Post Driver...anyone regret it?

[ejb]

Question for those of you who have bought a post driver instead of(or in addition to) a post digger...anyone wish they hadn't? In particular I am wondering if anyone has regretted it because it didn't serve them well in their type of soil conditions....

I have a mix of rocks and clay, so I figured that a post hole driver wouldn't be appropriate for me...but then as thought about it, if I am going to hit a rock so big I can't pound a post in, it probably means I would be able to dig it with a PHD either...right? Or, are there conditions which a post hole digger is actually better suited than a post driver?

The abolute LAST thing I want to do is plunk down that much money and not be able to use it....comments?

 

[JerryG]

I have both a PHD and a driver. I hardly ever use the PHD, sense getting the driver. I have a lot of flint rock and clay and the driver is a lot easier to use in them than anything else.

 

[MikePA]

Like Jerry, I have both a post hole digger and a post driver (Worksaver) and if you have a lot of posts to put in, a driver can not be beat since it changes a multistep process into a 1 step process. Having said that, a post driver is not a panacea. If there's a rock in the way, it can either stop the post from going in or cause the post to go in at an angle. Depending how far the post is in the ground when this happens, you might be able to still use the post, if you can live with how it looks /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif and if the post is deep enough. In other cases you have to pull the post out and try another spot.

<font color="blue"> are there conditions which a post hole digger is actually better suited than a post driver? </font>
There are probably situations where the phd would bring the rock up out of the hole, thus allowing a post to be put in whereas a post driven at the same location would go in at an angle. Problem is, there's no way to know this ahead of time. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

The ground in my area is made up of clay with a nice assortment of rocks. Over the last 4 days, I've driven over 100 posts (4" x 4" x 8'). My goal was to get them 3 feet into the ground, and I'd settle for 2.5 feet into the ground. I estimate that 80% of the posts are between 30 and 36 inches in the ground. There are less than 10 that went in at an angle, most of them are still usable as fence posts. I haven't decided what I'm going to do about the 4 or 5 that are unusable. I'll probably just pull them and try another location.

I've put in T-posts with the driver as well. Piece of cake.

I've also dug 180 holes with a phd. No comparison when it comes to putting in fence posts, the driver is better, albeit at a price premium.

Any other questions, feel free to ask.

 

[Woodbeef]

It all depends on how rocky your ground is. Sometimes the driver is better,sometimes the auger is. With the auger you can dig out rocks at times. If you have rocks like I do sometimes only a fullsize-tlb will work. The better drivers also have an auger for drilling pilot holes. There are some augers out there that will drill through most types of rock also. Bel-tech I think is one of them.

 

[SnowRidge]

Mike, how much does a post driver run? I did some Googling for the small Worksaver unit and couldn't find anybody with a price.

SnowRidge

 

[cowboydoc]

I agree with Mike. Also, if a post hole pounder won't work a post hole digger, for the most part, isn't going to work either. It will just tear up your post hole digger and shear pins off constantly which is a real pain trying to get a stuck auger out of the hole. The only way to really go through rocks is to get a skidsteer with a rock auger or dig them out by hand. These do work well but are twice the price of a post pounder and you really need a skidsteer to make one work very good.

 

[MikePA]

<font color="blue"> Mike, how much does a post driver run? </font>
The Worksaver HPD-16 is $2,544.

 

[SnowRidge]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( The Worksaver HPD-16 is $2,544. )</font>

Thanks, I'm afraid my $200 PHD will just have to do. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

SnowRidge

 

[ejb]

>>The Worksaver HPD-16 is $2,544.

Would a rig that size be able to drive in a 6-8 inch round post 48 inches into the ground?

 

[cowboydoc]

Would a rig that size be able to drive in a 6-8 inch round post 48 inches into the ground?

Easily.