c/fence-erectors

Update: That time I messed up a gate latch in the rain

I was finishing a cedar fence in Tacoma last fall when a sudden downpour hit. I rushed to install the latch on the main gate, but my wet hands slipped and I mounted it about an inch too high. The homeowner tried it and the gate wouldn't close, just scraped the concrete pad. I had to pull out the drill in the rain, fill the old screw holes with wood putty, and redo the whole thing while getting soaked. Anyone have a better method for marking latch spots in bad weather?

Pro tip: always check for old concrete footings before you start digging new post holes

I was putting up a cedar fence in a 1970s neighborhood and hit a solid chunk of concrete exactly where my first post needed to go. Thought it would be a quick break with the demo hammer, but it was a full 18-inch deep footing from a long-gone chain link. That one hole took me almost 3 hours to clear out. Anyone else run into these old 'surprises' buried just under the grass?

Remember when we used to dig every post hole by hand?

Back when I started with my old crew in 2010, we'd spend the whole first day of a job just digging, maybe 30 holes if we were lucky. My back would be shot by lunch. We switched to a gas-powered auger around 2015, which cut that time in half. Now I use a compact hydraulic drive unit on my truck, and I can set all the posts for a standard 100-foot run before my first coffee break. It's quieter, way less jarring, and I don't feel like I got hit by a train at the end of the day. Anyone else make that switch and find you're taking on bigger jobs just because the setup is so much faster now?

The day I stopped eyeballing post hole depth

For years, I'd just dig until the post felt solid, maybe checking with a tape measure once in a while. Then, on a big cedar fence job in the spring rains last year, I had three posts start to lean within a month. My boss was not happy, and I had to go back and fix them all on my own time. That was the kick I needed. Now, I use a marked digging bar as a depth gauge for every single hole, and I keep a cheap laser level in the truck to double-check before I pour the concrete. It adds maybe five minutes per post, but I haven't had a callback for a leaning fence since. Has anyone else found a simple tool or check that totally fixed a repeat problem like that?

PSA: That $400 auger extension was a total game changer for my rocky ground

I mean, I put it off for years because it felt like a lot for one tool. But last month I had a job out near the old quarry where the ground is just packed with river rock and shale. My regular auger kept bouncing and I was looking at two full days of hand digging for eight post holes. I grabbed the extension from the truck, slapped it on, and it went down like butter. The extra weight and length just powered through stuff that would have stopped me cold before. It cut my time on that site in half, easy. I was home for dinner instead of still out there with a shovel. Anyone else work in super rocky areas and found a piece of gear that made a huge difference?

Overheard a guy at the lumber yard say he always uses a 3-inch nail for the top rail on chain link

He said it sinks in just right and never pulls out, even in high wind. I tried it on a job in Springfield last week and it was way faster than the staples I was using. Anyone else have a go-to fastener trick like that?

Pro tip: Overheard a guy at the supply yard in Boise say he never uses a level on his posts, just 'eyeballs' them.

I saw his truck later that month at a job site with a fence line that looked like a rollercoaster, so what's the fastest way you all check for plumb on a windy day?

Vent: My new apprentice kept snapping gate hinge screws on a cedar fence job.

I had him pre-drill with a bit 1/32 smaller than the screw shank, not the threads, and we haven't broken one since. What's your go-to trick for teaching hinge installation?

Just finished my 100th fence post set by hand this season

I was adding up my invoices last night and realized I've set exactly 100 posts with my manual post hole digger since spring. I know a lot of crews use augers on a skid steer, but I work solo on a lot of tight, older properties in the city where big gear won't fit. My arms were jelly after the first few weeks, but now it feels like nothing. It matters because I was worried about keeping up with the bigger companies, but this proves I can handle the volume they might turn down. The rhythm of it is almost peaceful, you know? You get a feel for the soil and the rocks. Has anyone else stuck with hand digging for certain jobs, or am I just making extra work for myself?

Watched a crew in my town set posts without checking for buried lines first

They just started digging near a property corner, and I know for a fact there's a gas line marked about two feet over from where they were. Has anyone else seen this kind of risky shortcut lately?

Just finished a cedar fence in Portland and the gate latch was off by a full inch.

I was setting the posts on a slope and misjudged the drop, so when I hung the gate it wouldn't close. I had to pull the hinge post, pack the hole with extra gravel, and reset it at the right angle. What's your go-to trick for getting gate posts perfect on uneven ground?

My uncle swore by using a 4-foot level for every post, even on a hill. Tried it on a 30-foot slope in Eugene last month and it saved me hours.

I thought I could fix a broken post hole digger in an hour

The shear pin snapped on my old digger halfway through a 50-post job in Springfield. I figured I'd just pop in a new one and be done. But the pin was rusted in place so bad that no amount of heat or oil would budge it. I ended up having to cut it out with a grinder, which took almost three hours total and wrecked the whole afternoon's schedule. My helper just kept saying, 'I told you we should have brought the spare.' What's the longest a simple fix has ever taken you guys?

My uncle told me to always use a string line for post holes, even on a short run.

I was putting up a 20 foot section of privacy fence in my own backyard and thought I could eyeball it to save ten minutes. The third post was off by almost two inches, and I had to pull it and reset it, which cost me an hour. How many of you still use a string line for every single job, no matter how small?

Heard a guy in Phoenix say he never uses a level on chain link posts anymore

He was telling his buddy that after setting over a thousand posts, he just sights them by eye against a known straight line, like a building edge. Said he saves about 15 minutes per job and his lines are just as true. I tried it on a 50 foot run last Thursday and honestly, it worked fine. Does anyone else skip the level for certain fence types or is that just asking for trouble?

That week in '09 when we put up a cedar fence in a blizzard

Got a call for a big cedar job in Spokane, and the forecast said snow but we started anyway. By day two, we had over a foot on the ground and the post hole digger kept freezing up. My partner, Ray, kept saying 'we're nuts' but we just kept going, using a tarp and a propane heater to thaw the ground a bit for each hole. We finished the whole 150 foot run in four days, hands numb but the line was perfect. Looking back, I don't know if I'd push a crew that hard now, but there was a real pride in beating the weather. Anyone else ever finish a job under conditions that would make you walk away today?

Tried using a manual post driver for a 50-foot cedar run last week, then switched to the gas one.

The gas driver saved me over three hours and my shoulders aren't wrecked. Anyone else find the extra rental cost for power tools is always worth it on longer jobs?

Just watched a crew in my town set posts without tamping the base gravel. They're gonna have a lean in six months.

Unpopular opinion: I think using a string line for straight runs is a waste of time now

For years, I set every single post run with a string line, thinking it was the only way to get a perfect fence. I'd spend an hour just setting up lines and checking them with a level. Then about 2 years ago, I had a huge job putting up 300 feet of vinyl in Austin with a tight deadline. My helper was sick, so I tried just using my laser level to shoot a line on the ground and setting posts to that mark. Not only was it just as straight, I cut my setup time in half. Now I only break out the string for really tricky ground or curved sections. The laser is faster and, for me, just as good. Am I crazy for ditching the old method, or has anyone else made the switch?

TIL the hard way that using a 4-inch auger instead of a 6-inch one for a 20-post cedar fence in wet clay soil saves about 3 hours of backfilling and mixing gravel.

The client wanted it done fast, so I chose the smaller bit and packed each hole with a full bag of Quikrete, which held perfectly and let us finish the whole job in one long day instead of two.

Vent: I thought those laser levels were just a fancy gimmick for fence lines

My buddy kept telling me to try one for setting posts, but I stuck with my string and level for years. Last week, I had a 150-foot run on a slope in Springfield and finally borrowed his. We set all 20 posts in under two hours, and they were perfect. I'm eating my words and buying one this weekend. What's the best model you guys have used for long runs?

Just finished my 500th fence post set in concrete

I was cleaning out the truck and found my old job log from when I started. It hit me that I just set post number 500 last week on a ranch property outside of Bozeman. Back when I began, I was mixing bags by hand and it felt like it took forever to get to 50. Now with a good mixer and a solid crew, the pace is totally different. Anyone else have a number that snuck up on them and made you think about how the work has changed?

What a leaning fence in my neighborhood taught me about soil prep

Last month, a fence down the street from me started to tilt after a big storm. The posts on one side had sunk into the ground, making the whole section lean. I talked to the person who built it, and he explained the problem. He said the soil there is mostly clay, which holds water and gets soft when wet. Because of that, he didn't set the posts deep enough or use enough gravel for drainage. Now, when I put up fences, I always dig a test hole to see what the soil is like. For clay, I go deeper and add more drainage material around the post. It's a simple step, but it can prevent a lot of issues down the line.

A goat decided my fence line was a buffet

I had to get creative with temporary barriers until the owner came to collect his escape artist, who was happily munching on my marking flags.

Switching to a string line for every install, my experience so far

I used to skip the string line often (figured I could eye it, you know). After a bad job where posts were crooked, I made myself use it on every project this season. Now, my fences are straighter and clients stop complaining, which is huge. But setting it up takes extra minutes each time, and my crew grumbles. Has anyone found a way to speed this step up without messing up the line? I'm thinking this habit is worth it, but I'd like your take on balancing speed and quality.