Digging Post Holes in Rocks & Poor Soil
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- čas přidán 1. 09. 2019
- Building a horse fence in rocky terrain and poor soil. In this video I go over the different methods we have tried, what worked, and what didn't. For this video we are building a section of paddock fencing for the horses using 6/7 inch diameter 8 foot wood posts. This requires us to dig 2 foot post holes through rock and poor soil. We will post a separate video on building the actual fence.
Finally, someone that has to deal with what I have to. I've seen all those videos of people digging in beautiful top soil saying how easy it is... I went through pretty much the same process from the shovel to the jack hammer😂😂
I came to the same conclusion about the jackhammer in very much the same way that you did. I have exactly the same model and exact same bits. I have an assistant too, and he's just as useful.
great information! I've been dealing with hard pan hardened aggregate and rocks up to foot or two, just for residential chain link. Wish I had a jackhammer this project, in retrospect!
Can't believe how much work you put into digging those holes out. This was inspirational for me as the stones I have to put up with are far easier to deal with than what you had to put up with
You clearly prepared for this video and it makes it very helpful. Thank you
After many a post hole dug this year, and a 300' X 36" deep trench, I found that my Kentucky experience has mirrored your own, as well as the progression, starting with the spade, the long 18 lb. chisel bar, the 9" post hole auger (only mine was mounted on my tractor), and then the electric jack hammer. I don't have the 4" spade bit, but was considering it. My rock challenge was a great deal of 10" thick limestone, buried about 3-6 inches below the surface of the ground, usually 4 feet long in size. Since it was a trench, I had to just cut through the entire length of the stone. If it wasn't stone it was clay and somewhat hard at times to pull the chisel of the jackhammer out of the clay/rock combination. So with all that said, I can attest that your advice is good advice. Well done.
Yep, I had to go through the exact same process of persuasion.
I'm in the foothills of the sierras and have bought all the same tools you have. 😂 Our terrain is very similar, but I think you have more rock. After spending a weekend per hole, I ended up with a jack hammer and it was a life saver. The trouble I found is that I can't get more than 3 feet for my h-braces (hoping for 4). There are definitely loads of videos of fence building in much friendlier soil. I appreciate you taking the time to share your solutions! I found too with the wrecking bar, that if you hit smaller rocks and the soil isn't too dry, you can rock it side to side and bore a pretty decent t-post hole. Good luck with all of your ranch projects!
I found getting 36" deep is a real chore for the same reasons. 32" is much easier. I don't think that I would trust 24" much but it appears to be working.
A video I have been searching for. I have similar terrain and I was considering my options. Thanks for sharing this! Greetings from Poland.
Thanks for the video.I'm dealing with nothing but rocks and boulders.It's unbelievable how rocky the soil is around here.Thanks again.
Great Video - thank you for sharing!!!
I appreciate the information, this will help!
Thanks for this video. You saved me a ton of trouble
This has SO much awesome info. Thanks!
Thank you for the helpful video! I have very rocky soil and many of those rocks are quite big, 10 inch diameter is common. So digging post holes is a nightmare. I have been using a big wrecking bar and post hole digger and it works but so much work. I think a jack hammer is the way to go. Looking forward to trying it out next week. Thanks again.
I don't live on a farm. I will likely never have a reason to dig a fence post hole. That said, I want to be just like you when I grow up. Self-sufficient, capable, hard working. Our world could use more "you" these days. Great video.
What's stopping you?
@ObamaoZedong he said "when I grow up" so I'm guessing age? Idk
Top class and many thanks for posting this. I’ve scoured the internet trying to find something helpful and your video is the only one that fits the bill perfectly. Much appreciated
hi Andrew, happy to help, we were in a similar situation for years. I built the first 400ft with a wrecking bar and it was terrible. The jackhammer was around $300 but sure was worth it.
Goosewilly Farm i can’t imagine how on earth you did this! I live just outside Ottawa, just like you, I dig down an inch or so and I think I’m hitting the Canadian Shield! Just putting a pole in for a washing line had me at my wits end. 400 ft!!! Oh my goodness. After seeing your video, I’ll get all my fencing in now. Best wishes and I hope you and your family stay safe and well during these difficult times.
THANK YOU! This is Awesome - I live on a rocky hill - near 'Round Rock' TX, and it's a shovel down, hit rock 2 inches. I need a fence on my back 2 lots. Not sure what I am going to see up there, but down near the house, rock at 2 inches. THANK YOU and Murphy you did a great job in advising!
I had that same hamer, always worked great, Demo lots of concrete.
Great idea, Thank you!
Big, big help! Thanks.
Finally someone who gets my terrain. No iron ore, though 😬. Respect!
Thanks for sharing this. I have rocky soil on my property and want to put in some fencing to keep my pup in and the deer out - pretty as they are. Haven't gotten too far with this project after making a couple of attempts and just kept hitting rock. Was trying to determine how to go about this and hoping to find a diy solution vs spending a lot of money on a fencing company to deal with it. This sounds like my solution.
I am late to this video, but what a godsend. I don't even have that upper bit of soil but your solution will probably work for me. We have this layered rock, that easily comes off if you can get a bar into the side (which isn't possible). It sits on top of the ground, it's wild and doing something like a fence takes weeks. I think the investment made into a hammer like that is worth it. Going to see if I can hire one and give it a test.Thanks for this!
Thank you! We are in Maine and we have a lot of ledge.
We're on the Blue Ridge Mountain rock shelf in Northern Virginia, and a jack hammer may be just what we need!!!! Going to rent one this week for the post holes behind the house. THANKS!
hi Carla - how'd it go?
@@goosewillyfarm4274 The initial fencing is in... the garden is secured and we've planted 6 apple trees, with more trees to follow.
Great video. No matter where you are in the world, when the largest rock comes in the middle of your hole this can be a great answer. Just make sure its a rock and not a utility or pipe.
What a great video, greeting from Ireland.
Thanks, Sean!
Very helpful video thank u
If you are pulverizing the rocks in the hole, you can use a shop vac to suck it out.
Thank you.
Thank you for this video. We only have a small project but we have lots of big rocks on our property. I didn't think the auger would do the trick so we will now rent the jack hammer. Looks like we will also need the post hole digger to remove what is broken up. Great advice...
Thanks for sharing. I’m about to go rent a jack hammer for the same reason. I bought a Makita rotary hammer drill. Waiting on the bit to come in. I’m hoping that will make a big enough pilot hole to drive my tposts.
Hi, thank you for this. I have similar land and issues with getting post in. Been trying to use the earth auger, and they are great until you hit rock or big tree roots then it takes forever. I woke up the other morning thinking that’s it... get à concrete drill. I hope to find a petrol driven one of they make them. Good work. Little by little 👍
Good luck, Julia, let us know how it works out!
I would also recommend using a rotary hammer with a spade bit. It works very well on clay with softball sized rocks. Cause it vibrates it between them and then you just pry back and it pops them up. It is much lighter than a jackhammer. I own both and prefer the rotary hammer in all but the most rocky of soils.
Sir,
I think you are right. I did it his way 4 months ago. I later saw some one with your exakt rekommendation.
I was on the fence about buying a demo hammer and a heavy roto hammer. Still haven't bought anything tho. Just saying. You are probably right.
Thanks.
Thank you. I've been looking for these answers. I guess, I'm buying a jack hammer.
As a long time fence pro, been there, done that.
I am very grateful to you for this video. I was about to purchase an auger (like yours). I had not even considered a jack hammer, which will do the job for the fencing and also some upcoming work in my cellar.
Thank you very much
I have a similar problem. I'm working on shaped charges.
you need a BELLTEC post hole digger, it will dig solid rock and concrete with rebar 2" to 18" dia. and goes right on tractor 3 point it is frame guided drills straight 9" hole in solid limestone rock 3 foot deep 10 minutes it's on youtube check it out
Ironically; watching from Kansas but my place is not flat nor beautiful 6 inches of top soil. I viewed even beyond your dig (pun intended) and do appreciate the advice. I think I will rent a jack hammer to try on my limestone hill prior to purchasing and I do appreciate the advice.
Ok, we got about 10-3ft holes, each one taking 5 hours with a pry bar, auger, post hole digger and sludgehammer, we need about 14 more holes. I think I got a partial tear in the rotator already. I will look into renting one. Thank you
Great video!! I'd love to know your opinion about getting thru limestone. Thanks much.
I had thought about using the breaker, but I was unsure if it would work. Glad you shared your experience. I am from the semiarid region of Brazil, soils are shallow, from 1.31 feet it is impractical to drill with simple diggers. What is the power of the generator to operate this makita breaker? I intend to buy a breaker.
My goodness. That 70lb electric Makita jack hammer is now $1,800!
Jack hammer and 16 gallon wet/dry vac to suck out the debris. Works like a charm!
One thought I have is to drill a 1 inch hole down your 2 to 3 feet, put in a plug of say 3 inches of gel ignite with a detonator, fill the remainder of the hole with Anfo, (diesel and Ammonium Nitrate mixed 6:94 by weight) don’t tamp or plug the hole, fire it, I reckon it will “burn” a hole. Btw, where ever possible, I used compressed air in preference to electricity, after the compressor is bought, the “tools” are cheap as compared to power tools AND you can make up your own specialised tools easily and safely. Good call on the dust, always use water to damp down an dust.
Find a CZcams by Geoff Lawton, in which he talks about using s specific tractor in rough country, with an Auger attached, for punching through rock with a special bit, but it was expensive
"The Jesus of fence building".. lol
I envy you, I am in NH and in the process of digging 48" holes. Hitting rocks at 44" with a 5' rock bar is no fun
Yes, I live in a place where there is no topsoil just rock and shale
Mate, my place looks just yours. I have all those tools except the jack hammer. Iron & clay everywhere . The Auger on the tractor ,just jumps up .Very frustrating .I have a 9kw geny ,I have to make my posts 8' high.Because the Kangaroo hop over anything under that .Eating everything in sight. No matter what i decide it's still going big bucks. But thanks for the info & your struggles.
I got the jackhammer and tips keep getting broken. So my next is rotohammer and 2inch diablo bit for t port
Ha! You must love someone a whole lot for all that!
great info, thanks for sharing. Do you think you could use this for a rocky mountain terrain?
Hi, I can only speak for our soil, which was softer greenstone, but unless you are hitting something like an iron deposit, I don't see why it wouldn't work. Best of luck!
The problem I'm having down here, in Louisiana, is my grass is growing into my flower bed like crazy. It choked out a couple of my Azalea bushes. I can't separate my flower bed from my grass, because of all the rocky clay and chunks of concrete underneath both. I would like to put metal edging around my flower bed, but I can't even get a shovel down and inch, so the edging is a no go..I need a jack hammer!!
Looks like my place in Lake County CA North of the Napa valley. Same soils, same boulders, same plants. All the wood posts burned during the 2015 wildfire, why use wood vs metal posts? Neighbor lost his house (well everyone did) but his metal posts all survived. While my fence was still good but all 8 foot wood posts burned right into the ground. $8000 to put in new posts (480 feet) and out up the fence again. Is metal T-bar the same but smaller hole in boulder soils?
How long does it take to drill a hole in the ground with the crusher or breaker?
Thank you for this video! Based on it, a jackhammer is more helpful than an earth auger. Is it the right message? I am going to get a jackhammer instead of an earth auger if I need to put on a fence.
Hi - depends on your situation. If I had access to the fence line, a specific fence line laid out, and easy access to a tractor with a rock bit, I would have gone that route. But budget, accessibility, and the pure size of the project (we had to fence in the entire property from scratch so it was/is a long term project) made the jackhammer make the most sense for me.
I live with your exact rocky property, in NW Washington state. Thank you for this info! I asked locals about using a jackhammer & they laughed at me saying that idea was ridiculous. Can a 56 yr old widow handle the hammer? I need to fence in my chicken yard because we're predator-heavy: bear, wolf, cougar, coyote...What about for my garden? Could I just use concrete deck blocks & 4×4's?
Hi - be very carful with a jackhammer, this is something you may want to hire out as to not hurt your back. For our coup we only went down 10-12" since the the run was attached the coup and solid. I then just had buried hardware cloth down six inches and filled that trench with a few bags of cement.
Greetings...I have a similar problem, but I'm attempting to plant four 12' 4x4 post 3' into the ground; however, I hit solid rock at about 20 inches. Are there longer bits for a jack hammer so I can break the rock up that is deeper in the ground?
If you can find one of these jack hammers to rent, do that, typically can rent them for $30 a day.
It's recommended to dig your post holes to 1/3 of the overall post length.
How long are your jack hammer bits? 20”?
Tried the auger too. Just about ripped my arms out of the sockets and didn't even loosen the rocks. Complete waste of money.
How do you grow any grass?
Damn, I got tired just watching you work.. LOL
What is the generator power?
Hey big daddy. Will this cut through bamboo roots?
The LAST step of your fencing is to RUN A HOT WIRE on the inside of all your fencing about 2 feet out to keep the horses from scratching their BIG ASSES on your new fence ! Otherwise , they'll simply push your fence over at a 45 degree angle and fart in your face !
What size of jack hammer did you use?
Makita HM1307CB 35 lb. Demolition Hammer
What size of jackhammer? 40lb? Model?
Makita HM1307CB 35 lb. Demolition Hammer
You can get a skid steer in that terrain no problem, especially if your running tracks. I know this from experience, you would be better off getting someone to help for the couple days and renting a danusen hammer or Montana driver for a skid steer mast and you can run around the rocks as you drive them in. As l9ng as your not running them into a legit boulder.
Just put concrete 3/4 down, put 6-8 inches of dirt towards the top....
If you can tear apart your “rock” with your hands, that’s not rock. Try digging post holes in New Hampshire, (the Granite state, ha).
Why would you burn out the jack hammer motor by running an extension cord?
If the extension cord is too long, it cannot carry the electrical load that the motor needs and everything heats up, potentially damaging the motor. Better to use a big generator closer to the site.
Dude, ur dirt sucks. Same soil on my place. Im buying a jackhammer! Thanks u sir
Ya that’s not an auger man I love on a mountain ranch and got a 50 hp auger on a bobcat with a rock bit you worked way too hard dude ya could have rented that bobcat for half the money ya spent and did all ur holes in one day buddy but hey work harder not smarter right
Yea, it actually is an auger...they don't just come on tractors. I appreciate your take, but is incorrect on multiple levels. Renting a bobcat with a ripper every time I want to dig fence post holes isn't in the same galaxy, cost wise, as spending a few hundred dollars on a jackhammer that I can use as/when needed. secondly, about half of the holes I dug could not safely be accessed by a bobcat. Thirdly, we are constantly adding fencing, replacing fencing etc and it is quite frankly a waste of money to rent a tractor every time i want hole dug when I am more capable of digging it myself, as outlined in the video.
This is a money vs labor equation. if you've got the money and can dig all the holes at one time, rent the bobcat with the big auger and be done with it. If you are on a tight budget and have lots of time and muscles, rent a jack hammer and dig a few at a time. Either way it will get done.
So I have been looking for a solution to the same exact problem. I live in a town call Sand Rock. Most of the rock is softer sand rock but there are some solid rock. I'm am looking at doing about a mile of fencing on my new farm, I have about decided to either buy or rent a jackhammer. This just help me make that decision. Not looking forward to it, but its got to be done. And there is not much information or videos on this rocky ground problem. Thanks