c/fence-erectors

Talked to a city inspector yesterday that totally changed my approach to post holes

He told me that over half the fence failures he sees are from people not digging deep enough past the frost line, even when they think they are. I've been setting my posts at 30 inches for years in this zone, and he said 36 minimum or the frost heave will get you every time. Has anyone else had to adjust their standard depth after getting feedback from an inspector?

I always squared posts with a level until a storm proved me wrong

Been putting up fences for about 15 years now, mostly around here in rural Ohio. For the longest time I'd use my 4-foot level to make sure each post was perfectly plumb, checking both sides before backfilling. Then last spring a big windstorm came through and three sections of a job I did six months earlier were leaning like they were tired. I went back to check and realized the ground had shifted under the posts because I wasn't paying attention to the soil type. Turns out for clay-heavy dirt like we have, you need to dig a wider hole and use gravel at the bottom for drainage, otherwise the posts settle unevenly over time. A oldtimer driving by stopped and pointed out my mistake, said I was leveling to the ground's surface instead of the bedrock below. Now I always test the soil first and adjust my method. Has anyone else run into that issue with clay soil shifting their posts?

Shoutout to the foreman who yelled at me in Nashville for not bracing a gate post right

I was on a job in Nashville about 6 months ago putting up a 6 foot privacy fence around a backyard. We were running behind and I figured I could skip bracing one gate post since it was just gonna have a lightweight wooden gate on it. Foreman came over, saw it, and screamed at me in front of the whole crew calling me a hack and saying I was gonna cost the company money when it sagged in a month. I was pissed at the time but he made me dig it out and redo it with proper gravel pack and concrete. That gate is still straight as an arrow and now I brace every single gate post no matter what. Has anyone else had a boss or lead hand chew them out over something that actually made you better at the trade?

Rant: That one Tuesday where the ground was all rock and my auger bit snapped

I had this job out in Henderson last week, supposed to be a simple 200ft chain link run. Ground was fine the first 50ft, then I hit a buried slab of limestone or something. My auger bit twisted clean in half. Took me 3 hours to dig the rest by hand with a digging bar. Client came out and asked why it was taking so long, like I was just slacking off. Has anyone else had a day where the ground just fought you back and nothing went right?

Warning: Mixing concrete in a wheelbarrow on a hot day will ruin your schedule

I figured I could knock out 8 post holes and set them in 4 hours last July. Ended up taking almost 7 because the concrete started going off in the barrow halfway through the third mix, had to chisel it out with a hammer. Anyone else had that happen on a 90+ degree day?

Drove past that new subdivision outside of Austin and the fences were a mess

Every single panel was crooked and the gate posts weren't even set in concrete... just shoved in the dirt. I pulled over to get a closer look and counted six gaps big enough for a dog to slip through. Has anyone else seen builders cutting corners like this lately?

My trick for digging post holes in rocky soil near Nashville

I was working a job outside Nashville last fall where the ground was full of limestone chunks. After fighting with a standard clamshell digger for an hour, I tried soaking the hole with a hose for 10 minutes before digging. It softened the soil enough to get through without breaking the handle. Anybody else have a go-to method for rocky ground like that?

PSA: Spent 2 years digging post holes with the wrong shovel

I have been using a standard round point shovel for all my post holes since I started fence work back in March of 2021. Last Tuesday an old timer on a job site pointed out I should be using a clamshell digger for the first 2 feet and my back has thanked me ever since. Has anyone else gone years using the wrong tool before someone set you straight?

Old timer told me to dig post holes deeper in clay soil. He was dead right.

Was putting up a 6 foot privacy fence in Louisville last month and hit that heavy red clay. This older guy, maybe 70, walked over and said I needed to go 42 inches deep instead of 36 in this stuff. I grumbled about it but did it anyway. Three weeks later after that big rain, all my neighbors posts shifted except mine. Anyone else run into this with clay?

Snapped a post auger bit on a rocky job site last Wednesday

I was setting posts for a deck fence in Boulder County and hit a buried boulder about 18 inches down, which twisted my bit right off the drive shaft. The whole auger head sheared clean off and I spent 2 hours digging that rock out with a pry bar. Has anyone here had luck drilling pilot holes with a smaller bit before going in with the big auger?

Shoutout to the fence crew at the county fairgrounds in Des Moines last weekend

Just realized how much a good plumb line can save you

I've been putting up chain link fences for about five years now, and I always thought I had a good eye for level. But last month I did a run for a client in Denver where the ground was all uneven and rocky. I kept second-guessing myself and pulling out the plumb line every few posts instead of just eyeballing it. After about 30 feet I noticed the difference in how straight the whole thing looked compared to my usual work. The top rail lined up perfect and the fabric hung tight without any wavy spots. It added maybe 15 minutes to the job but saved me from having to go back and adjust later. Has anyone else found a tool or trick that made this big of a difference in their fence work?

Showerthought: Had to pick between a gas auger and a manual one for a tight backyard job

Went with the manual auger since the homeowner had a narrow gate and I didn't want to drag a 50lb machine through her flower beds. Took twice as long but no damage done, anyone else run into this kind of access call?

The gate hinge that broke at a dog park changed my install method

I was installing a new fence at the Oak Ridge dog park last month and on the third day the gate hinge snapped clean off. It was a cheap stamped steel hinge from a big box store. The park manager told me they had the same hinge break on two other gates in the past year. Now I only use heavy duty welded hinges on any gate that gets constant use like that. Has anyone else run into gates failing faster than the rest of the fence panels?

Had a day last month where every post hole hit ledge rock

Was putting up a 200 foot run of welded wire on a property outside town. First three holes were fine, then every single one after that hit solid ledge about 18 inches down. Spent 6 hours with a digging bar and rented a demo hammer from Home Depot to get through it. Anyone else deal with ledge rock this bad or was I just unlucky?

Wasted $300 on a post hole digger attachment that didn't fit my skid steer

Bought a fancy auger bit for rocky soil and the universal adapter was a quarter inch off, so now I'm stuck renting one from Home Depot again tomorrow, has anyone else dealt with this adapter sizing nightmare?

Hot take: those fancy carbide-tipped auger bits aren't worth the extra cash on rocky ground

Bought a set of Diablo carbide auger bits last week for $65. First hole in some rocky clay out by the Johnson property, the tip snapped right off. My old cheap steel bits from Home Depot would have lasted through that same soil no problem. Learned my lesson - carbide is for clean dirt only. Anyone else had carbide bits fail on rocky jobsites?

Tried a DIY post-hole digger attachment on my skid steer instead of renting an auger

Saved $150 on the rental fee but the damn thing wobbled so bad on the third hole that I bent the mounting bracket and lost half a day fixing it, anyone else had better luck with those add-on units?

Watch out for guys who say you don't need concrete for gate posts

An old fence crew lead told me I could skip concrete on gate posts if I just tamped the dirt hard enough. Took me three tries over two weeks before that 12 foot gate sagged so bad the latch wouldn't catch. Had to dig out a 3 foot deep hole in Austin clay and set it with 80 pounds of Quikrete anyway. Has anyone else had a gate fail because of bad advice like this?

That time I tried those magnetic racking brackets everyone's talking about

I was putting up chain link in some clay-heavy soil outside Austin last month and saw a crew using those magnetic brackets to hold rails while they set posts. Thought it looked gimmicky but watched them line up 50 feet of top rail in maybe 20 minutes without a helper. I borrowed a set for my next job and honestly it saved my back from holding rails up while digging. Has anyone else here used those or found a better trick for solo rail work?

Tried concrete vs. foam footings on a backyard fence job last week

Ngl I've always been a concrete-only guy for setting posts. But a buddy talked me into trying those foam footings on a 40-foot stretch of cedar fence in my cousin's yard. The foam was way faster to set but two posts shifted after a rainstorm three days later. Honestly I'm sticking with concrete for anything over 5 feet tall. Has anyone else had foam footings settle weird after wet weather?

Saw a video last night that changed my mind about using a string line instead of a level for long runs

Watched a guy on YouTube setting a 200 foot commercial fence line with just a string line and a water level, and he got it perfectly straight with no dips, so now I'm ditching the bubble level for any run over 50 feet because it's just too easy to chase a level that's slightly off.

Galvanized vs. black chain link - I made the switch

I always used galvanized chain link for my fence jobs. Figured it was tougher. Then last spring I did a job for a client in Austin who insisted on black vinyl coated. It cost me about $150 more per roll. But man, it looks so much cleaner and clients actually comment on it. Anyone else have a preference between these two?

Showerthought: Why did I never think to pre-drill holes in the post brackets before setting them in concrete?

I used to just set my posts in the wet concrete and then try to screw the brackets on after, fighting with the alignment and stripping screws for hours on a job last summer in Austin. Then an old timer walked over and showed me how he drills the holes and mounts the brackets to the posts before the concrete even touches them, making the whole setup line up perfect and taking maybe 20 minutes off each post. Has anyone else stumbled onto a little change like that that just made everything click?

That old timer on site told me to pre-drill all my post holes, glad I listened

Had a guy named Roy who's been building fences since the 80s tell me to always pre-drill post holes before setting them in rocky soil. I was on a job in West Virginia last August and figured I could skip it to save time. First three posts I tried to drive in came out crooked and took forever to level. After that I went back and pre-drilled all 12 holes, took maybe 20 extra minutes total but everything lined up perfect. Has anyone else had a seasoned guy save them from a headache with some simple advice?