What's the fastest way to dig a hole?

If you're building a fence, installing a sign or planting trees, the toughest part of the job is digging the hole. Digging with a regular shovel can be slow and back-breaking work, often with uneven results. Manual and petrol-powered post hole digger hire can get the job done faster and to a higher standard, making sure your holes give the perfect fit.

Preparation

If you want to avoid unnecessary exertion and time wasting, try to avoid digging in hard rocky and sandy soils if possible. Rocky soil is tough to move and can cause excess wear on your tools, while sandy soil could keep pouring back into the hole as you dig.

Cohesive soils such as clay are easier to dig when wet. Rather than waiting for nature, soaking the ground before you dig will make the job easier.

Using a shovel

Standard shovels are too wide and clumsy for digging post holes. Instead, you can upgrade to a specialised post hole shovel with a rounded point.

These are ergonomically designed to offer enhanced digging power and control while also reducing muscle strain, but you need to take care that you're digging in a straight line.

Using a manual post hole digger

More efficient than a post hole shovel is a manual post hole digger. These are available in a range of styles suited to different types of digging.

To use a traditional post hole digger, simply thrust the blades into the ground and pull the handles apart. This collects and lifts the soil, which can be deposited next to the hole.

Other options include scissor-action diggers suited to rocky soils and double-pivot and offset diggers designed for deeper and narrower holes.

Using a powered post hole digger

For larger jobs where you need to dig a number of holes under time pressure, petrol-driven post hole digger hire is the more productive solution.

These work like manual diggers, except they take care of the hard work and you just have to keep them on course. If you can recruit a friend or colleague, a two-person digger makes lighter work than a one- person digger.

Using a mini excavator or skid steer

Powered post hole diggers aren't the only motorised solutions for digging holes. You could dig even faster by hiring a versatile mini excavator or skid steer loader and fitting an auger drive or post hole digger attachment.

Mini excavators and mini bobcats come in a range of compact sizes suitable for landscaping use. The downside is that they cost more to hire than a dedicated post hole digger, but in some situations, the time you save could be worth it.

Post hole digger hire

Coates has powered and manual one-man and two-man post hole diggers for hire, as well as mini excavators and mini bobcats for rent with a wide variety of attachments.

To find out more about our earthmoving and landscaping equipment, or to talk to our team about the right tool for your job, find your nearest Coates Branch.