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My husband is recovering from rotator cuff surgery. I need a fence.
I've always been fit and capable, but my body is getting weaker now that I'm middle aged. I will be happy if I can dig one hole per day.
How hard can it be? The soil is clay. I'm sure I'll hit some big rocks, which means I'll have to use a shovel most times to dig a grave to unearth the rock.
Those motorized fence post hole diggers look too frightening to me. Plus I need to dig the holes very close to a retaining wall, the house and the garage.
I'm thinking I'll need to do it with an old fashioned fence post hole digger thingy.
Oh, and I'm in Pittsburgh so there's the frost line issue. The holes will have to be deep.
I think it totally depends on the soil. I have dug fence-post holes in Georgia and in Northern Virginia and would not want to do it again. It was difficult even with a tractor-mounted auger and a lot of help!
Hire someone to do it. There are people who need work, want odd jobs and will do handy work around the house. Ask a few neighbors if they know someone who can do it. Maybe there is a high school or college kid who will do it for the part time work.
Hopes, find a day laborer or look any fence company might give you a deal just for the post digging. I'm certain you can do it, but the risk to your physical health is pretty great. You will be in pain from you neck to your ankles and possibly get a stress injury. I once decided I could do some window caulking on 2nd story windows. I physically was limited for 2 months and the worst part was that we went on a ski trip a few weeks after me doing that task and I had a fall which resulted in a double knee injury ACL/MCL that put me in physical therapy for 9 months along with using crutches. I know I wouldn't have had that injury if I wasn't recovering from the window work at the time of the ski trip...... the impact of this kind of hard work on someone not conditioned to do it can be very far reaching..
I doubt you can find a high school or even college kid that do a competent job unless you hired TWO competitive athletic type kids that would want to "out do" the other. That might be effective.
The other suggestion is tracking the kind of guy that does day labor for landscape crews. Ideally if you find someone who has done this enough to know how to do it right yet not so experienced to charge enough to make it unaffordable.
The soil conditions are not the only factor, but they are a big variable. You will know VERY quickly how effectively you can muscle the manual post hole diggers INTO the soil and then how much of the "fill" yuo can manage to pull up out of the holes. Rocks too big to fit it small scoops of the post hole shovel will really slow down this process. If you end up needing to remove anything even as large as volleyball it could become quick dangerous. If there are boulders or ledge this will not be a DIY project even for an Olympic powerlifter. In such cases an excavating machine is needed. Worst cast you need to use a Jack hammer / rotary hammer and break up the rock in place. Gets expensive...
Can you?
Probably.
Will you want to do as many as you need?
Probably not.
But you'll know, after you've done the first one.
LMAO! Of course! I was just wondering how hard can it be?
Quote:
Originally Posted by waagbuck
I think it totally depends on the soil. I have dug fence-post holes in Georgia and in Northern Virginia and would not want to do it again. It was difficult even with a tractor-mounted auger and a lot of help!
Yikes!
Quote:
Originally Posted by ShaneSA
Hire someone to do it. There are people who need work, want odd jobs and will do handy work around the house. Ask a few neighbors if they know someone who can do it. Maybe there is a high school or college kid who will do it for the part time work.
I wish it were that easy. It's near impossible to get anyone to do odd jobs in my region. The teenagers won't do labor work. They won't even mow lawns around here much less dig holes. There's no uneducated immigrant population whatsoever.
I'm getting quotes from fencing companies, but I really wanted to install this fence ourselves. I'll definitely try to dig one hole and see how it goes, but I suspect I'll hire a fencing company after reading waagbuck's post.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Squirl
Hopes, find a day laborer or look any fence company might give you a deal just for the post digging.
It didn't occur to me that a fence company might only dig holes. Interesting idea.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Squirl
I'm certain you can do it, but the risk to your physical health is pretty great. You will be in pain from you neck to your ankles and possibly get a stress injury....the impact of this kind of hard work on someone not conditioned to do it can be very far reaching..
That's my fear. I just finished physical therapy a few months ago for my shoulder, neck and upper back but that was for more repetativie causes. I thought if I did one hole per day I could avoid damage. I guess it would make sense to do one hole every other day to have that day of rest needed between exercising. If I do it in moderation, I could become conditioned, right? Plus, they say if we don't use our muscles, we'll lose our muscles. I don't want to avoid dong things because that will ultimately make me less able as the years go on.
I doubt you can find a high school or even college kid that do a competent job unless you hired TWO competitive athletic type kids that would want to "out do" the other. That might be effective.
The other suggestion is tracking the kind of guy that does day labor for landscape crews. Ideally if you find someone who has done this enough to know how to do it right yet not so experienced to charge enough to make it unaffordable.
I wish these options were possible in my region.
Quote:
Originally Posted by chet everett
The soil conditions are not the only factor, but they are a big variable. You will know VERY quickly how effectively you can muscle the manual post hole diggers INTO the soil and then how much of the "fill" yuo can manage to pull up out of the holes.
I'm already suspecting that I won't be able to pull much earth at a time. That's why I'm aiming for one hole per day. I'm figuring it might take two hours to do one hole at first. LOL
Quote:
Originally Posted by chet everett
Rocks too big to fit it small scoops of the post hole shovel will really slow down this process. If you end up needing to remove anything even as large as volleyball it could become quick dangerous.
I can't say the large rocks are bigger than volleyballs. More like the size of a dinner plate but varying in thickness up to 8" thick. The reality is that even a little rock will cause me to dig a huge hole to get it out.
Quote:
Originally Posted by chet everett
If there are boulders or ledge this will not be a DIY project even for an Olympic powerlifter. In such cases an excavating machine is needed. Worst cast you need to use a Jack hammer / rotary hammer and break up the rock in place. Gets expensive...
Thank goodness there are no boulders here. My doggies need a fence.
Physics works against you when digger a bigger hole to get a rock "up" from where it is buried. All that dirt will have to stacked someplace and put back in the hole. Guys that install fences for living tend to focus more on busting up the rocks where they lie -- the effort of smashing / drilling the rocks means less fill to put back in the hole.
If you have had repetitive strain injuries it would be foolish to attempt to do this your self. If you are injured who will take care of you AND your pets? Getting a care giver to do BOTH would offset any savings from hiring this job out...
If you have had repetitive strain injuries it would be foolish to attempt to do this your self.
My repetative injury was from the computer! Apparently CD is more dangerous than post hole digging!
Quote:
Originally Posted by chet everett
If you are injured who will take care of you AND your pets? Getting a care giver to do BOTH would offset any savings from hiring this job out...
Caregiver? I'm not an old lady! I have a family! Husband! Teenage children!
As I said, I'm fit. I'm not overweight. I'm just starting to age a bit. I'm an avid gardener. I dig in my garden all the time.
But a post hole digger is different from a shovel. I can put my entire body weight into a shovel.
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Plus, they say if we don't use our muscles, we'll lose our muscles. I don't want to avoid dong things because that will ultimately make me less able as the years go on.
