Trench for Bamboo Barrier – Part II
2006.04.28
Today, after a little digging, I decided to rent a post auger from Interstate Rentals. I had considered renting a trencher, but there would be no way for it to dig a trench right next to the fence, and I don’t think it would trench deep enough either. So the post auger seemed like the best option. When I went down there, the guy asked me if I wanted a one-man or a two-man auger. I said “How about a half-man auger?”
The post-auger has a 2HP gas motor with handles and a trigger, and then a shaft to accept a variety of auger bits, up to 8 inches in diameter, and about 30 inches long. I took an 8-inch auger, since that’s about as wide as the shovel digs down.
This thing must weigh 30 pounds or more, and it’s rather unwieldy, particularly for a small guy like myself. You don’t want to just let it corkscrew into the ground, or, like the miniature auger I tried to use, it will hang up and spin you right ‘round, like a record baby. So you have to keep pulling it up out of the ground to clear the debris from the auger bit, and then plunging it back down again. It vibrates your entire body, it’s very loud, and belches thick exhaust.
Unfortunately, I only got it started once, and it ran for a few minutes before choking. I did some digging for a few minutes and tried it again, but no luck. I let it sit some more and tried again… but no. I stopped for lunch, put more gas in it, and tried once more. Nothing. Meanwhile, I managed to injure my left arm trying to pull the starter cord. (In one of the most awkward designs imaginable, you have to squeeze the trigger with your right hand while pulling the starter cord with your left… unless you turn the machine around backwards, which I tried after a while.)
So after only having it for a couple hours at most, and only using it for maybe five minutes, I took it back. They were very nice about it, and did not charge me anything for the time I had the machine. One of the mechanics told me they’d ordered a new motor for it, but that hadn’t come in yet. They do have another one-man auger for rent, but of course it had already been checked out for the weekend.
So I went back home and continued digging by hand. In the late afternoon, Nate came by and helped me dig for a while. It was sunny and about 80 degrees today, which is pretty unusual for Oregon in late April. Sounds like a nice day, unless you’re out in the sun digging a trench. The heat really made it miserable, and we had to take frequent breaks and drink lots of water. Of course I didn’t think to put on sunscreen until it was too late, so I sunburned my arms and the back of my neck.
Well, a little more progress today, but still a long way to go.
2006.04.29
Today I got out there around mid-morning. It was overcast and in the 60’s, which felt pretty good. However, I was quite worn down from yesterday’s digging, and the pain in my left arm slowed me down as well. So I really didn’t make much progress. After a couple hours, the clouds went away and the sun came out. It began to warm up in a hurry. I was in no mood to handle another hot day of digging, so I packed up and went inside. After showering and eating lunch, I looked back outside… and it was raining, which it has continued to do for the rest of the day. You never know.
Barrier Trench, Part I