22d ago

Blew $340 on a gas auger for fence posts and it sat in my truck all summer

That line about the auger sitting in your truck all summer got me. My neighbor read the same thing in one of those farm forums before he bought his, some guy in the Ozarks said the auger just polishes the rock instead of cutting it. Sure enough, he hit the same wall you did, clay and chunks of limestone, and ended up with a digging bar from the co-op anyway. He told me the trick is to loosen with the bar first, then scoop with a post hole shovel, takes maybe twice as long but you keep your back. A buddy of mine swears by a water jug too, soaks the clay overnight and it comes out like butter. That auger might still earn its keep if you ever put in a garden or set deck footings in softer ground.