On Tue, 13 Dec 2016 16:11:39 -0000 (UTC), HerHusband advised:

So, I put a chisel bit in
the hammer drill, set it to hammer only, and proceded to drive it into the
ground in multiple places. This loosened up the soil enough that I could
easily shovel out the loose dirt. Weird, but it worked great.

I have never used a hammer drill before so I have to ask if you can *feel*
the hammer action when using the drill (either just spinning it in the air
or when chipping that soil)?

I can't feel any difference in the drill in hammer mode versus is normal
drill mode.

Is that how it's supposed to feel?