Manual boring bar vs hydraulic auger on a tight removal, I know which one I'm using now

We had a 40 foot silver maple in a backyard so tight the bucket truck could barely reach, and the root ball sat right against a buried gas line. I spent 6 hours with the manual bar fighting clay and rocks, then rented a hydraulic auger for $150 and finished the hole in 40 minutes. Has anyone else made the switch for confined digs, or do you stick with hand tools for the control?

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blake43216d ago

...yeah I hear you on that, but you gotta admit the hand bar builds character. Or at least builds your arm into a weird Popeye situation. Did six hours on a honey locust last spring, turned out the "rock" I was cursing at was a buried cinder block from some old patio. Real confidence booster when you finally dig it out and just stare at it. Hydraulic auger sounds like cheating until you realize your back doesn't hate you the next day. But hey, at least with the manual bar you can feel exactly when you're about to nick that gas line, so that's something. Sort of.