# Auger recommendations



## cbobgo (Jul 5, 2013)

I'm a brand new "hobby farmer" and I have about 1500 feet of field fencing to put in.  I'm planning on using 4X4s and T posts.  The area is all downslope, some of it fairly steep. 

I dug one hole with a manual post hole digger, and thought to myself that I did not want to do that 500 more times.  So I'm thinking about getting an auger or renting one.  I have heard some horror stories of people getting their arms broken when a hand-held auger got hung up and swung around.  But I don't have a tractor, and taking a tractor down some of these hills could be problematic (I have no tractor driving experience other than a riding lawnmower LOL)

So . . . anyone have recommendations on auger options?

- bob


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## bubba1358 (Jul 5, 2013)

I live on very rocky land here in middle TN., and it's the rocks you want to watch out for. They cause the blade to stop, and the spinning action transfers the force from the blade to the handles. The danger here is too great, so I got a Seymour Au-a2 Adjustable Post Auger. Love it. Yes, it's hard work, but it's a LOT less work the the stab-and-pull post hole diggers, and safer than the motorized ones. It's a heavy tool, and the inertia does a lot of the work for you once you get going.


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## SheepGirl (Jul 6, 2013)

Why are you using 4x4s? Is it cheaper than using actual 4" fence posts?

But when we put in our fence, we didn't use a tractor with a post pounder attached. We used my mom's Expedition. You can see photos here http://www.backyardherds.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=265047#p265047

I'm not sure what kind of post pounder we used, but it was one available from a local equipment rental company. We got it for like $200 for the weekend.


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## Briard'nSheep (Jul 6, 2013)

nice fence sheepgirl! We are still working on our 5 foot perimeter fence. 

Bob, we had to purchase a hand held gas auger as our property line goes through thick forest and swamp in another area. There is no way we could have brought in anything else through those spots without cutting down trees.

My husband purchased ours from ebay. It works quite well until you hit rocks or large roots. We placed our posts 12 feet apart and have a 4 acre property and ended up hand digging 5 posts total. Our ground is mainly sand and clay. 
It did get stuck on some larger roots through the forest part of the property where it slipped my husbands handS and hit his knees. He did have bruises on his knees after that. When working with tools like that, remember it's a power tool, it can hurt you, so work at a safe distance. 

Other then that, we like our auger, it's light weight and you can pretty much take it anywhere. The sticker on it says "Earthauger 71 cc", i'll ask my husband for more specs on it when he gets home.


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## cbobgo (Jul 6, 2013)

Thanks everyone for the input.

Sheep girl, the peeler poles are $7 more than the 4X4s here.

Bubba I had not seen that manual auger before.  If I didnt have so many to do, I may have gone with that.

I did end up getting a gas powered single person hand held auger today.  I had found a larger one that tows behind a truck on craigslist, for a really good price,  but never heard back from the guy.  So we'll see how that handheld works.  

- bob


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## cbobgo (Jul 7, 2013)

Well, this is the auger I got http://www.homedepot.com/p/Powermate-8-in-43-cc-Earth-Auger-Powerhead-PEA438/202532639#.UdkB7VNQ0oI

It was not up to the task.  

The engine seemed to have enough power, but once the drill started biting in, it would slow down.  But it didnt feel like the engine was slowing down, but more like there was a clutch or something along those lines that backed off when it sensed the torque rising, as a safety feature, I suppose.  Well, it's so safe it doesnt get the job done.  And the ground isn't even that hard and rocky.

I suspect its not defective, that's just the way they are made so no one gets hurt and sues them.  But I am going to have to take it back, as it is not doing the job.

So, now I have to decide if I buy the more powerful 2-person model, or rent the heavier duty one like this: http://www.atoolshed.com/equipment.asp?action=category&category=59&key=1020

- bob


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## cbobgo (Jul 10, 2013)

Auger update . . . 

We called the manufacturer about the prob w/ the auger.  Their first suggestion was our oil/gas mix was incorrect, which we assured them it wasn't, as we mixed as directed with the bottle that came with it.  the next suggestion was that the soil was too hard.  But it wasn't too hard to dig by hand, and if the auger can't even do what hand digging can do, that's not saying much.

We felt like it was a clutch issue, so took it back today and exchanged it for another one, same model.  Good news - the new one is working fine.  We are digging holes and getting the job done!

- bob


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## greybeard (Jul 13, 2013)

Just be carefull with it. The problem with those is if they hit a root. The spiral  edges of the auger try to push the root "up" but cannot, so the torgue is transmitted back up to the operator. (I've seen tractors stood up on their back ends with the radiator pointed skyward from the same event happening)

In the last couple of years, I built a 2300' fence, a 1400' fence, and more recently, a 600' fence--dug every hole by hand and drove every tee post by hand. I'm 63 yrs young, but have done this my whole life.  When I put a fence up, it's to stay the rest of my life. I keep Charolais and Beefmaster cattle.  Here's the most recent 600' fence:





How I do the gate suports:





A  different one:





Part of the 2300' fence:





Here's what I use to dig the holes for the cross ties and the sawed up telephone poles:


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## cbobgo (Jul 18, 2013)

Just another update.  So far so good, digging a lot of holes and no incidents with the auger.  For a bottom end Home Depot model, it really seems to be working well.

- bob


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