What size auger should I buy?

If you plan on only using your auger to plant plugs, for instance, then a 2- or 3-inch auger will fit your needs. If you anticipate the need to bury stakes or set small posts, then you may prefer a 4-inch auger or another, larger size.

What is the best size auger for a 4×4 post?

Post Holes- If you plan to secure your posts with cement or by tamping dirt, you will need spacing around the post to do so. For example: A 4×4 post (actual size 3.5″x3. 5″) has a maximum width of just over 5″ (diagonally). Therefore, the 4×4 post will likely fit into a hole drilled by a 6″ diameter auger.

What size auger do I need for fence posts? A 12-inch auger, best attached to a heavy machine, will create a hole large enough for a 6×6 or 4×6 post and plenty of concrete. Smaller augers, like 4- or 6-inch options, are appropriate for light-duty work (like mailboxes) as well as metal fence posts for chain-link fences.

Can you use an auger to drill post holes? A one-man auger with a 6-inch auger bit can be used to dig holes for steel fence posts. A one- or two-man auger with a 10-inch bit can be used to dig holes for a 4 x 4 wooden fence post or larger plants.

How long does it take to dig a post hole with an auger? Augers are available for rent at tool rental centers at a cost of around $60 a day. Power augers can dig as many holes in an hour as a post hole digger can dig in eight hours, with hole sizes ranging from 6” diameter holes and up.

Is an 8 inch hole big enough for 4×4 fence post? The diameter of your post hole should be three times the diameter of your post. So, if you’re planning on using a four-inch round or 4×4-inch square post, your post hole will need to be 12 inches in diameter. For a six-foot-high fence post, we would need a hole that’s 36 inches deep and 12 inches in diameter.

What size auger should I buy? – Related Questions

How deep should a 8 foot fence post be?

For an average fence post, about 6 to 8 feet tall, prepare to dig a post hole about 2 feet deep. To install a fence post, you’ll need a shovel or post digger, a 6-foot level, soil, and gravel or crushed stone.

How deep should a 6-foot fence post be in the ground?

The depth of the hole should be 1/3-1/2 the post height above ground (i.e., a 6-foot tall fence would require a hole depth of at least 2 feet). Add about 6 inches of QUIKRETE All-Purpose Gravel into the bottom of the hole. Then compact and level the gravel using a post or 2×4.

How deep should a 10 foot fence post be?

The general rule of thumb when setting a post is that the depth of the post’s hole needs to be one-third to one-half of the actual above-ground height of the post. So, a six-foot-high finished post ideally needs to be buried three feet into the ground.

Can you use a Jiffy ice auger to drill post holes?

I’ve used my old Jiffy many times for digging post holes. If you hit a big tree root or rock it gets a little hairy but for the most part works great! I just use an old ice blade and haven’t had any trouble. I had the same thought so last week I bought the earth auger at menards, brought it home, hooked up to my Jiffy.

Should I use an auger or post hole digger?

Post hole diggers focus on one task – they dig holes for posts, whereas a hole auger is suited for a wide variety of tasks around the garden. Post hole diggers rely on more work than a hole auger, these heavy hand tools are basically thrown hard into the soil with force then lifted out.

Can you use an auger when the ground is wet?

Especially if conditions are wet, the grass and vegetation may clog the end of the auger, sticking in place and making it impossible for the blades to get a grip on the soil below. Save yourself some time (and your auger a little trouble) by using a shovel to remove sod before you drill.

What is the easiest way to dig a post hole?

There’s no question about it — the fastest and easiest way to dig post holes is to use a gas-powered earth auger. Fill the tank with gas, position the auger on the ground, fire it up, hold on tight and watch the soil come streaming out of the hole.

How many post holes can you dig in a day?

Augers are very powerful machines with a lot of torque that can throw you like a sack of potatoes if the auger bit encounters a rock or a root. If your soil is loamy or sandy, you too can drill 30 holes in a day’s worth of rental.

Should fence posts be set in concrete?

Concrete provides a strong foundation for wooden fence posts, but can rot them more quickly. Setting them in dirt, with or without gravel or crushed rock depending on your soil type, can help the posts last longer before going rotten. You can also use metal fence post anchors to prolong their life.

How many bags of quikrete do I need for a fence post?

1 – 4 bags of concrete per fence post are typically what’s needed. This depends on the type of soil, fence design, height, post size and bag weight. In general the depth of the post’s hole needs to be 1/3 to 1/2 of the above ground height of the post.

How wide should a hole be for a 6×6 post?

A 6×6 post requires a 10″-diameter hole. Shovel a 6″ layer of gravel into the hole to provide drainage.

How deep should fence posts be?

As a general rule of thumb one-third of your post should be underground, the other two-thirds above. Let’s take a standard 6foot (72 inches) fence as an example. You will need a 9foot (108 Inches) post so that 3ft (35 inches) can be underground and 6ft can be above ground.

Is it worth buying an auger?

An auger gets the job done quicker than a shovel while allowing the operator to stand upright. Because the auger is meant to be held stationary as the hole is bored, there is less stress placed on the hands and arms, as well. For health reasons alone, augers are a worthwhile investment.

Is 6 auger big enough?

I’m content with the 6. Unless your purposely targeting trophy fish a 6 inch hole is plenty especially if you only target panfish. With over 18 inches in diameter when’s the last time you pulled a fish larger than 18 inches in diameter through the ice.

How do you measure auger size?

Outer diameter is equal to the shaft diameter plus twice the strip width (inside edge to outside edge) of the flighting.

Can you set a post with dry concrete?

Fast-setting concrete is ideal for setting posts because there’s no mixing—you simply pour the dry concrete from the bag right into the hole, then add water.

How do I keep my post level while concrete dries?

You need to level it in two directions with a 4-foot level. After getting it straight in the first direction, hold one of the braces against the post and drive a single screw to connect the brace to the post. You can then level and brace the post in the other direction and begin filling the hole.

Should fence post be higher than fence?

If you’re setting wooden or concrete posts in concrete you’ll need 8ft (2.4m) posts for a 6ft (1.828m) fence – i.e. your posts are 2ft (0.6m) longer than the fence height. Use 4in x 4in posts for fences of 5ft and over and 3in x 3in posts for anything under 5ft.

Why do fence posts rot at ground level?

Wood fence posts will rot due to prolonged exposure to moisture in the soil.

How much gravel goes in the bottom of a post hole?

How much gravel do I put in the hole? You should put approximately 2″ to 4″ of gravel in the bottom of the hole making sure that the Post stands 6′ 4″ tall from the ground to the top of the post.

How do I keep my fence post from rotting?

Using a post-hole digger instead of a shovel to create your anchor hole is more effective, as it makes the perfect size anchor point. From here, you should fill the hole with about 6 inches of gravel. This will prevent rotting by ensuring that the post is kept dry when water makes its way into the soil.

How long do galvanized fence posts last?

In some cases, galvanized steel fence posts can last 50 -70 years with little to no maintenance. The galvanized coating protects the steel underneath, as the elements must first destroy the zinc coating before compromising the strength of the metal.

What size post do you use for a 6 foot fence?

Post lengths for fences start at 8 or 10 feet for a 6-foot-tall fence. They are commonly four-by-fours, which measure approximately 3 1/2 by 3 1/2 inches, or six-by-sixes, at around 5 1/2 by 5 1/2 inches.

How do you put a straight line in a fence post?

How big should the hole be for a 6×6 post?

A 6×6 post requires a 10″-diameter hole. Shovel a 6″ layer of gravel into the hole to provide drainage.

How big of a hole do I need for a 4×6 post?

For a six-foot-tall post, therefore, you would dig a hole two feet deep. The ideal diameter, meanwhile, should measure three times the width of the post. So, for a standard 4×4, the ideal hole would span twelve inches across.

How wide is a 4×4 fence post hole?

Project Instructions Dig post hole so diameter of the hole is 3 times the width of the post (i.e., the hole for a 4” wood post should be about 12 inches wide). The depth of the hole should be 1/3-1/2 the post height above ground (i.e., a 6-foot tall fence would require a hole depth of at least 2 feet).

How much concrete do I need for a 4×4 fence post?