Digging through solid clay - how/what tools?
 

I'm digging out some fence post holes in the garden and at a foot down i've come up against solid clay and flint. I've called some tool hire shops and they say their mechanical augers/post hole drillers are only for soil and won't go through clay.

So apart from getting hold of a pneumatic drill what do you use to get through clay? A spade just doesn't touch the stuff and had sparks coming off it where I really gave it some and it hit flint in the clay.

Digging bar to loosen it and then a post hole spade to lift these waste out.

Worked well for us when we did our fence (pure clay with stones below the top foot of soil)

http://www.faithfulltools.com/images...AIDIGBAR60.jpg

https://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:...eqvTV3uqGbjSfi

Have you got many to do?

You can get special clay spades but I am not convinced they would help much. I once tried to dig out a small pond which was solid clay and gave up.

I would struggle on using a club hammer and steel bar to break up the clay for say 6 inches and then you have an 18 inch hole which can be filled with concrete.

If you have a lot to do then call in some fencing contractor as they will have kit to dig the holes required.

Or grow a hedge instead :)

dl

Best bet is use your bank card

















get some one else to do it!!!

If you persist with it yourself I imagine that a hefty hammer and a steel chisel to break a layer up which you can then dig out and then carry on if you need to go deeper is about the only way!

Les

Thanks for the replies. The fence posts are actually for an aviary for my bird of prey and have 5 holes to do and 2.7m posts to concrete in. Getting someone else in is out of budget hence doing it myself.

I had been looking at the post hole grabbers as some people claim they got them through clay but i'm doubtful they would do the trick and if they are just for removing the material i'd rather get on my hands and knees and pull the material out by hand.

I'll look at that spike/spade combination though as might do the trick. Although still going to call other tool hire companies as one must hire out the same hole drills that the fencing companies use.

My old mate would say that you will be fit or dead when you have finished the job!

Les ;)

Hire a mini digger for the day... I've been digging a lake in Norfolk and its just pure blue clay. JCB rips through it. :)

Something like this is what you want.

http://www.hss.com/index.php?g=2151&t=zoom

Aaron:thumb:

Lol it's looking like it as everywhere I call say oh no our augers are no good in clay :rolleyes: so what do the fencing companies use, certainly not drills like that link, that's complete overkill.

Listen to what IWATKINS posted (excuse the pun) i put up signs and signposts for a living and the tools he suggested have NEVER let me down... :) persevere with it and loosen a bit at a time... you'll get there.

edited to say, get one of you on the spoons and and one on the spike.

saves you keep putting down and picking up etc..

Where can you buy digging bars that doesn't involve ordering online? I'm searching google and no sellers locally to me for any digging bars :brickwall

I don't want to wait for next week I need to do it today/over the weekend. Bloody internet has killed buying stuff from shops which is no good when you need it now!

Travis Perkins usually stock them in their shops. In fact, you'll probably find them in most trade (ish) places.

Cheers

Ian

Thanks, just got back with one (exactly the same as the pic above), did some phoning around and found a timber yard and supplies place about 5 or 6 miles away that did them. Wanted £48 for it but got them down to £32 so whilst still more than Amazon I have it now and not next week. Will hopefully give it a go later!

1.5 ton machine (excavator)
Will cost you about £90

Thanks but done it with the digging pole now, a few more inches to go on the 4th hole and then just the 5th one to go. For someone that sits at a desk all day that's some exercise doing that.

Glad it's working for you. Hard work eh? :)

Well done!

Les

Doesn't a decent fork break it up inch by inch?

dl

You could say that for an energy conserving desk worker like me. All worth it in the end though for what will be the finished product. I did make the school boy error of not wearing gardening gloves and blistered the sh!t out of my hands before I realised what i'd done :rolleyes:

Your mate was right Les, doing this regularly would either end up with me getting fit or killing me!

Don't know as don't own one! But the weight behind this digging bar is what really shifted the clay, it's like throwing a really heavy spear/javelin into the ground and just obliterates the clay.

well done on perservering.... those heavy poles can get through anything...

:)

Good work! I'm going to re-paint the walls & ceilings (landing is 5metres tall) on our top floor this weekend and your story of success is just the catalyst I needed. Cheers!

Good luck Suresh, decorating is what I hate most, digging through solid clay i'd take every time! I've still got the ensuite ceiling to do where its started flaking and signs of mold due to no window in there just a pathetic excuse for an extractor fan and i've left it months so far as I just can't face trying to reach up and strip the paint off before repainting. I've got to do it, just need to stop being such a lazy git (too busy either walking my dogs or flying my bird) and pull my finger out.

Forks don't work with clay, I had to dig the footings for my extension by hand (3mx6mx1m) and under the first foot of mud was clay. A fork just cuts four nice grooves in it and thats about it, unless you get lucky and pull up a chunk of rock that ends up too heavy to forking lift! :D

What bird do you have?

A male Harris Hawk :)

Attachment 57161

Could of got a real Pole for a whole day for £32 then sit back and watch them do all the hard work :)

Pick Axe and a shovel :)

Had to do the footings for some retaining walls at my old house in Suffolk and it sits on what is locally called "Hoggin" - essentlally clay & flint pieces. The only way (without a mini-digger) was to pickaxe it lose and take the lose out with a shovel. Bloody hard work definitely!