That time in Austin my post hole digger hit a boulder 2 feet down

I was digging a fence line for a backyard in the Zilker area last spring, and my digger clanged into this monster limestone chunk at 24 inches. Tried to wiggle it out but that thing was the size of a cooler and not budging. Ended up renting a mini excavator for $180 for half a day, which killed my profit on that section. Has anyone else had luck breaking up rock with a demolition hammer instead?

3 comments

3 Comments

felix_lane9923d ago

You said it "killed your profit on that section" and I gotta push back a little on that. Renting a mini excavator for $180 to break up a boulder that size is actually pretty cheap compared to what a demo hammer rental would cost you in time and frustration. Those demolition hammers work great for busting up concrete slabs or smaller rocks, but a limestone chunk the size of a cooler is a whole different beast. You'd probably spend two hours pounding on it with a 90 pound hammer and barely chip the thing, plus you'd be dead tired after. The excavator let you get that boulder out in what, 30 minutes? That's money well spent, not a loss. I've been down that road before with a big rock and a jackhammer, and I wish I had just rented the machine from the start.

the_hayden23d ago

I read somewhere that limestone is basically compressed sea shells, no wonder it laughs at jackhammers.

angela_grant23d ago

Exactly right on the jackhammer point. A buddy let me borrow his once for a rock half that size and I spent a whole afternoon getting nowhere, just vibration and regret. Mini excavator is the move anytime you see a boulder like that, saves your body and your timeline both.