c/fence-erectors

Thought those magnetic levelers for posts were a gimmick until I borrowed my buddy's set from Silverado Fence last Tuesday

After setting 12 posts dead straight in half the time it usually takes me, I had to admit I was wrong about them being a waste of money - has anyone else had a tool they swore they'd never use that actually saved their day?

Pro tip: go old school with a post hole digger for rocky ground

I was always team auger for digging post holes, faster and easier. Then I got a job up near Boulder where the ground was full of rocks and the auger kept binding up and stopping. Switched to a manual clamshell digger out of frustration and was surprised how much control I had to work around the rocks. Took me 3 hours to set 8 posts but I didn't hit a single rock that stopped me dead. Has anyone else had better luck with hand tools in tricky soil?

Three days wasted on a gate that sagged because of one bad hinge

Last week I hung a 6 foot gate at a job out near Elm Street. Leveled it perfect, set the posts in concrete, everything looked solid. Third day I come back and the gate is dragging two inches off the ground because I used a cheap hinge from the hardware store. Anyone else had a gate fail from a hinge that looked fine but bent under real weight?

Am I the only one who thinks fence inspections are a joke in new developments?

Drove past a new housing complex outside of Phoenix last week and saw a whole row of vinyl fences already bowing after maybe 3 months. The posts were set in dirt with a handful of gravel, no concrete whatsoever. Has anyone else noticed builders cutting corners like this on fresh installs?

Tried renting a post hole digger from Home Depot in Nashville and it almost ruined my whole fence job

I figured I'd save some cash on a big job I had last month in Nashville, so I rented one of those one-man auger post hole diggers from Home Depot. Got it home, fired it up, and the thing just would not dig straight in that rocky clay soil we got here. I fought with it for like 2 hours on the first hole and it still came out crooked and shallow. Ended up having to call my buddy who owns a bobcat with a hydraulic auger to come bail me out. He had all 12 holes done in under an hour and the difference was night and day. The rental cost me $75 for the day plus the wasted time, and I learned that for anything deeper than 18 inches in this ground, you gotta bring the heavy stuff. Anyone else had luck with those smaller augers or am I just cursed with bad soil?

Chit-chat with an old timer changed how I think about post holes

Had coffee with a guy who's been putting up fences since the 70s. He said dig your holes a foot deeper than spec and add crushed rock for drainage. Never really thought about water pooling around posts rotting them out down the line. Has anyone else tried this on clay-heavy ground like we got here in Ohio?

Worst week I've ever had setting posts in Texas clay

Last August I was working a 400 foot job outside Austin and the ground was so dry and hard I broke 3 auger bits in two days. Then a thunderstorm rolled in and turned the whole site into a mud pit, ruining my concrete mix for 12 post holes. Anybody else ever deal with weather that just fights you every step of the way?

Just realized everyone's setting posts wrong on slopes

I was on a job last week in Greenville and noticed three different crews sinking their line posts straight down on a 15 degree grade. That leaves a huge gap under the bottom rail and the whole fence looks crooked. I watched an old timer show me you gotta step the posts down the slope, keeping the tops level but letting the bottom follow the ground. Has anyone else caught this mistake on their own sites?

Just wasted $150 on tension bands that were the wrong size for the 3/4 inch round rod I ordered from a different supplier

I bought a bunch of 5/8 inch tension bands without checking the specs first cause I assumed they were universal, now I've got a box of useless hardware sitting in my truck anyone else ever mix up rod sizes and end up eating the cost?

I finally found a trick for digging post holes in rocky soil

I was fighting a section of yard near my place in Vermont that's full of shale rock, and after three ruined auger bits I tried soaking the ground overnight with a hose. Has anyone else had luck with water softening or do you just switch to a digging bar?

Switched to auger digging after 8 years of hand digging post holes

I used to hand dig every single post hole for residential jobs around Portland. Last month I finally rented a tracked auger for a 200 foot fence on a slope with clay soil. The difference was insane, I finished the digging part in about 3 hours instead of 2 full days. Has anyone else made the switch and noticed their back not hurting as bad the next morning?

Chain link tension bars beat the heck out of ratchet straps for big gaps

I keep seeing guys on here recommend ratchet straps for pulling chain link tight over long spans, especially on hills. Tried it twice on a job near a creek in Ohio last fall and it was a mess. The strap kept slipping off the rail ends and I wasted an hour resetting it each time. Switched to a proper tension bar with a come-along setup and had that 200 foot run pulled tight in under 15 minutes, no drama. Ratchet straps are fine for small repairs or gates, but for any span over 100 feet you need the tool that actually grabs the fabric right. Anyone else ditch the straps after a bad experience with a slope install?

Client asked me to dig a post hole next to a gas line last Thursday

I told him no way and walked off the job, but he got real mad about it has anyone else run into homeowners trying to talk you into dangerous stuff like that?

Just realized I was digging post holes wrong for 8 years

I always dug straight down with a clamshell digger and wondered why my posts shifted after a few months. Then a guy on a job in Nashville last spring showed me to dig the bottom wider than the top, like a bell shape. Been doing it that way since and no more wobble. Anyone else have a basic thing that took way too long to figure out?

Overheard a homeowner say my string line was crooked from 50 feet away

Dude was a retired carpenter apparently, called it from his deck while I was setting posts for a 200-foot red cedar run last Tuesday. Has anyone else had a stranger spot something before you caught it yourself?

PSA: I accidentally hit 500 fence posts installed this year and it made me realize my joints feel different

I was counting up my jobs from just this spring and summer and came to 512 posts set in the ground, which is way more than my usual 300 or so, and now my left shoulder has been popping on humid mornings like it's trying to tell me something, anyone else notice their body complaining after a certain number of posts?

Tried using my air nailer for a cedar fence rebuild last week

Three days in, the nails kept splitting the wood at every joint. Spent 2 hours pulling out bent nails and patching cracks. Anybody got a trick for keeping cedar from splitting with a coil nailer?

Spent $400 on a self-leveling post hole digger attachment - best and worst money I ever spent

Last spring I bought a hydraulic post hole digger for my skid steer, figured it would save me hours of manual digging on a big pasture fence job in Missouri. First week it worked like a dream, punched through rocky clay in seconds. Then the drive shaft bent on the third day because I hit a hidden stump, cost me $150 in repairs and a whole afternoon waiting for parts. Now I'm torn between saying it was a smart investment or just an expensive headache. Has anyone else had luck with these attachments, or do you stick to the manual two-man digger?

A client's offhand comment about my gate latch changed my whole approach

They said 'It feels cheap, like it'll break if a kid leans on it,' which made me realize I was using the same basic latch on every job. Now I always offer the heavy-duty option from Ameristar, even if it costs fifteen bucks more. Anyone else get specific feedback that made you upgrade a standard part?

Saw a crew in Austin setting posts without checking for a main line first

They were about to dig a post hole right where the gas line runs to the street, and I had to stop them. The homeowner's utility locate sheet was sitting on their truck dash, completely ignored. How many of you actually verify the marks in the ground before your auger touches dirt?

Question about a nightmare post hole in rocky ground

Had a job in Boulder last week where the client wanted a 6-foot privacy fence. The first three posts went in fine, then I hit what felt like solid rock on the fourth hole. Thought it was just a big stone, but after digging down about 18 inches, I realized it was a solid slab of sandstone. Ended up renting a demo hammer from the local rental place to break it up. That single hole took me almost 4 hours to finish when I had budgeted 30 minutes. Has anyone else dealt with a surprise rock shelf like that, and what's your go-to method?

Switched from a 4-inch to a 6-inch auger for post holes in clay soil

I was setting a line of cedar posts in heavy clay near Springfield and the 4-inch bit kept getting stuck, needing constant cleaning. Grabbed a 6-inch auger for the next job and it pulled the material out much cleaner, saving about 15 minutes per hole. The wider cut just seems to keep the clay from packing so tight around the flighting. Anyone else found a better size for tough soils like that?

Just lost a full day's pay on a 'quick' cedar fence job in Boise

I got a call for a 40-foot cedar fence repair, the client said it was just a few loose boards. I gave a flat rate of $400 and didn't do a full site check. Got there and the whole back section was rotted at the base from a hidden sprinkler leak. Had to replace 12 posts and 20 panels, which ate up all my profit and then some. I ended up working for free just to finish the job right. How do you guys handle quotes when a client might not know the full damage?

Just changed my mind about using a regular drill for post holes in rocky ground. What was supposed to be a 2-hour job in my own backyard took me the whole weekend.

Saw a crew in my town set a post in pure sand without a concrete collar

They dug the hole, dropped the post in, and just backfilled with the sand they pulled out. I know that fence is going to wobble like crazy after the first big rain. How do you guys handle sandy soil to keep things solid?