Chose auger over manual post hole digger for a rocky yard in Austin

I had this job with a real rocky patch near the back corner and had to pick between renting a one-man auger or just busting out the manual digger. Went with the auger and it chewed through the first three holes in like 10 minutes flat. Anyone else rent equipment instead of fighting with hand tools on rough ground?

3 comments

3 Comments

samreed17d ago

Ngl an auger is definitely the move for rocky ground, but just a heads up, a one-man auger can still catch a rock and twist your wrist if you're not careful. Tbh the real trick is going slow when you feel resistance and letting the bit do the work.

nancyramirez18d ago

Fighting with a manual digger in a rocky yard sounds like a real good way to hate your life for a whole weekend. I bet that auger made you look like some kind of dirt wizard for those first three holes. Sounds like a solid win if you ask me, just hope you didn't hit a surprise boulder on hole number four.

michael80318d ago

Bought one of those after spending a whole Saturday digging post holes in clay with a shovel and a pickaxe. By the third hole I was ready to just pour concrete over the fence posts and call it good. The auger made me feel like a hero for about two holes until I hit a buried tree root that spun me around like a top. Still better than the manual digger though, I only hated myself for half the weekend instead of the whole thing.