Knowing how to dig holes, make trenches and move earth is an important, if often overlooked skill. Here are tips that I thought might be helpful.
The Tools of the Trade
Digging instruments are as sexy or fun to shop for as battle rifles and Snap-On automotive tools, but having a good selection of these can mean the difference between completing a task in a day or spending three weeks in agony. Here are the basics.
Folding Shovel – Every vehicle you own should have at least one shovel. A small folding shovel or “E-Tool” is compact and easy to carry. These get the job done when it’s time to dig out under a stuck car or dig a small trench. They are limited by their size and do not have much leverage for breaking hard ground or digging through roots. I prefer the wooden-handles models available as surplus, but any quality military-spec shovel will do. Beware the [flimsy] Chinese imitations. [JWR Adds: Ah, yes, the dreaded “GI Type” tri-fold shovel. Avoid!]
Short-handled shovel – This is the next step up from an Entrenching Tool (E-Tool). Any truck or utility vehicle should have one of these stashed somewhere. With more than twice the length and 3-4 times more area, you will move earth much faster. Get one with a spade point for cutting into hard ground. The flat-blade types are for mucking, or moving already broken up material around.
Full-Size Shovel – This is your basic digging tool for home or farm. You’ll want a sturdy model with a tempered steel blade and a quality wood or fiberglass handle.
Get several, as these are inexpensive and allow you to put your whole crew to work. One limitation of the standard shovel, however, is that you must dig your hole wider as it gets deeper. To get 3 feet deep, you may end up with a hole 4′ wide. That’s a lot of earth to move if you do not need happen to need such a hole, so specialty tools are in order.
Post Hole Digger – This is the best tool by far for digging deep, narrow holes. Some of the tasks you’ll want this for are installing fence posts, digging a pit toilet, or making a foxhole. Additionally, it’s nice to be able to make a small test hole when you’re looking for buried pipes or other objects. [JWR Adds: Here, JN refers to the type with two handles and two hinged shovel ends that “clamshell” together when the handles are separated, as opposed to a twist auger.]
Auger – These are available in hand or powered models. They basically look like a huge twist drill bit with a big ‘T’ handle. These are excellent for making fence post holes or breaking up the ground for bigger excavations (i.e. roots cellars, fortifications). This is the preferred tool for installing caches made from PVC tubes. [JWR Adds: Except in soil with rocks over 1″ diameter, where a clamshell type posthole digger works better.] Note that the gas-powered models are very powerful and can hurt you easily if they bind. I recommend only using a larger model with two people.
Digging Bar – This is a heavy steel bar, about [1″ to ] 1.5″ in diameter and 5 [to six] feet long. [JWR Adds: Typically these have a broad chisel point on one end, and a square-cross section point at the other. The points are hardened enough that they usually hold up to many years of service. This is is an indispensable tool for any property with rocky soil!] ] To use, a person picks it up and drops the pointy end forcefully down into the ground. This tool is excellent for breaking up hard ground and digging in places where a shovel will have major problems cutting through the dirt.
Pickaxe – Also good for tearing through hard ground. The point end can be used for breaking up rocks, while the flat end is best for hard earth and cutting through roots.
Hatchet/Axe – May be needed if you have lots of tree roots to deal with. A big tree root will stop your shovel cold. A hatchet is often easier to work within the confined space of a hole.
Sand Point – If you have pressurized water available, this is a really easy way to bore into dirt or sand. Basically, a sand point is a section of water pipe that is attached to a hose inserted into the ground. When the water is turned on, the rod is forced down through the dirt, and the flushing action of the water erodes away the dirt as it goes with very little effort. Additional pipe sections can be screwed on as needed. This is a great way to install an electrical ground rod for your generator, or run a pipe under a driveway or road. A homemade version would simply be a length of 1/2″ copper water pipe attached to a valve and a garden hose coupling.
Commercially made sand points are available that have a screen at the end and fittings for larger diameter pipe. These can be used to bore down 20+ feet to install a shallow well.
Demolition Hammer – This is a lightweight electric jackhammer. With a spade-style bit installed, a “demo” hammer can make it much easier to excavate hard ground. This assumes, of course, that electricity is available. These are often available to rent at home improvement stores, and they are much quieter to operate than heavy equipment or gas-operated tools.
Water Hose – A shovel works best for moving soft material. Pre-soaking the area to be excavated usually softens the first 12-18″ of hard soil. In sandy, desert areas adding some water makes it much easier to dig, as it prevents the sand from caving in. I’ve found that a 5 gallon bucket of water is just about right for digging a fence post hole.
Putting it all together
Now that you have a good assortment of tools, digging that drainage ditch or digging up a faulty water line should be much easier. But you will not have any idea how much work is involved in digging a large excavation unless you’ve tried it a few times in your [local] soil and discovered what works best.
Anyone whose plans include building a fallout shelter or other structure at the last minute should reconsider, especially if the only tool available is a shovel and the excavators are not accustomed to this sort of work. The time estimates on some of those Civil Defense plans should be taken with a large grain of salt. Some of the available [U.S.] Army manuals, such as FM 5-15: Field Fortifications are full of great earthworks ideas and include time estimates. FM 21-10: Field Sanitation and Hygiene is another great reference for long-term and temporary latrine plans.