# Forum Home Renovation Tools & Products  Post hole diggers

## Paisley

Hi all, 
Over the next year or so I'm looking at attempting three projects; namely two decks (front of house & around pool) and a carport. With that amount of holes to dig, I'm thinking it might make more sense to buy a reasonably priced Post Hole Digger instead of having to hire one 3 or 4 times. 
Has anyone had any experience with the cheaper PHDs from Bunnings? I've read a couple of times that a 50cc PHD hasn't got enough grunt to properly run a 300mm Auger; is this true?
Seen a few 71cc ones getting around pretty cheap on the 'bay, but I'm not quite brave enough to risk it I'm afraid. :Blush7:  
Any advice on other brands would be greatly appreciated as well.   :Smilie:

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## jago

Powered post hole diggers are bloody dangerous at the best of times and most require 2 people to operate unless you're built like the Hulk...IMO i would mark out all the holes for all the jobs and go and hire  for  the weekend te attached PH digger  KENNARDS HIRE - Post Hole Borers - 1 person Cantilever 
It will take a 300mm Auger if required. :2thumbsup:

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## Smergen

Paisley,
I recently hired a PHD from Coates to do 11 x 300mm holes approximately 900mm deep. This work was going through some reasonably sollid clay and I'm glad I had the grunt of the hired gear. Took me and my brother 8hrs to do it! It was pretty cheap at $150 a day I thought, but if you are going to need it for 10 days, then I suppose you could buy one, and then sell it to recoup costs. 
Just be wary, although ours was a one man PHD, it took two of us to keep it working effeciently and getting the dirt/clay out of the way of the auger. 
I've got some photos of it in my retaining wall thread if you go there.

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## ringtail

Mark them out and get a dude with a dingo to bore them. Easy and no danger to you or helpers. The guy that does all my work has a mini excavator and a dingo and only needs access 800 mm wide. PM me if you want his number

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## GeoffW1

Hi, 
Don't forget to dial before you dig. Sorry to be a nanny but I knew someone electrocuted using one of these. He struck a buried mains wire next to his driveway. 
Cheers

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## Smergen

Did this for the first time with my post holes, really isn't that hard and could save significant grief.

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## jkirky

I have a 70 odd cc single man from bay and it's great... It came with a 100 200 and 300 mm auger as well as a 900 mm extension for the augers. 
They are fine to use if you have a little experience. Its all technique. The wrong technique and you need superhuman strength to keep them from flipping the operator... 
You need to dig in several passes removing the waste as you go, and make sure you keep the throttle pinned when lifting out the scrap. If you don't pin the throttle the auger can bite and stick, which means its easier to spin the operator rather than the auger. 
Just take a little practise and some common sense...

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## barney118

I have bought the spade post hole digger from Big B with 2 handles ($50) they are easy to use bit of sweat and do it probaly quicker than a motorised option. The motorised ones arent real good when they hit clay either as Jago pointed out they are a 2 man job.

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## Lexi01

> They are fine to use if you have a little experience. Its all technique.

  I'll second that. I dug about 30 holes for a deck I built a few months ago. I hired a 1-man machine and ended up resting one of the handles against the inside of my leg so it couldn't spin out of control (that make sense)...it ripped through them in no time.

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