Alright, let me tell you about wrestling with one of those two-person augers. We decided to put up a new fence along the back property line, a pretty long run. Digging all those post holes by hand? No way, not anymore. Been there, done that, my back still remembers it.
Getting Started
So, the plan was to rent a two-person gas-powered auger. Headed down to the local tool rental shop early Saturday morning. Picked out the model they recommended, hefty thing. They showed us the basics: how to start it, mix the fuel, attach the drill bit – we went with a 9-inch bit for our 4×4 posts.
Got it back home in the truck. First job, laying out the fence line again with string and stakes. Measured twice, marked every spot where a post needed to go. Cleared away any big rocks or roots we could see on the surface. Just getting prepped took a good hour.
The Real Work
Okay, time to drill. My neighbor, Jim, offered to help, thankfully. You absolutely need two people, no question. This thing has some serious torque, it’s not a toy.
We lugged the auger to the first mark. Got a good firm grip on the handles, planted our feet wide, braced ourselves. Pulled the starter cord a couple of times, and vrooom! It roared to life. Pretty loud piece of equipment. You feel the vibration right up your arms.
Slowly, carefully, we lowered the spinning bit onto the mark. It bit into the topsoil pretty easily at first, started spitting dirt out in a spiral. We just focused on keeping it straight up and down, letting the machine’s weight do most of the work, adding just a little downward pressure.
- Tried hard to keep it vertical, not leaning.
- Learned quick not to force it down too hard.
- Pulled it up every foot or so, let it spin off the loose dirt.
The first few holes actually went smoother than I expected. Ground was damp but not muddy. Then we hit the tricky section near the old oak tree. Wham! Hole number five, I think it was. The auger kicked back hard, like a mule. Hit a thick root, a big one. Nearly twisted right out of our hands. That’s the real deal with these things – you gotta be ready for sudden stops and kicks. Had to shut it down, yank it out of the hole. Got the axe and a digging bar to chop through that stubborn root before we could get back to drilling.
We kind of got into a rhythm after that rocky start. Position it, start drilling, go down maybe a foot, lift it up while still spinning gently to clear the hole, then back down again. Lots of communication needed. “Hold your side steady!” “Okay, let’s lift it!” It’s definitely a workout. Sweaty work, heavy work. Your arms start to burn, your shoulders feel it.
Wrapping Up
Took us a solid three, maybe four hours to get all 18 holes dug to the depth we needed. Some holes were simple clay, went down like butter. Others fought us with rocks and roots every few inches. But man, still way, way faster than doing it all by hand with a post-hole digger.
Cleaned the dirt and mud off the auger bit and the engine as best we could. Hauled it back to the rental place just before they closed up for the day. Felt really good to check that task off the list. Kicked back on the porch later, looking at that nice straight line of perfectly round holes waiting for concrete and posts – yeah, pretty satisfying feeling.
So, the two-person auger. It’s a beast, for sure. Needs teamwork, needs some muscle, and you absolutely have to respect its power and watch out for kickback. But if you’ve got a bunch of holes to dig, especially for fence posts or planting a row of trees, it beats the heck out of a shovel.
