u/scFox116

I've been trying to put up a t post fence for a garden and a puppy play area. Unfortunately, I am still having complications from emergency surgeries that took place almost a year ago that leave me weak and easily fatigued. Plus, I'm a 61 year old short widow. I've been using one of those manual post hole drivers that slide over the top of the t post and a digging bar, but it's been very slow going. And I just found out that I will need another surgery in about 3 weeks. I desperately want to have this fence up before then. I just found out that my local Ace Hardware rents gas powered 1 man auger. I've been able to look at it and pick it up and I think that I can handle it. Yeah! It costs around $100 for a 24 hour rental so I'd like to get all of the holes dug in one day. I am going to clear the fence line of leaves and such and mark every 5 feet where I want a post to be so that when I've got the auger I can just go down the line digging holes. I'm not even going to worry about putting the actual posts in as I move along.

Aside from clearing and marking the fence line, is there anything else that I should prepare ahead of time? I would also appreciate any tips or tricks for using the auger?

A few years ago there was an ice storm and after it passed a sheet of ice fell and decapitated an outdoor faucet. At the time I was only able to find a plastic faucet to replace the original. Now I'm building a garden and want to put a 4 way hose splitter on that faucet. Should I replace the plastic faucet with a brass or stainless steel one while I'm at it? I guess that I don't really trust the plastic to last, but maybe I'm wrong.

I've started putting up my garden and dog run t-post and welded wire fence. I'm only a few posts in and I've already learned a lot so I thought that I would share.

1. Driving t-posts, even with the help of a manual driver is a workout!

2. I tried using a post to attach ratcheting straps to and then attach to a tension bar woven through the wire fence to apply tension. There were some problems with that approach:

a) The post that I attached the straps to bent! I had no idea that the cheap straps

that I was using could exert that kind of pressure.

b) I tried to tension a 50' length of fencing, but even after applying enough force

to bend the t-post, there was barely any tension in the fence.

c) When I reduced the length of fence to around 20', the results were much better,

but I still bent the attached post.

d) My car cannot fit near that area so I van't use it as an anchor point. I have a

small garden tractor that hasn't been started in 2 years, plus I don't think that

It is heavy enough to work as an anchor.

e) There are plenty of trees around, but they are all off to the side of the fence

line (of course), so again, no anchor points.

f) I will probably have to content myself with only applying tension to the 5' of

wire between posts. If so I will probably not bother using the straps at all

since it would take forever to set them up every 5'.

3. Being old and recovering from surgeries makes driving the t-posts REALLY hard.

It's made even more difficult by my having to use a step ladder to reach the top of

the 8' t-posts. Again a few things that are helping:

a) Wetting the ground before I start to drive the post makes it a little easier.

b) Using a 17 lb. 60 in. pinch point bar that I got from Harbor Freight to start the

post hole speeds things up as well.

Note: before anyone asks, there isn't anyone with an electric or gas powered post

driver to rent and I'm not sure that I would have the strength to use one

anyway.

c) Resigning myself to taking very frequent breaks and that I probably won't have

the fence finished in time to have a garden this year.

But! I am still making progress, so I'm counting that as a win. Plus, as I work on the fence almost daily (I did have to stop for over a week when I strained my back) I'm bound to get stronger and more able to work for longer periods of time. Not exactly the workout program that I had in mind, but definitely a workout nonetheless.

if anyone has any thoughts or suggestions on making this process easier and/or faster I would appreciate the help. Just don't bother telling me to hire someone-I can't afford it.