This essential 5-foot hole-making tool saves tons of time and effort. Prepare the hole for a round post (or any other metal post) by pushing or tapping the digging bar (item 15-03PB) into the ground a couple of inches, rotating it, pushing it down further, and repeating these steps until your hole has the desired depth and width. Put a piece of tape on the pry bar at the right height ahead of time so you will know when the bar has reach the desired depth. If you hit a rock, see if you can push it aside with the bar. If you cannot do so, start another hole a few inches away.
Drive Cap
If you are using drive sleeves (these come with round posts 15-03E and 15-03E4), put one of these drive caps (item 15-03C) on top of the sleeve before driving it down with a sledge hammer in order to minimize damage to the top of the sleeve. The drive cap is a re-usable tool, so you only need one.
Manual Post Driver
If you are not using drive sleeves, drive your posts into the ground with this manual post driver (item 15-05). However, beware of having a helper steady the upper portion of the post to be driven in with his or her hands, because the descending driver can seriously injure hands.
Pipe Cutter
If you don’t use a pry bar (item 15-03PB) or drive sleeves, expect that sharp blows from your manual post driver will mar the tops of your posts, causing the top inch or so to “mushroom out” to a point where it may no longer fit the decorative cap. Fix this small problem by cutting off the damaged area with a high-quality pipe cutter (item 15-03G) to re-create a pristine post.
