Chat with a landscaper in Boise made me rethink post hole diggers

I was talking to a landscaper named Carl at a supply house last week, and he said he switched from a manual clamshell digger to a power auger for any job over 15 holes. He pointed out that the time saved on a 50-post run let him bid lower and still make more money, which honestly never clicked for me before. I always figured the extra gear cost wasn't worth it for smaller crews. Has anyone else done the math on this for their own setup?

3 comments

3 Comments

kai7791mo ago

That's a solid point, and @holly_flores79 is right about tools paying off. Sometimes you just need to hear it from another crew to make it click.

holly_flores791mo ago

My uncle's roofing crew had the same lightbulb moment with nail guns versus hammers. That upfront cost for tools really does pay off faster than most people realize.

milam422d ago

Oh man, that's such a good real-world example! @kai779 hit it on the head when he said hearing it from another crew makes it click. So here's the thing I've always wondered about that shift from hammers to nail guns: did your uncle's crew ever track the actual time savings per square? Like before and after switching, I'm curious if it was more about speed or just less wear and tear on the guys' arms by the end of the week.