Hey guys,

We are trying to find someone to come out to our house in Durham today or tomorrow to dig 18 3' deep post holes -- the post hole digger we rented is a POS that dies every few seconds. Anyone have any recommendations on services/companies in the area that do this sort of work? I went through everything I found on google and no one is open or answering their phone.

Thanks

12/4/2010 12:21:38 PM

ncstatepimp

+

12/4/2010 1:29:13 PM

PRO TIP: Once you get to the chalky, dark brown or gray, silty clay soil, it will become near impossible to go any deeper!

12/4/2010 1:39:58 PM

Did they have an auger for rent? That's what we used and it worked great.

12/4/2010 2:30:39 PM

get a set of post hole diggers and a slate bar. augers that are hooked to a tractor are worthless and dangerous.

[Edited on December 4, 2010 at 2:54 PM. Reason : ^^you crazy; gray silt digs the easiest. ]

12/4/2010 2:53:28 PM

gray silt =/= chalky, dark brown or gray, silty clay soil

12/4/2010 3:19:41 PM

yes it is; it's the shit you hit when you get below the permanent water level near a drainage feature. I'm certain that I've dug more post holes in my life than you have, and that shit is easy to dig. The only problem is that the soil is really sticky and tries to keep the post hole diggers stuck to the surrounding ground. If you bust out the side of the hole with a slate bar first, it will pull out really easy.

The only problem I've had when I hit that type of soil is the bottom of the hole filling up with water and struggling to get compaction with the soil I put back in the hole.

12/4/2010 3:41:34 PM

eleusis, resident everything expert

12/4/2010 5:59:23 PM

auger behind a tractor is fast, easy, and effective

12/4/2010 7:46:17 PM

dirt nerds itt

12/4/2010 7:47:57 PM

Quote :

"augers that are hooked to a tractor are worthless and dangerous."

Dangerous? Are you fucking standing in the hole?

12/4/2010 8:26:15 PM

Durham = Triassic basin soil system, it may be soft, it may be hard, it may be sticky you just never know. If you do it by hand get the nicest hole diggers they have, they are worth the extra$.

12/4/2010 9:46:00 PM

^^that was a typo. I meant to say augers that AREN'T hooked to a tractor.

12/4/2010 11:10:10 PM

Quote :

"yes it is"

Silt and silty clay are two different things.

Quote :

"it's the shit you hit when you get below the permanent water level near a drainage feature."

The permanent water table in the Durham Triassic Basin is typically 300 to 400 feet below the ground surface. If you're near a drainage feature, you're probably in alluvium and not residual soil. Perched water tables may exist in fill or alluvial soils above the residual soil. You can expect that water will not percolate into the weathered rock layer.

Quote :

"I'm certain that I've dug more post holes in my life than you have"

I grew up on a farm. I've dug a lot of post holes. You may have dug more than me, but don't write me off like I don't know shit.

Quote :

"The only problem is that the soil is really sticky and tries to keep the post hole diggers stuck to the surrounding ground."

Most of the brown silty clay in the Durham area is not plastic. The gray/white clay that is sometimes found on top of the residual silt can have a moderate to high plasticity.

Quote :

"dirt nerds itt"

It's my job and I get paid well to be good at it.

Quote :

"Triassic basin soil system, it may be soft, it may be hard, it may be sticky you just never know."

Surficial soils vary. Alluvium is soft and wet. Residual soils get harder with depth.

Quote :

"auger behind a tractor is fast, easy, and effective"

100% agree

12/5/2010 10:52:24 AM