post with a tape measure and the laser was dead on within a quarter inch the whole way. It saved me about 45 minutes of running string lines and rechecking. Has anyone else switched over to lasers and regretted it or am I just late to the party?
I was dead set on using a manual post hole digger for a 12-post fence line in rocky soil, figured the auger was overpriced and gimmicky. Three hours in with only two holes dug and my shoulders screaming, I rented a power auger with that same bit from the local yard and finished the rest in under 90 minutes. Has anyone else been burned by stubbornly sticking to old methods and then kicking yourself for not trying something sooner?
I had a job last month over on Maple Drive where I was putting up a 6-foot cedar privacy fence. The ground looked fine at first, just regular soil with some grass on top. But about 2 feet down I hit this layer of heavy clay mixed with small rocks that just would not budge with my standard auger. I figured I could power through it in an afternoon, maybe 3 hours tops for all 12 holes. Ended up spending almost 9 hours total swapping between a digging bar, a clamshell digger, and even trying to chip away at it with a pickaxe. My back was shot by the end and I still had to tamp everything down the next day. Has anyone else run into surprise rock clay layers that turned a simple fence job into a whole weekend thing?
Last spring I put up a 6-foot cedar gate near Portland and the owner called me back saying it was dragging after two months. He pointed out I used fast-set concrete around the posts without waiting for the ground to settle first. I always thought that stuff held fine on its own but he was right the post shifted maybe an inch. Now I wait at least 48 hours after mixing before hanging any gate hardware. Has anyone else had to adjust their approach after a customer called out a specific flaw?
Had a job out in Austin last month, putting up a 200 foot privacy fence. The soil test said sandy loam, but at two feet deep we hit a shelf of limestone that ran the whole length. My auger smoked out after three holes and the hand digging with a digging bar took us six hours for just ten posts. The homeowner kept asking why it was taking so long. Has anyone else dealt with unexpected bedrock like that on a flat lot?
I was talking to a crew from out near Flagstaff last week and they swear pre-drilling saves hours, but my old foreman always said a good digger tip does the job in half the time. Which way do you go when you hit basalt or shale, and has anyone tested both on a single job to see which really holds up?
I spent 3 years always digging my post holes with the auger at full tilt, thinking faster was better, until a old timer named Hank watched me struggle on a job in Austin and pointed out I was packing the dirt instead of lifting it out clean. He showed me how running the auger slow and letting it cut actually pulls the soil up instead of just mushing it into the walls, and now my holes are straight and my back doesn't ache after 8 of them. Has anyone else had a basic technique flip like that where you felt dumb but it saved your whole approach?
Was at a supply yard in Tulsa last month picking up some T-posts and the old guy behind the counter asks what size auger I'm running. Told him 9 inch and he just shakes his head. Said for anything above a 4x4 post you want at least 12 inches to get proper concrete collar and prevent frost heave. I've been doing fences for 8 years with that 9 inch bit and never had a complaint but he showed me the numbers on soil expansion in our zone. Checked three of my old jobs from 2020 and two of them have slight lean now that I never noticed. Already ordered a 12 inch bit from a rental place for my next job on Friday. Anyone else ever realize they've been running the wrong tool for years without knowing?
I usually stick with my old heavy duty King digger but a guy on a job in Phoenix swore by this $50 Steelville model. Snapped my handle on a rocky patch near Bell Road and grabbed one on a whim. Three days of digging later and that cheap thing has outlasted my last two name brand ones. Anybody else had luck with a budget tool that surprised them?
Used to think my granddad's way with a clamshell digger was good enough, but after hitting solid clay on a 6-foot privacy job I rented a one-man auger from Home Depot for $60 and finished the whole line in under 3 hours - has anyone else had that 'why didn't I do this sooner' moment with a specific tool?
I dropped $500 on a hydraulic auger attachment for my skid steer last spring, thinking it would save me hours on a big job in Marietta. First day out, it snapped a shear pin on a single rock and then the motor started leaking oil after just 8 holes. Now it's sitting in my shed collecting dust while I'm back to using my old manual two-man digger. Has anyone else had luck with a cheaper brand that actually holds up?
I had a customer who wanted a 200ft run of chain link done quick and cheap. He insisted on using crushed gravel tamped down instead of concrete for the corner posts. I figured it would be wobbly garbage but I gave it a shot to shut him up. Three days later the gate post shifted about 2 inches in the heat and the whole thing sagged. Has anyone else had a customer push a weird method that just flat out failed?
I tried using the quick-set concrete bags from Lowe's for six fence posts last month in Springfield. Turned out they don't cure right in wet soil and three of my posts shifted after two weeks. Had to dig them out and redo everything with actual gravel mix and postcrete. Anyone else had bad luck with those bags or was it just me?
I've been putting up wooden fence posts for 8 years but tried steel posts on a 150-foot run last month because the ground was just too rocky. The steel posts went in 3 times faster and I didn't have to haul a bag of concrete for each one. Has anyone else made that swap and noticed the posts holding up better after a wet winter?
Honestly, I used to pound every T-post by hand with that heavy driver, and after 50 posts my arms were shot. Then I rented a Bobcat with a hydraulic driver from a place in Denver for $200 for the day. Took me 3 hours instead of 8, and I didn't feel like death after. Has anyone else made the switch or is everyone still doing it the hard way?
Always thought metal fences looked cheap until a job in Birmingham last month where the homeowner insisted on aluminum. The whole install took me half the time and the cut ends didn't splinter like treated pine does. Anybody else switch materials and regret not doing it sooner?
I learned from a guy with 30 years experience that concrete is the only way to keep a gate from sagging, but after digging up a rotted post last week (in damp Ohio clay) I'm thinking maybe he was wrong. Which method do you trust for long-term stability in wet ground?
For 20 years I always mixed my concrete in a wheelbarrow with a hoe, thought power mixers were just a waste of money. Last month I had to set 12 posts in a rocky patch near Springfield, and after 3 hours my back was done. A buddy let me borrow his gas-powered mixer for the next day, and I got all 6 remaining posts set in under 2 hours. Has anyone else had that moment where you realized you were making things harder than they had to be?
Used to rent one every time because I figured buying one for $300 was dumb for a few jobs a year. After waiting 2 days for the rental place to open and then fighting their dull beat up auger for 3 hours on a 20 post fence line, I caved and bought a decent one off Craigslist for $150. That single rental cost me $80 in fees and I lost half a Saturday. First job with my own auger took 45 minutes. Should have bought one years ago. Anyone else avoid buying certain tools until a bad rental finally pushes you over?
Used to spend all day with a clamshell digger for post holes, especially on rocky ground out near Springfield. Last spring I rented a one-man auger from the local equipment place for $60 and got 8 holes done in under 2 hours. Has anyone else made the switch and found a specific brand that holds up better than others?
My buddy loaned me his skid steer with an auger attachment for a 40-post job last month and I got the whole thing done in 3 hours instead of 2 days, so has anyone else been late to the machine party?
I tried saving money on post brackets for a job in Seattle. Bought the cheap steel ones online. Looked fine at first but after that wet spring they were totally rusted out. Had to tear down 40 feet of fence and redo it. Don't cheap out on hardware in a damp climate. Anyone else learn this the hard way?