c/fence-erectors

That fence line I did in 2016 vs the one I redid last month... wow

So I put up a cedar privacy fence for a client back in 2016 over in Maplewood... used those cheap steel posts from the big box store. Last month they called me back because the whole thing was leaning bad after some storms. I ripped it all out and replaced the posts with galvanized schedule 40 pipe I got from a local metal supply place for about $4 more per post. The difference is night and day. The old posts had rusted through at the ground line and the rot had spread up the cedar panels. New ones are set in concrete with gravel drainage and the whole line is rock solid. I even used the same stain color to match their garden. Has anyone else switched away from those standard fence posts to something heavier?

Trenched 30 feet last week and noticed everyone skipping the tamp step

I was helping a buddy on a job near Boise and three different crews had their posts set without tamping the gravel back in. The dirt settles after one rain and your gate sags before the season's out. How are you getting away with not tamping every 6 inches?

Hit 500 fence posts set in a single day last Thursday and my body is wrecked

Been doing this for about 6 years now, mostly residential stuff around Phoenix. Had a big job with a tight deadline so my crew and I pushed hard. We set 500 posts in one day using a PTO auger and a lot of sweat. That's almost double my normal rate. My back is killing me and my hands are raw but it felt good to prove we could do it. Anybody else ever hit a crazy milestone like that and pay for it the next day?

A homeowner in Portland taught me more about gate sag than any YouTube video

I used to always just slap a T-hinge on wooden gates and call it done. Then a customer in Portland had me come back three times because his 6-foot gate kept dragging. He showed me how the weight pulls the hinge screws loose over time, and he wanted me to use a specific brand of strap hinge with a longer screw pattern. Now I never install a wooden gate without those longer strap hinges and a diagonal brace, and I haven't had a callback since. Anyone else have a customer teach them a better way to do something?

Talked to a 30 year veteran about post hole digging yesterday

Honestly I never thought much about how I dig holes, just get it done. But this old timer at the supply yard said I’m killing my back by not letting the auger do the work. He showed me a trick with a little water to soften rocky clay before starting. Ngl, it hit different hearing it from someone who’s done thousands of fences. Anyone else pick up a random tip from a stranger that changed how you work?

Old timer showed me why I was digging post holes wrong for 5 years

I was on a job out in Tupelo last spring and this retired fence guy walked over from next door. He watched me for maybe 2 minutes then just shook his head. Said I was fighting the ground instead of reading it. He showed me how to angle the shovel based on where the roots were sitting, not just dig straight down like I always did. Took me 3 tries but I got the hole done in half the time. Has anyone else run into random advice on a job site that totally flipped your method?

Spent $600 on a power auger and it was worth every penny last month

I fought with hand diggers for years on rocky ground around here. Finally bit the bullet on a used Little Beaver and ran 30 post holes in one morning that would have taken me three days. The rental cost alone would have covered half of it. Has anyone else made the switch and never looked back?

Had a cedar post snap clean in half on a job in Bend last Thursday

Was setting a 6-foot privacy section and the 4x4 just gave way about a foot from the base. We were using a standard post pounder, nothing crazy. Had to dig out the whole thing and reset with a new post, which set us back almost two hours. Anyone have a good trick for checking cedar for hidden splits before you set it?

Just finished a job in Phoenix where we swapped from 4x4 posts to 6x6 for a 100-foot run

The difference in stability after that first monsoon season was huge, no wobble at all. Anyone else in a windy area find the extra cost for beefier posts is worth it?

Started using a cheap laser level for post lines and it cut my setup time in half

I was doing a long cedar fence job last month in Springfield, and my helper was out sick. I grabbed a $40 laser level from the truck just to try and keep the post line straight by myself. Before, I'd be running string lines and checking with a 4-foot level, which took forever. With the laser, I had all 30 posts lined up and plumb in under two hours. Has anyone found a better brand that holds up in direct sun?

Finally got my post hole digger method down after a year of fighting it

When I first started, I used to just slam the digger into the ground and muscle it out. My shoulders were shot by lunch, and I'd hit rocks that felt like concrete. About six months ago, on a job in the hot Atlanta sun, I watched an old timer. He'd twist the handles a quarter turn before pulling up, every single time. I tried it, and it was like magic. That little twist breaks the suction and lets the dirt fall out clean. Now I can do a 3-foot hole in half the time, and my body doesn't hate me at the end of the day. It's such a simple thing, but it changed everything for me. Anyone else have a tiny trick that saved their back?

A job in Boulder taught me to always check the frost line first

We were setting posts for a cedar fence on a slope there last fall, and the ground seemed solid. The client wanted a 6-foot fence, so we went with our usual 3-foot deep holes. By spring, half the posts had heaved almost 4 inches out of the ground from frost. The local inspector told me Boulder's frost line is 36 inches, not 24. Now I call the city building department for the code before I even give a quote. Has anyone else had a frost line surprise in a new area?

I finally listened to an old timer about setting posts in clay

About a year ago, I was putting up a fence in a wet part of Seattle and an older guy from a crew down the street walked over. He said, 'Son, you're digging those holes too neat. In this gumbo, you gotta rough up the sides with your auger or that concrete won't grab a thing.' I was just making clean cylinders. The next day, I started wiggling the auger to scuff the walls before pouring, and the hold is way better. Anyone else have a trick for dealing with heavy clay soil?

I was setting a post in that heavy clay soil over in Springfield and the whole thing shifted overnight.

Hit a huge rock bed putting in a fence in Toledo last month

Client wanted a 6 foot privacy fence. Marked the line, started digging post holes. Hit solid rock about 18 inches down on the third hole. Thought it was just one rock, but it was a whole layer. Ended up needing a jackhammer rental for two days. What's your go-to method when you hit unexpected rock?

My uncle said to always soak cedar posts for a full day before setting them in concrete, and after a job in Spokane where three posts warped, I guess he was right.

Has anyone else found a better prep method for cedar to stop that twist?

Rant: A job in Boulder showed me why you need to check soil before setting posts

We put up a cedar fence for a client last spring, and by fall three posts were leaning bad. Went back and dug around one, found the hole was just backfilled with loose dirt and gravel from the yard, no concrete at all. The ground there is that heavy clay that shifts a ton when it gets wet. Had to pull all the bad ones and reset them with proper concrete footings, which took two extra days. Anyone else run into this kind of soil problem and have a good way to test it fast on site?

Bought a cheap post hole digger from Harbor Freight and it broke on the third job

Honestly, I lost a full day's work and about $300 in labor because the weld on the handle snapped. It was a simple cedar fence job in Cedar Park. Has anyone found a brand that holds up better without costing a fortune?

That new vinyl post driver snapped on me halfway through a job in Springfield

It was a brand name tool, but the handle just gave out under normal use. I had to finish setting 30 posts with a sledge, which set us back a whole day. Anyone know a truly heavy-duty driver that can take a beating?

Rant: Got called out for my post-hole digger technique on a job in Phoenix last summer.

The foreman said I was 'fighting the tool' by forcing it straight down, and showed me how to rock it slightly to clear dirt faster. Anyone else get a piece of simple advice that totally flipped your method?

Had a post hole auger snap clean off in a Denver backyard

I was setting a 6-foot cedar fence line in this tight yard near Sloan's Lake. The ground was pure clay, baked hard from a dry summer. I was about 18 inches down on the third hole when the auger bit just sheared at the shaft. The motor kept spinning, throwing dirt everywhere, but the business end was stuck underground. My helper just stared at it. I had to shut everything down, dig around the broken piece with a trenching shovel for over an hour, and then weld it back together in my truck bed with a portable rig. The whole job got pushed back a full day. Anyone ever have a tool fail that catastrophically in the middle of a dig?

Shoutout to the guy who told me to try a 9-gauge wire for a horse fence in Austin

I always used 11-gauge for everything, but this client's land had some real rocky soil (like, you hit a rock every other post hole). The thicker wire was a pain to pull tight at first, but after that big storm last month, his fence was the only one on the property line still standing straight. Anyone have a good trick for tensioning the heavier stuff around corners without a come-along?

Appreciation post: I used to think those little post levelers were a waste of time

I mean, I'd been setting posts by eye and a long level for a decade, and it always seemed fine. Then I did a big cedar fence job in Bellingham last month where the ground was super uneven, and the client gave me a set of those plastic leveling brackets to try. I was ready to toss them, but after the first three posts went in perfectly straight in under five minutes each, I was sold. Has anyone else had a tool they thought was silly turn out to be a game changer?

Talked to a guy who only uses cedar for his pickets now

I mean, I was at the lumber yard in Springfield last week and this older guy, Frank, told me he switched to all cedar about two years ago. He said the extra $1.50 per picket is worth it because he hasn't had a single call back for warping, even on south facing jobs. I always thought it was just for looks, but maybe he's onto something. Has anyone else made a switch like that and seen a real difference?

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?