Dropped $450 on a Stihl post hole auger and it paid for itself in 3 days

Blake Bell · 2026-05-31T09:40:04.345108+00:00

Been digging post holes with a manual clamshell digger for 8 years. Shoulder's been killing me. Finally bit the bullet and got the Stihl BT 131 with the 8 inch bit. First job was 32 holes for a horse fence out near Bend. Ground was rocky clay too. Finished in 5 hours what would have taken me 2 days. Now I'm wondering why I waited so long. Anybody else make the switch and have their body thank them?

jade_singh4mo ago

I swapped my manual digger for a Toro 8 inch auger last spring after my back gave out on a 20 hole fence job. Best money I've spent in years, no joke.

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nina_jenkins4mo ago

Wait, didn't you mean a Stihl, not a Toro? I'm pretty sure Stihl makes the BT 131 everyone's talking about. Toro makes good stuff but not that specific auger, lol.

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rileynelson4mo ago

See, I gotta push back a little here @jade_singh. I rented a power auger once and it nearly snapped my wrist in rocky ground, so I'm actually scared of those things.

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