wrought iron designer
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whats the best way to dig your hole for your gate posts i have been making gates for someone else for a few years but never seen them fitted. thanks
- Thread starter wrought iron designer
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mart
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Peronally i started with a spade, but that is ok if the ground is soft enough.One hole (2 feet deep) was fine with the spade, but the 2nd hole was a bit of a ball acher. I hit rocks and it was time for the pick. I could only go so deep with the pick because i wanted to keep the hole quite narrow. So, then i bought an 18" cold chisel and alternated between this and the pneumatic drill with various sized SDS bits. I got there eventually. Having rock around the sides of the hole is not a bad thing in respect of support.
wyn
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I have always used a bar and a spade. Loosen it up a bit with the bar then dig it out with the spade..then back to the bar etc.etc. If you hit a large stone try and break it up, failing that it has to be dug out...the problem then is the hole gets bigger.
I have used one of those petrol driven post hole borers but they tend to stop on even the smallest stones..and it doesn't do your wrists much good.
I have used one of those petrol driven post hole borers but they tend to stop on even the smallest stones..and it doesn't do your wrists much good.
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Grafting spade, 5' crow bar and a set of 'shuvholers'. Oh and someone else operating them.
A CAT Services Locator wouldnt go a miss either. Well worth the spend.
A CAT Services Locator wouldnt go a miss either. Well worth the spend.
ghound
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If your doing a medium to large gate with a fair bit of weight, hire out a 1.5 ton mini digger. It should cost less than £50 for a days hire at the moment. It will save you time, and your back. Play safe and dig the holes bigger than you need ( a child at play swinging on the end of a 8ft gate adds a fair bit pressure) as concrete is fairly cheap.
Do a deal with your local concrete company where you can collect 1 or 2 mortar tubs of semi dry concrete at a time in your trailer.
Failing that, get friendly with a small builder who's insured, and can do all your fitting for a reasonable price, and factor that into your costs.
Hope this helps.
Do a deal with your local concrete company where you can collect 1 or 2 mortar tubs of semi dry concrete at a time in your trailer.
Failing that, get friendly with a small builder who's insured, and can do all your fitting for a reasonable price, and factor that into your costs.
Hope this helps.
brightspark
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buy a spit or a hand posthole borer
mart
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Hi Paul, what is a CAT services locator?
I am guessing that it is for locating pipes & cables?, but ebay & google brought no results up.
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wrought iron designer
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thanks everone give me something to think about suppose after i dig one hole i will come up with the best solution for me. next question is how do i find out if there are pipes or cables where i am digging dont fancy finding out the hard way. cheers lee
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If your digging post holes regularly, a cat will soon pay for itself. You only need to hit one domestic cable and it will cost in the region of 500 quid for a repair - plus the embarasment. Yes they can be hired. Bear in mind, they won't pick up drains or plastic services.
At the ned of the day, you just need to take care when digging. Always assume there will be services present.
A mini digger isnt ideal for digging post holes. They tend to dig a wide hole in relation to the depth. Any saving in time is lost by the additional concrete needed to back fill the hole.
At the ned of the day, you just need to take care when digging. Always assume there will be services present.
A mini digger isnt ideal for digging post holes. They tend to dig a wide hole in relation to the depth. Any saving in time is lost by the additional concrete needed to back fill the hole.
brightspark
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cost a fortune cat locators. use a set of bent welding rods held out it works 
pops6506
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Dont try to locate cables with welding rods or you may see a brightspark when you cut through the electric supply.
First thing to do before you dig is use your eyes look for signs of old trenches ,stop tap lids for water services,gas meter boxes ect take a rough line between your post hole and possible route of services.
But most of all take it steady unless yuo see a rainbow and a lepricorn at the side of your intended dig then theres not much chance of a pot of gold at the bottom of your hole.
First thing to do before you dig is use your eyes look for signs of old trenches ,stop tap lids for water services,gas meter boxes ect take a rough line between your post hole and possible route of services.
But most of all take it steady unless yuo see a rainbow and a lepricorn at the side of your intended dig then theres not much chance of a pot of gold at the bottom of your hole.
the snooper
getting older by the day
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brightspark
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in my job i drill lots of holes and chases in walls ect. i use the thousand to one rule
evry thousand holes u drill through summat
evry thousand holes u drill through summat
the snooper
getting older by the day
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yep i went through some armoured cable it went dark
