# Forum Home Renovation Tools & Products  post hole digger

## shauck

Anyone got any info/input on quality post hole diggers? I'm thinking of getting one for a fence job. Looks like it'd pay for itself in the one job. I haven't used one for more than 20 years so I'm wondering if they are still as punishing as they used to be. I'm not what I used to be. The one I used was a two man but I'm hoping that a one man, designed well, is not out of my league.  
Here's an example. Michigan Post Hole Diggers, Earth Auger Borer Digger, Zeus Industrial Tools Australia Buy Online. Stump Hole 71cc Petrol Single Man 2 stroke Fence Ground Digging machine Melbourne Australia Augers 
Just found another one at a much higher price. I'm machinery illiterate so I'm not sure why it's so much more expensive.  NEW 71cc Petrol Engine Post Hole Digger Fence Posthole Borer With 3 Auger Bits | eBay  
Cheers, Su.

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## Bedford

Here's another one, 71cc Petrol Hole Digger Drill Kit 100 200 300mm Auger | Buy Industrial Tools Online - oo.com.au 
I got one second hand but unused from Gumtree for $200, they often come up there. 
It takes a fair bit of hanging on to when it grabs, so maybe a two man one might be better for you. 
It is powerful enough but typically Chinese built, we re welded the auger flutes as they're really only tacked on and altered the cutting edges to strengthen them.     
This pic shows where one cutting edge is unsupported as they only run one flute.

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## Floop

I bought a cheap post hole digger from ebay a few months ago, looks to be basically the same one as you're looking at: 71cc ONE MAN Post Hole Digger Earth Drill 100 200 300mm Augers | eBay  It was $279 at the time I bought it though. 
I knew it was a bit of a gamble to get a cheap Chinese made one, but I'd bought cheap stuff from that ebay seller before so I knew if it died they'd refund without much fuss.  They actually sent out a whole new 200mm auger when all I needed was a longer locking pin, lol. 
It's as you'd expect, noisy; not super well made and rather creative instructions, but it's done the job for me so far.  I've dug the post holes for the carport (widened by hand), letterbox and a run of fencing so far at a friends, I'll use it for my front fence and I'm going to use it to prep the ground for some tree planting soon too.  I have really compacted clay soil on my block so it was a bit of an ordeal using the 300mm auger, but the smaller augers go through it no problem as you can just steady it and use the weight of it to dig.  But there is basically no shock absorption so your arms and back will get sore, lol. 
If you have really hard soil you have to dig through, then I'd say don't bother because it's just way to much of a pain of a job.  You'd be better off paying someone to dig them for you.  But if your soil is fairly loose then it might be worth doing.  Just weigh up the cost and time involved with buying a digger and doing it yourself, compared to getting them dug for you.  Ring around and get some prices from people who have those little mini excavators/dingo diggers (with auger attachments) and see how much they charge per hole.  It's often a lot cheaper than you'd expect, and paying someone to do it gets the job done a lot quicker without the physical strain. 
*edit*  I've just noticed you're in Daylesford, if you're up for a drive you can give mine a go and see how you handle it and decide from there, I'm about 45mins away from you.  If you think you can manage it you can borrow it if you like, just as long as you don't have a huge amount to do because I don't want it dying before I've dug my front fence holes, lol.  :Biggrin:

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## SilentButDeadly

There's a really good reason why you won't see many of these on work sites these days...Worksafe et al..  Many organisations have banned their use by staff as there was no way to make them sufficiently safe to use to satisfy the authorities in the inevitable event of an incident & compensation claim.

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## johnstonfencing

When I was doing fencing I had one made by Stihl  STIHL 30.8cc One Person Earth Auger | Total Tools 
Whilst more expensive than others I purchased this because of the safety cut-off, it is the black rubber lever sticking out of the motor that can be seen in the link above.  The cut-off works exactly like a chainsaw brake, the countless times I hit roots, rocks etc I'm glad I spent the extra on this one! 
Cheers

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## TermiMonster

I have the Echo one.  
It's not a machine you can afford to phase out on, or it will break your wrist.
If you're careful, they are very useful.
the counter weight ones are better to use, but b****y expensive.
TM

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## shauck

Thanks guys, all good points. 
Bedford, I'm very much considering a two person job. I have enough back problems already. Maybe I should hire a one person and see how I go first coz it all comes down to cost of a job. If I can do it on my own (without killing my back/arms), then that saves paying a second person. 
Floop, thanks for the offer but If I use one it's going to be coz I want to own one. Will get used a lot in the future. Also don't want to break yours  :No:  that'd suck. Very kind of you tho.  
Johnstone,  the Stihl one, how much was it and does it come with/work well with a 300mm auger? this is likely what I'll want to be using most of the time. I like the idea that it has a brake (hate unnecessary injury) but wonder if the brake will hold out over time. Did you do many 300mm holes and how goes it in clay?  
Termimonster, I like the idea of the counterweight ones too but yeah... $$$$. Maybe second hand, and maybe if they can do bigger holes and not get stuck when hitting some types of rock (clayish stuff for example) or smaller roots. Even mini diggers are limited and not suitable for serious situations so I wonder how often it'll get left behind, unused, not earning it's keep. The post hole digger should earn it's keep pretty quick so even if it gets left at home for some jobs, that's not a big deal.

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## Bedford

You can try mine if you're over our way. 
Keep in mind that with a 300mm auger it's a lot more weight you have to lift out of the hole each time with the amount of dirt on the auger. 
A 300mm auger is also a lot more "punishing" than a 200mm one.

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## shauck

I wonder if it would be practical to dig 200mm holes and then come after with 300mm auger? Is that do-able? It'll be a long while before I'm out that way again, cheers Bedford.

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## Bedford

I've never tried a smaller auger first but I think you'd need to either start with the 300mm one then change to the smaller one, or use the 200mm one then hand dig the first bit so the 300mm one will locate in the hole. 
Otherwise I reckon the 300mm one would bounce all over the place as there would be nothing to center it.

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## johnstonfencing

Hello, 
The Stihl one wasn't cheap unfortunately, up around the $1800 mark from memory.  It was a very sturdy, solid machine and the cut-off was made from a hard rubber that flexed and was still in good working order when I sold mine.  The unit came with a 200mm auger which is the only one I used on it so I can't say how it would perform with a 300mm auger I'm sorry. 
Cheers

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## Floop

> I wonder if it would be practical to dig 200mm  holes and then come after with 300mm auger? Is that do-able? It'll be a  long while before I'm out that way again, cheers Bedford.

   

> I've never tried a smaller auger first but I think you'd need to either start with the 300mm one then change to the smaller one, or use the 200mm one then hand dig the first bit so the 300mm one will locate in the hole. 
> Otherwise I reckon the 300mm one would bounce all over the place as there would be nothing to center it.

   Yup that's exactly what it will do.  If you have _really_ loose soil it might-possibly-maybe work, but for the most part it doesn't work using a smaller auger first because it uses a drill in the center to keep it steady.  You're hovering over nothing without it and it up to you to hold it still, near impossible with hard soil. 
The other alternative is to drill a series of 100mm holes and clean them out, but it results in a messier hole and isn't really efficient.  I did it for one hole because the ground was that hard the 300mm auger just spun on the spot and polished the compacted clay, lol.  :Unsure:   The upside is, where a 300mm auger might not work, the 100/200mm augers can handle it a little easier. 
The offer is still there to try it out if you're interested, although it's a bit of a drive just to test something, lol.  Might be easier to hire one if they aren't too expensive, that way you can actually see how it behaves in your soil.  Or if you're not going to be buying for a while, chances are we'll be passing through that way in a few weeks so I can drop mine in and you can give it a go. 
If you were going to use it a lot then I'd be looking at investing in a new/second-hand quality brand, long term they will most likely be easier to use, maintain and will probably last longer (and generally have a better resale value), but if it's not within the budget to do so the el-cheapo's can be handy, as long as it's actually feasible that you can use them (physically, ground type etc).

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## Farmer Geoff

I agree with Floop - even the two person augers are very challenging and tiring in all but the best conditions. If you hit a rock or a tree root you will be at risk of injury plus probably have to finish by hand or keep moving hole location hoping for better luck. The two person ones are probably as tough on relationships as riding a tandem bike. If you have constant sandy loam then these machines are okay but still hard work and often need a shovel to clean hole out. Those two handled scissor type shovels are pretty good if you want to keep hole diameter to a minimum to save concrete. Bunnings have them. I'd be tempted to find someone local with a Kanga or Dingo or bobcat. If you already have an electric demolition hammer, you could get a long spade bit made up - much nicer than using a crowbar!

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## shauck

Yeah, wondered if it would just jump about in the hole. Makes sense. Easy enough when the drill bit is 10mm but 300mm auger bit is quite a lot more regarding control of tool. Dumb question really.  
That Stihl one is definitely not cheap and from looking further, I think it only takes up to 200mm auger.  
I think i'll go down the local hire place and see if he'll let me dig a hole out back  :Biggrin:   
Keep you posted. Hopefully I'm up to the challenge.

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## barney118

wouldn't touch a powered one, happy with my long double handled spade shovel (post hole digger)  $50. when you hit rocks etc these units are also like a crowbar and will break stones. You may think they are time consuming but as you dig empty in a barrow to get rid of it, you reduce the amount of concrete used and the hole isn't like a bucket. 
Slow and steady wins the race.

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## shauck

Ok, so after much going about in circles of the mind... 
Finally decided on the Stihl BT121 with a 200mm auger. I found one second hand in pretty good condition, serviced and 12mth warranty from a shop in Geelong. Got it for 860 bucks plus 80 bucks postage (too lazy to drive and pick it up).  
My mate will go halvies with me as he'll be using one a bit too. I'll work with him when I need to use it so we can alternate. I'll have to widen the holes as well but I reckon it'll be good for jobs where getting a digger in is not viable or there's just not that many holes to dig. So, it's not for every purpose but should save my back as well as time and money in the long run.  
Will give it a go next week and let you know how it went. 
Cheers all, Su.

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## ringtail

Hey Su, up here I can hire a dingo for 3 days ( pick up Friday drop off Monday) for[S] $ 375.[/S] 
Whoa, edit that. Just checked the price as I haven't hired one for a few years - price is now $250 per day :Tongue: , still dig a lot of holes and move a lot of dirt in a day though  :Biggrin:

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## shauck

> Hey Su, up here I can hire a dingo for 3 days ( pick up Friday drop off Monday) for[S] $ 375.[/S] 
> Whoa, edit that. Just checked the price as I haven't hired one for a few years - price is now $250 per day, still dig a lot of holes and move a lot of dirt in a day though

  Yeah, I'll still use a range of other machinery (and operators), depending on the circumstances. I've not hired a mini digger and operated it myself tho. Reckon that'd be a fun day.  
At my house back when I was doing the deck and retaining walls. I had one guy on a mini digger out the back where access was impossible for anything bigger and at the same time a crane truck out the front. Both digging holes at the same time. That was hard to keep on top of.  
What I'm trying to eliminate is the situation where I haven't many holes or difficult access or easy ground or small diameter and not have to hand dig them. It takes up too much time. In these instances it makes it harder to quote competitively, etc.  
I worked out that on a recent job, the hand digging of holes cost the job 5-600 bucks. Tough holes, lots of crowbar. Two of us digging. Too hard to get machinery in there. Had a brick wall (temporarily freestanding) braced. Bracing in the way and tight area so couldn't have anything near it like that. If I'd had this PHD, it would have taken far less time. I reckon as a guess, costing more like a couple of hundred bucks. So, seeing as this PHD is costing me (my half), 470 bucks, it would have paid majority of itself in that one job.  
On future jobs my hourly rate for using a PHD will go up or I'll factor in a hire fee equivalent for it.  
The job I'm about to do has garden close to fence line and I really don't want the no-care, no-responsibility factor of a mini digger and it's operator. This customer is very good to me and gives me a lot of work so looking after their property is a large part of the equation.  
I've factored into the quote (not itemised) 560 bucks worth of labour towards digging holes on this job. If I hired a mini digger (with operator) for this job, at a minimum of three hours for about 250 bucks, plus me being there, raking holes and supervising, that's a close comparison, cost wise. Except that 250 bucks goes to someone else 
So we'll see how it adds up after it's done with the PHD and two of us operating.

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## ringtail

Just make sure your accident /illness insurance is paid up Su. They have a bad and well deserved reputation for doing some serious damage

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## shauck

Update on the purchase of Stihl BT121 with 200mm auger. 
Looked to be in pretty good nick. Took a bit to get it running smooth at first as it had been drained of fuel for a while but once warmed up it operated well.  
I personally haven't used it yet, as I hired my mate to help with the removal of old fence and getting the holes dug. He's a young, strong bloke and so I just let him go with it, while I came behind and widened the holes and removed loose dirt. I cleared any rock or roots that interfered with the PHD efficiency so he could then come back to those holes and get to depth better.  
I estimate, it took us about 6 hours to do 18 post holes to 700mm depth and 300mm width, cleaned and ready for posts. Mostly the ground was pretty soft, thanks to winter weather. Some of them further up were pretty dry but it still worked well. 
It was a whole new world of pain for Bob, using different muscles than he was used to. He fells trees and cuts wood mostly and can do that all day but this was something different. No injuries however, being careful not to hold on too tight as it can wrench you about. The brake seemed to work well and I think without one they would be ridiculous to use.

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## BRADFORD

I bought a cheap chinese one maybe 6 years ago, mounted it on a frame with wheels and a counter weight for easy one man operation, also extended the auger so I could go down to 1 metre.
Have bored hunderds of holes with it, it is brilliant.

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## TermiMonster

> I bought a cheap chinese one maybe 6 years ago, mounted it on a frame with wheels and a counter weight for easy one man operation, also extended the auger so I could go down to 1 metre.
> Have bored hunderds of holes with it, it is brilliant.

  I'd be interested to see a photograph of that.  Sounds intriguing.
TM

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## shauck

I would too. I wonder if it's anything like the ones that makers of Tanaka post hole digger puts out with it's machine.

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## BRADFORD

I'll see if I can organise a pic today.

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## BRADFORD

Picture of my post hole digger, the frame etc was made from stuff I had lying around, the digger is on a pivot so it remains vertical as it goes down. This is very easy to operate on your own and quite safe, it does not have enough guts to spin the frame around and can bore holes up to 1 metre deep.

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## TermiMonster

Thanks.

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## shauck

brilliant

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## Handyjack

Looks better than a store bought one. Big wheels and a counter balance.  :2thumbsup:

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