Posthole Digger Posthole Conundrum

E/S · Jun 25, 2010

Dug a whole bunch of really nice 9" x 4' holes for the llama corral today.

Problem is they have to be a full 4' deep and a regular hand porthole digger will not close enough to hold the dry loose dirt.

The wife is threatening to getting my shop vac and have me string 500' of extension cord.

Any ideas on how to save my shop vac and get me out of just saying "Yes Dear " for the next few days ?

kebo · Jun 25, 2010

Make a "dipper" with a large rounded cup on the end attached to a five foot handle. Would that work? Or maybe build it more like the long handled sand scoops (without the perforataed holes for sand to sift through) that metal detectorists use at the beach?? Yeah, it would still take a while to clean out all those holes but unless someone has a better idea????

rekees4300 · Jun 25, 2010

pour some water in the holes to make sticky mud and/or get an auger type digger

MtnViewRanch · Jun 25, 2010

Actually, using the shop vac would work very good as long as all that is at the bottom of the hole is powder. It will take much longer if you have stones much over an inch. Other than dragging out that much cord, the vac would be the easiest way to go in my opinion. I have used ours many times to clean around concrete (rough edges and all) before pouring new concrete against the old.

smstonypoint · Jun 25, 2010

E/S said:
The wife is threatening to getting my shop vac and have me string 500' of extension cord.

Any ideas on how to save my shop vac and get me out of just saying "Yes Dear " for the next few days ?

What gauge cord? You could burn up the vac motor with lighter gauge.

Steve

MtnViewRanch · Jun 25, 2010

smstonypoint said:
What gauge cord? You could burn up the vac motor with lighter gauge.

Steve

10 gauge most likely. If it were me, I would use my generator though, I don't have but 400' of 10 gauge, or are they 8 gauge, now I'm not sure.

zzvyb6 · Jun 25, 2010

Dig 'em 5' deep. The key to emptying a hole of the dirt is to stop the auger while its fully in the hole and carefully lifting it out. Add some water if the soli is very fine or sandy.

Bear Foot Farm · Jun 25, 2010

You just have to make them bigger around at the top so you can open the handles

E/S · Jun 26, 2010

Thanks for all the replies, I think I will dig out the generator and try the shop vac.

If it works, the wife was right and I win !
If it doesn't work, I tried her way and I still win ( I hope ).

E/S

CurlyDave · Jun 26, 2010

I still have one of those folding shovels, that used to be called an "entrenching tool" by the army.

When I had to dig some 5' holes, I took the wooden handle off and substituted a longer one. The shovel blade can be locked in a position 90 degrees to the handle, and this will scoop your dirt out.

I think a generator and shop vac is a better way to go.

Duffster · Jun 26, 2010

Why do the holes have to be so exact?

JoeinTX · Jun 26, 2010

Oh, Dear God......

This is what post hole diggers are for. Put your you PHD to work, sweat a little, and make the holes work. Do all you can with the portable rig and finish out with the PHDs. Simple. No need to flip around with the shop vac. Just dig some holes.

Ya know, people use to dig all of their post holes with those things and they didn't have a web site to come to and complain about it....? They didn't have powered augers or tractors or anything like that. They just got sweaty and dug them.

Capiche?

newbury · Jun 26, 2010

E/S said:
Dug a whole bunch of really nice 9" x 4' holes for the llama corral today.

Problem is they have to be a full 4' deep and a regular hand porthole digger will not close enough to hold the dry loose dirt.

The wife is threatening to getting my shop vac and have me string 500' of extension cord.

Any ideas on how to save my shop vac and get me out of just saying "Yes Dear " for the next few days ?

You haven't said WHY the holes HAVE to be 4' deep other than SWMBO is involved.

If it's to get the top of a wooden 12' post down to 8' I'd put all the posts in, come back with a chain saw and level them off.

Egon · Jun 26, 2010

Backhoe!:thumbsup:

Drill rig!:thumbsup:

Use a different type of post hole digger that does not require the handles to have a scissors action.

Water flush/jet!

TO_Bud · Jun 26, 2010

I've always wondered why the PHD manufacturers didn't make the augers longer, even with the manufacturers adapter you only get barely 42 inches out of the bit. I took some schd 80 steel pipe of the correct ID to slip over the auger. I then slipped another smaller OD pipe inside the sleeve (same OD as the auger) and welded her up. Just make sure you don't make it so long that it has a bad angle on the PHD drive when lifting out of the hole. Low rpm best when extracting. Good luck.

Bud

MtnViewRanch · Jun 26, 2010

E/S said:
Thanks for all the replies, I think I will dig out the generator and try the shop vac.

If it works, the wife was right and I win !
If it doesn't work, I tried her way and I still win ( I hope ).

E/S

A win win situation. :thumbsup: Whatever the reason is that the holes must be 4 foot and clean, I sure hope that this works for you.

Good luck

E/S · Jun 26, 2010

Duffster said:
Why do the holes have to be so exact?

High Tension 12.5 GA. smooth wire fencing puts a lot of stress on the corners / ends. If you don't plant the posts at least 4' deep they will lift out. I know this for a fact because I am redoing the corners I did on 40 acres that we installed 12 years ago.

E/S

E/S · Jun 26, 2010

JoeinTX said:
Oh, Dear God......

This is what post hole diggers are for. Put your you PHD to work, sweat a little, and make the holes work. Do all you can with the portable rig and finish out with the PHDs. Simple. No need to flip around with the shop vac. Just dig some holes.

Ya know, people use to dig all of their post holes with those things and they didn't have a web site to come to and complain about it....? They didn't have powered augers or tractors or anything like that. They just got sweaty and dug them.

Capiche?

If you didn't live so far away I would bring the wife over so YOU could explain to her why we spent so much money on equipment and still have to clean out the holes !

E/S

CharlieS · Jun 26, 2010

E/S said:
High Tension 12.5 GA. smooth wire fencing puts a lot of stress on the corners / ends. If you don't plant the posts at least 4' deep they will lift out. I know this for a fact because I am redoing the corners I did on 40 acres that we installed 12 years ago.
E/S

Any fence wire stretched tight puts stress on corner posts, That being said depending on soil conditions, i disagree that posts NEED to be set at 4'. Done right a 3' deep hole will hold a post solid.
If you want to see wire tension, try fencing a full section at a time.:confused2:
The trick to setting a solid corner post is the proper diameter post and hole, the proper fill and proper bracing.
For posts larger than 3" a 9 inch hole is actually a little small. a 4" post for example in a 9" hole only allows for 2 1/2" of fill around the post.
It takes mass around the post for proper support.
A 12" hole gravel packed 1/2 to 2/3 full and dry packed with sackrete, then water soaked will give that mass to hold the post in the ground. Do this to your corner and brace posts, and X brace with a top rail and posts wont move.