Do you think it matters what kind of load you're running? Like if it's just lights vs. a power tool that pulls a lot of amps, does the voltage drop hit different? I've heard people say that for lights a little drop is no big deal, but 112v sounds like it'd mess with anything that needs steady power. Curious if anyone's tested this with a heater or a saw and saw it just quit halfway through a cut.

Honestly that's exactly why you don't skip it. Water sits against the wood without gravel and just rots the post out in a couple years. Tbh I always pour a few inches of crushed stone in the hole and tamp it good, saves you from pulling rotten posts later.

Snapped after 3 uses"? That's user error, not the tool.

Hold on, I actually kinda miss the old hydraulic stuff... @grant.jade, maybe it's just me but at least you knew exactly what you were dealing with, these new electric actuators hide their failures in software and you're chasing gremlins for days.

Yeah, @jason328, I hear what you're saying. My uncle ran a setup years ago with a regular 250 watt bulb in a drafty old barn and swore by it. But then he switched to a red bulb one winter and said the chicks seemed calmer, less pecking at each other. Weird how small changes like that can mess with your whole routine. Guess we all got our own little tricks that work till they don't.