I'm digging post holes in my yard for a fence and have come upon hard
clay soil with tons of tree roots below. I cant get my shovel more
that 2 inches deep. I have to finish my fence because i have half done
all this work to get 1/2 up already. The one side was very moist and
muddy but the trouble section is hard/clay like cememnt.

What are the tools and options I have to inexpensively get these holes
dug? Is there any reasonably priced machine that I should use? I'd
rather do manually if anyone has any tricks....

I'm digging post holes in my yard for a fence and have come upon hard
clay soil with tons of tree roots below. I cant get my shovel more
that 2 inches deep. I have to finish my fence because i have half done
all this work to get 1/2 up already. The one side was very moist and
muddy but the trouble section is hard/clay like cememnt.

What are the tools and options I have to inexpensively get these holes
dug? Is there any reasonably priced machine that I should use? I'd
rather do manually if anyone has any tricks....

Some options:
* Fill the hole with water. After it soaks in, the soil might be
softer.
* Buy post-hole diggers.
* Buy a digging bar. It looks like a six-foot, thirty-pound nail. Use
it to break up the bottom, then take out the chips with the diggers.
Wear gloves if you're fond of the skin on your palms.
* Sharpen the diggers with a file.

Best option:
* Rent a motor-driven auger. You'll finish each hole in about three
minutes. Half a day's rental will be about the same as buying good
digging tools.

--
Steve Bell
New Life Home Improvement
Arlington, TX USA

Billy wrote:
I'm digging post holes in my yard for a fence and have come upon hard
clay soil with tons of tree roots below. I cant get my shovel more
that 2 inches deep. I have to finish my fence because i have half done
all this work to get 1/2 up already. The one side was very moist and
muddy but the trouble section is hard/clay like cememnt.

What are the tools and options I have to inexpensively get these holes
dug? Is there any reasonably priced machine that I should use? I'd
rather do manually if anyone has any tricks....

How inexpensive? If you have a lot of holes, and the digging is that
tough, it may be worth the money to rent a Dingo.
http://www.toro.com/professional/sws...ger/22804.html

"SteveBell" ...

I'm digging post holes in my yard for a fence and have come upon hard
clay soil with tons of tree roots below. I cant get my shovel more
that 2 inches deep. I have to finish my fence because i have half done
all this work to get 1/2 up already. The one side was very moist and
muddy but the trouble section is hard/clay like cememnt.

What are the tools and options I have to inexpensively get these holes
dug? Is there any reasonably priced machine that I should use? I'd
rather do manually if anyone has any tricks....

Some options:
* Fill the hole with water. After it soaks in, the soil might be
softer.
* Buy post-hole diggers.
* Buy a digging bar. It looks like a six-foot, thirty-pound nail. Use
it to break up the bottom, then take out the chips with the diggers.
Wear gloves if you're fond of the skin on your palms.

If you look for this, it is also called a shale bar. [For busting through
shale like where I live... One literally throws this heavy bar at the
bottom of the hole to bust up the shale.]
Tomes