Well today I learned 5 things about post hole augers

[ning]

Do you back fill with dirt or gravel? Every use concrete?

I find that when back filling with concrete and the round posts, I get "good enough" without any tripod to stabilize. "Good enough" is about all you can get with these posts considering they're somewhat irregular and often have a slight bend...

 

[Cougsfan]

Do you back fill with dirt or gravel? Every use concrete?

I use dirt for all wooden fences. (I prefer dowelled fencing for horses, but cows are rough on them without a hot wire). Dirt makes it easier to replace a post if something goes wrong (even pressure treated rots). If I ever had enough sand, that might be better than dirt. Gravel might be better for drainage, but I have never done it because I am concerned the post might start leaning If an animal rubs against it (that is just supposition though). I do have some 6" pressure treated rounds that I use to change direction on a barbed wire fence that I backfilled with concrete to keep the pole from leaning from the pull of the fence.

 

[Raul-02]

If you have rocky ground - SAVE YOUR MONEY. Either opt for a more expensive FEL version, or go rent a skidsteer with an auger.

Wouldn't it be easier to just get a bigger auger? It'll handle the rocks easier.

 

[beowulf]

Maybe I am odd man out on this one.

I needed to run a new chain-link fence and really didn't want to spend days doing it by hand. Off to Tractor Supply! I learned 2 lessons very quickly.

1. Be careful which hole you connect to your toplink. I shattered the rear window out of the tractor on the 1st lift.
2. If you have rocky ground - SAVE YOUR MONEY. Either opt for a more expensive FEL version, or go rent a skidsteer with an auger.

$499 for the auger. A few hundred for the glass. Still dug 90% of the holes by hand.

I have been there. Spent a lot of time hooking it up, getting into position to start, discovering I was not really in position to start, starting, not making progress, exiting the holes, using a pry bar to chip away at the 'too hard' dirt and rocks, trying other locations where the dirt might be easier to dig in, and then abandoning it all and digging my holes by hand.