Finally got my fence post holes dug right after 3 tries in this Amarillo clay

Kept seeing folks use those flimsy auger bits and end up with crooked posts, but I grabbed a 12-inch manual post hole digger from Tractor Supply and set them plumb in half the time. Has anyone else had trouble with the clay here shifting after a rain?

4 comments

4 Comments

aaron_mitchell1mo ago

Man that Amarillo clay is a whole different beast. I've watched perfectly straight posts start leaning after a good rain because the ground just shifts under them like it's alive. Manual diggers are the way to go though, those power augers just spin and glaze the clay walls instead of actually cutting through. It's rough having to redo a hole three times just to get it right, but at least now you know what works for the next go around.

jamief671mo ago

Yeah I dunno, people act like a little clay is some kind of disaster. I've dug plenty of holes in that stuff and it's not that bad. Just gotta let it dry out a day or two after a rain before you start digging.

the_anthony1mo ago

Man that Amarillo clay is no joke, mine turned into soup after one storm.

cole_flores441d ago

Soup? Sounds like you didn't give it enough time to dry out after the last rain. I've never had clay turn to soup unless I started digging too fast.