Changed my mind on using a skid steer for every post hole

For years, I thought a skid steer with an auger was the only way to go for any job over ten holes. It was fast, right? Then I took on a job in an old part of town with tiny backyards and fences right on the property line. The skid steer was just too big and clumsy. I ended up having to dig the last six holes by hand with a manual post hole digger, which I hated. But you know what? For those tight spots, the hand digger was actually faster overall because I wasn't fighting to get the machine in place. I saved about two hours on that half day job just by switching methods. It made me see that the 'best' tool isn't always the biggest one. Now I look at the site access first before I even load the skid steer. Anyone else find themselves going back to basic tools sometimes?

4 comments

4 Comments

gavin3652mo agoMost Upvoted

What's the smallest yard that made you ditch the machine completely?

lewis.mila2mo ago

Depends on the shape more than the size honestly. A tiny but wide open square is way easier than a narrow strip with a bunch of corners. Once you spend more time turning than cutting, it's time for the string trimmer.

quinn_reed172mo ago

That "fighting to get the machine in place" part is exactly why I keep a manual digger on the truck.

emeryj664d ago

That 8x10 off the back of a duplex last spring finally made me switch over. Took me twenty minutes just to get the walk behind lined up right, had to pull the bagger off and everything. Finally just grabbed the manual digger and did the whole damn thing by hand in fifteen minutes flat. Sometimes the machine just gets in the way more than it helps.