Unpopular opinion: 500 fence posts installed is where most guys burn out

I hit 500 installed posts on a commercial job outside Eugene last month and it hit me different. That's 500 holes dug, 500 bags of concrete mixed, and 500 level checks. Most guys I know quit before 300 because their knees or back give out. Has anyone else noticed a specific number where the job stops being fun and starts feeling like punishment?

2 comments

2 Comments

oliver21mo ago

Respectfully, I see it the opposite way. The first 200 are the worst for me because my body hasn't adjusted yet and every swing of the post hole digger feels like a mistake. By 500 I'm in a rhythm where the muscle memory takes over and the work actually feels smoother instead of harder. That burnout you're talking about usually hits harder for me when the job is almost done and my brain starts checking out before my body does.

craig.sage1mo ago

Funny you say that, it reminds me of a buddy who helped me with a fence last summer. He swore the first 300 posts were a nightmare, but then around 350 he hit this weird flow where he said his arms just "did the work without thinking." He actually started singing old country songs while he swung the digger, no joke. Same thing happened when we finished - he almost dropped a post on his foot because his brain was already thinking about beer while his hands were still on the job. That mental checkout is REAL, especially when you can SEE the end of the line.