Post hole digger

[pdqdl]

Yes, depending on how big the holes are,pay someone who has a tractor with auger or a skid steer with auger.
I wouldn't waste time or money on a hand held.
Lots of rock here,put in some gate posts last weekend, PTO auger on tractor,done in less than 10 minutes for 4,3' deep,12" diameter.
Skid steer is reversible, tractor PTO is not.

Excellent point about the reversible PTO on a skid steer. I had a 3-point hitch version years ago in a very expensive, well-made brand. (Danuser) It was so annoying to use because the point kept walking around and never went into the ground straight. A skid steer is much easier to compensate with.

NONE of the normal earth augers will go through rock, although the skid steer versions will lift out the smaller chunks of rock. Most often, the higher powered augers will creep sideways around the rock, leaving a crooked hole that doesn't match the stringline. Bring a small jackhammer if you are running into rock layers, even when the auger will go through. Blasting a path for the tip of the auger just a few inches at a time can keep your post hole properly aligned, although it is still a lot of work.

Busting the hole out by hand with a rock bar really sucks.

 

[pdqdl]

Not my area of expertise. But I rented one of these a couple of months: https://www.stihlusa.com/products/augers-and-drills/earth-auger/bt131/ to do a few holes at my parents' and was underwhelmed. It really bogged down in modestly rocky clay. It wasn't easy to use either...wouldn't want to do a full fence with it.

Yes, those machines are a joke. The biggest auger they can carry is an 8" diameter. They are real well suited to landscaping, though. Light and fast for planting the quart and gallon pots. A 3" auger works great for spring bulb planting large areas.

Several years ago, I helped a friend who rented something like this: https://www.lewiscontractorsales.co...7BQGuKMl0ojCLEp86jmCVQS5Cld1DhiMaAoXfEALw_wcB and it was (best memory serves) much, much better.

Very expensive. Not worth the money, given all the other options.

But tractor or skid steer sounds like a better idea yet I can rent that for well less than half the purchase cost of the Stihl auger...so if you are thinking purchasing, I'd rent a small skid steer or tractor instead.

Dingo (or similar) with an auger works well. They have the torque to use a 36" auger or larger. Very excellent for planting trees, especially since the augered dirt forms almost a perfectly sized watering ring.

 

[pdqdl]

Either rent or hire somebody with a tractor/escavator and an auger.

Handheld augers are the kind of stuff you use once in a while and buying makes literally no sense. Nurseries tend to use small tracked escavators (1/2 ton class) with an auger extensions: it tells you all you need to know.

I have all those toys, but still end up using the handheld machine far more often than the others.

Bigger than 9" holes are a lot for a handheld, but it can be faster and easier to use the hand-held with a 6" auger and then trim it wider with a hand tool. It kind of depends how many holes you are digging. I can carry my cheapo auger with one hand, toss it in the truck, and run off to the job. The bigger machines are going to cost you time to load and secure the machine on the trailer, hook up the attachment, and then do turf damage wherever you are digging. Sometimes a little more work with the lighter auger is a big advantage.

I'll always take the hand-held digger for just a couple of holes, and I'll always take the big toys for 30 holes.
When that is an option, of course.

 

[Sidecarflip]

If you use it as an ice auger you'll need to change the cutting edge and I'd run it on canned fuel simply because it will be sitting around unused a lot so why take the chance of a gummed up carb. Just run canned fuel in it, not like you will go through a lot.