Last updated Mar 30, 2026
Fences keep children and pets inside your yard while keeping intruders or unwanted critters out. They can also be useful for privacy and noise reduction. Once you’ve decided that you want to build a fence, the biggest question is: do you hire a contractor or do the work yourself?
Do it Yourself, with the Right Equipment
If you choose to install a fence yourself, make sure you have more than enough time to work on it. There’s bound to be unexpected obstacles, so project completion will likely take longer than anticipated. You’ll also need to familiarize yourself with any local zoning ordinances that regulate fencing.
If you go your own way, see if you can find a neighbor, friend or relative who has completed a similar job so you can lean on them for advice and maybe a helping hand. For any DIY fencing project, it is imperative that you call 811 to have underground utilities marked. This will minimize your liability and help keep you safe from dangerous digging accidents.
Fencing is hard work, but it’s easier when you have the right equipment. Little Beaver earth drills are versatile, and you may want to consider buying one if you anticipate more projects, such as running wires under your sidewalk for lighting, running pipe under your driveway for irrigation, planting a garden or installing drain tile. But if you only foresee needing an earth drill for this single task, there are rental centers nationwide that offer our equipment.
Mechanical earth drills are the most popular choice among fencing contractors, as they offer swift speed and light weight. This model is ideal for sandy or loamy soils with few obstructions.
Hydraulic earth drills are best for areas with exceptionally rocky sediment or hard clay. Little Beaver Towable Earth Drills can be a convenient option for pulling the equipment right up to your work area, while our UN-Towable Earth Drills can be stowed in the back of a pick-up truck or SUV. Both are hydraulic.
Mechanical and Hydraulic Earth Drills speed up the fencing process as they can drill a hole in less than one minute with minimal effort. Our models also make drilling safer for one person. Little Beaver’s steel torque tube protects the operator from dangerous kickback by transferring that kickback from the auger to the power source.
Hire a Contractor
Naturally, contractors know where to find the highest quality materials, so you’re more likely to get a top-notch product in that regard. Their many years of experience equip them to handle difficult scenarios with ease. Is the area you seek to fence flat or hilly with a steep terrace? This may be difficult to navigate on your own.
Ask yourself if this fence is a temporary fix or a structure that you hope will last for many years to come. An error made during a DIY installation might compromise the integrity of the rest of the fence. Given their level of experience, a contractor is more likely to get it right the first time. If the fence will be especially large or one that requires going deep underground, you might be better off hiring a professional. Read online reviews and seek recommendations from friends to ensure you hire someone who is safe and reliable.
Fencing Finale
There are many factors to consider when deciding between DIY and hiring a contractor for your fencing project: your time, budget and handyman abilities. If you do the work yourself, Little Beaver Earth Drills will help you achieve your project goals effectively. We also have a vast library of informative blogs on our website to help guide you through the process and answer any questions you might have. If you have questions, contact us directly by phone or email.
Last updated Mar 27, 2026
Maximize potential while minimizing expenses
Providing quality services while maintaining a healthy bottom line will forever be high on a contractor’s priority list. Renting drilling equipment is one way to maximize productivity and potential while minimizing expenses. For specialty projects and testing the waters on new services, equipment rental can be a cost-efficient option if you’re looking to provide more without over-investing.
There are endless opportunities that rental centers can help a fencing crew tackle. For example, rental centers offer a range of machines and attachments for safe one-person operation. Availability will vary from center to center, but you can often find our Mechanical and Hydraulic earth drills as well as the Kwik-Trench in a variety of sizes — perfectly scalable for construction and landscape projects.
Drilling Through Soft Soil
Looking for a post-hole auger that is lightweight, high-speed and digs quickly and cleanly? See what your local rental center has for mechanical earth augers. Little Beaver Mechanical Earth Drills power through sand, silt and loam, creating clean 6- to 8-inch diameter holes for applications such as fencing, deck building, landscaping and more. Digging a post hole takes less than a minute, meaning a crew can accomplish a lot with just a two-day rental. Need to bore under something? With Little Beaver’s optional horizontal boring attachments, you can easily rent the equipment to bore under sidewalks and driveways to install landscape lighting, water systems and much more.
Tackling Tough Soil
For tougher soils — like clay, rock or frozen ground — a Little Beaver Hydraulic Earth Drill may be the best choice. These machines offer more power than mechanical drills, and our models still allow one-person drilling. With their extra torque, hydraulic earth drills can handle augers up to 16 inches in diameter and can drill depths of up to 30 feet with the right auger. Little Beaver Hydraulic Earth Drills also include a reversible feature that makes them ideal for quick removal from the ground.
With even more power and potential, UN-Towable and Towable Earth Drills have a balanced torque-free design to enhance operator safety when drilling through uneven terrain. These earth augers are ideal for fencing, landscaping, decks, sign installation and recreational applications.
Effortless Trenching
Mini trencher machines at your local rental center are a great solution for digging trenches. Little Beaver’s Kwik-Trench can dig a 12-inch-deep trench at speeds of up to 30 feet per minute. They make installing lawn sprinklers, electric dog fencing, low voltage wiring, plumbing and drainage lines and wire cable the work of an afternoon. Silt fencing, landscape edging, root pruning and bed preparation also become faster and less backbreaking.
Can Renting Work for Me?
When it comes to one-time projects — those special requests that pop up in conjunction with a current project but aren’t something you’re looking to offer regularly — renting lets crews get the job done without a costly, long-term commitment. Depending on the length of the rental, the team can even knock out several small projects with the same machine, optimizing efficiency. Planning will help ensure you get the most out of the rental.
Repeatedly renting the same equipment can also be cost-efficient, to a point. It’s a great way for small businesses looking to expand their services to test out different machines and attachments before committing. For equipment you don’t plan on using every day, renting rather than buying saves money since the rental center takes on the initial cost of the machine and any maintenance needs. However, it’s important to keep in mind there’s a limit to the cost benefits of renting if your crew is frequently using a specific machine.
When used wisely, renting can be a valuable tool for contractors looking to provide more while spending less. The fastest way to assess rental potential is by taking a trip to your local rental center or talking to the manufacturers who supply their equipment. We’re happy to answer your questions. Contact our team today.
Last updated Mar 27, 2026
Learn how hydraulic drills work and the safest ways to use them
Powerful and reliable, hydraulic earth drills offer a variety of benefits for drilling projects that require breaking through heavy clay or rocky soils. With the additional torque that comes with the hydraulic drill, it’s important to understand the hydraulic power source and how to use a hydraulic earth drill safely.
Why choose hydraulic earth drills?
Perhaps the most obvious question is why choose hydraulic earth drills in the first place? With a durable body and higher torque than mechanical options, a hydraulic drill can bring more power to a drilling project. Hydraulic earth drills can also drive larger diameter augers with extensions available for deeper drilling projects. Equipment longevity is a factor too. Hydraulic earth drills usually require fewer repairs overall, which lowers costs in the long run.
Once you’ve decided the hydraulic drill is right for your project, it’s time to learn more about what a hydraulic drill is and what you need to be aware of to use one safely. Hydraulic pressure is what generates the force behind a hydraulic drill. So, we’ll start there.
What is hydraulic pressure?
The term ‘hydraulic pressure’ refers to the pressure exerted by fluid (whether at rest or moving) on a surface or structure. In the case of hydraulic earth drills, the hydraulic pressure is the force the fluid creates to drive the drill’s auger forward.
The hydraulic system in Little Beaver hydraulic earth drills generates pressure ranging from 2,500 to 2,700 pounds per square inch with operating speeds up to 150 rpm. Little Beaver hydraulic drills have a hydraulic pressure relief valve that reduces the risk of hydraulic power exceeding the maximum pressure the drill is built to withstand. Once the hydraulic pressure reaches a pre-determined point, the pressure relief valve responds and feeds the excess flow from the system back into the tank. To ensure safety, the valve should be set as equal to or less than the rated working pressure of the weakest component in the hydraulic system.
A relief valve doesn’t remove system pressure, it instead works to prevent pressure from rising past the pre-determined level. The valve reacts quickly to protect against damaged equipment, disrupted work and even injury that can come from hydraulic pressure being too high.
How can you increase safety with the hydraulic earth drills?
Little Beaver hydraulic earth drills improve operator safety thanks to the torque tube, which eliminates kickback and allows for safe and productive one-man drilling without sacrificing power. An optional two-man handle is available too. This handle is more convenient when drilling boreholes between 10-16 inches in diameter where two people are needed to steady the auger. The bigger, heavier auger requires two people to handle it and lift it out of the ground.
As with any project, you should follow basic safety precautions with your hydraulic earth drill. Make sure there are no bystanders in the area before you start. Never run the engine inside a building or enclosed space as exhaust gases contain carbon monoxide and can be deadly. Observing your surroundings before you start drilling keeps both you and any bystanders safe throughout the drilling process.
Always contact local utility companies before drilling to determine the exact location of underground services. Inadvertent severing of telephone, fiber optic or community antenna television transmission cables or damaging sewer pipe is costly. Additionally, rupturing gas or water lines can cause serious injury. To locate these lines, call your local utility companies 48 hours in advance of digging to mark the positions.
Know Your Drill
If you’re looking to complete a drilling project for industrial fencing, landscaping, mobile home and light utility anchoring or any other drilling project that needs high power while still requiring maneuverability, a hydraulic earth drill might be right for you. To learn more about how hydraulic earth drills can help in your outdoor projects, consult with the Little Beaver team!
Contact our team today.
Last updated Mar 27, 2026
Optimize Your Earth Drill with Little Beaver
There are a lot of factors to consider when purchasing an earth drill. While some features may seem like mere details, the effect on productivity can be significant depending on soil types and applications. At Little Beaver, we offer a variety of customizable earth drill features to maximize drilling performance for each application.
Below, we explain some of our most common drill considerations.
Mechanical vs. Hydraulic
The first step in purchasing an earth drill is deciding between mechanical or hydraulic power. Your drill’s power source influences drilling strength, depth, attachment options and more. Knowing which projects you plan to tackle allows you to choose the drill that works with the accessories and kits you’ll need.
The mechanical earth drill offers high-speed auger rotation to dig holes quickly and cleanly. These models have engines ranging from 5.5 horsepower to 8 horsepower, providing ample power for nearly any project. The mechanical earth drills have a standard gear ratio of 10:1 with the option to purchase a 20:1 or 13:1 gear ratio for applications that require more power at a lower speed. The compact size of our mechanical earth drill makes it great for residential fencing, sign installation, landscaping and other limited access construction projects. With optional wet and dry horizontal boring kits, the mechanical drill allows you to take on even more projects such as boring under sidewalks or driveways.
The hydraulic earth drill offers rugged durability for challenging soils and applications. With engines ranging from 10.7 horsepower to 21.5 horsepower, Little Beaver hydraulic models offer ample power for drilling through heavy clay or rocky soils. We recommend the hydraulic earth drill for industrial fencing, foundation pier holes and groundwater monitoring. The hydraulic drill features an optional anchoring kit to install mobile home and utility anchors quickly and efficiently.
Maneuverability
Our mechanical and hydraulic earth drills come with two different engine carriage options so you can choose the best way to move your drill through the jobsite. The standard option is the rolling wheel carriage that features semi-pneumatic or pneumatic tires with the optional addition of a roll cage.
For additional maneuverability, you can upgrade to a specially designed rick-sha carrier that features 20-inch semi-pneumatic wheels for navigating over rough terrain. A convenient pull handle and transmission cradle make it easy to smoothly move the earth drill to your exact drilling location.
Drilling Handle
Both the mechanical and hydraulic earth drills feature our innovative torque tube. This tube redirects the torque away from the drill by transferring kickback from the auger to the power source. Most drills without torque protection require two operators. However, because our earth drills come with the torque tube, the standard handle on our drills is the one-man handle.
Our hydraulic drills offer additional handle options: a two-man handle for drilling holes that are larger in diameter or extra deep, and the high-torque anchor handle for anchoring mobile homes or light utility work.
Work with a Pro
There are many factors to keep in mind when choosing your earth drill and the features that best fit your application. The good news is that Little Beaver staff is here to help. We have more than 60 years of experience in the earth drill manufacturing business, and we are qualified to help you choose the best drilling equipment for your project. Call us today to get started.
Last updated Mar 27, 2026
Utility Anchoring Adaptors Make Expanding Your Business Easy
Are you looking to dip your toes in the utility anchoring market? Maybe you’d like to start anchoring light poles or even commercial grade telephone poles? A utility anchoring adaptor expands the capabilities of our hydraulic earth drill so you can do more with your existing equipment. Little Beaver hydraulic earth drills paired with our utility anchoring system can anchor utilities faster and safer than traditional methods.
Traditional Utility Anchoring Options
Traditional utility anchoring methods rely on two different options: a high-speed, hand-held drill commonly known as an “anchor cranker” and installing the anchors by hand.
Hand anchoring requires a straight rod to screw the anchor into the ground using only the strength of crew members. Installation with this method averages one anchor per hour, a slow, physically demanding process that takes longer than other anchoring alternatives.
Anchor crankers, the other alternative, feature two large handles with a gas-powered, high-speed rotary unit and can only be operated safely with two people. This system is cumbersome and dangerous. Due to the machine’s torque and high rpm, if one operator happens to lose their grip, the other is typically unable to maintain control. In the event that both operators let go, the machine’s torque instantly transfers from driving the anchor into the ground to aggressively spinning the handles above the ground. Too often, the free-spinning metal will strike an operator, resulting in leg or other lower-body injuries.
Utility Anchoring Adaptors
At Little Beaver, we offer utility anchoring adaptors for our hydraulic earth drills. The adaptor connects the drill to the utility anchor for installation. We also offer a high-torque anchor handle for the hydraulic drill that generates 360 foot-pounds of torque at 60 RPM.
This setup brings the benefits of our torque tube to anchoring, eliminating dangerous kickback. It also expands crew members’ abilities to work faster. A single operator can install a utility anchor with a hydraulic earth drill in less than two minutes allowing for the completion of an entire pole in under an hour.
If the anchor hits something hard and becomes stuck, manually dislodging an anchor can take as long as 45 minutes, depending on the depth. Hydraulic drills, on the other hand, are equipped with reverse. If an anchor gets stuck, it can be backed out in seconds.
Our hydraulic earth drill paired with the anchoring system is perfect for limited access applications where larger equipment isn’t easily maneuvered. This is a good option for utility lines that are in residential areas or tucked behind buildings.
Beyond the safety feature of the torque tube, there are other health benefits to using our utility anchoring system. It reduces strain on the operator’s arms and hands by minimizing vibration. In turn, this reduces the potential for worker’s compensation claims and project delays due to injury or work time limits. It’s also a quieter alternative to gas-powered anchor cranker counterparts, helping to protect hearing.
Little Beaver utility anchoring adaptors allow you to take on utility anchoring projects quickly and safely. Contact us to learn about this and other attachments for your earth drill.
Last updated Mar 27, 2026
Using an Earth Drill to Install a Mailbox Post
If you’re wondering how to install a mailbox post, you’re not alone. Mailbox installation is a very common do-it-yourself (DIY) project many homeowners take on. For the least labor-intensive option, we suggest renting an earth drill to get the job done. Using an earth drill, like Little Beaver’s mechanical or hydraulic earth drill, will not only be more efficient than alternative methods, it will also reduce the strain on your back and other potential injuries.
What You’ll Need:
- Little Beaver earth drill with an auger 3 times
wider than the post - Mailbox post (we suggest a 4×4-inch wooden post or
two-inch diameter steel or aluminum pipe) - 50-pound bag of concrete
- Mailbox
- Bricks or stone for landscaping (optional)
After gathering the necessary items, we suggest starting by calling 811 to mark buried utilities and checking the manufacturer instructions that came with your mailbox model. Once you have your Little Beaver earth drill rental, make sure to read the owner’s manual or work with your rental center to learn how to operate the drill. Once you’re ready to go, watch our easy set-up video to see the step-by-step process for setting up the drill and disassembling it for transportation. You can also contact the Little Beaver team with any questions!
Per USPS guidelines, a mailbox should be placed six to eight inches back from the curb and 42 inches off the ground. Once you’ve found the right spot, you can start a pilot hole using the earth auger. This is a small hole drilled into the ground to help guide the larger drill for a more precise drilling location. Once the pilot hole has been created, it’s time to put the earth auger to work! After you’ve drilled to your desired depth, typically 20-24 inches, simply lift the auger from the hole and you’re ready for the next step!
Although it’s possible to install a mailbox without concrete, we suggest taking this extra step for improved security and durability. After preparing a bag of fast-setting concrete, place the post in the hole and pour the concrete into the hole around the post. Make sure to allow a few inches of space at the top of the hole and use a level to double-check that the pole is straight. If it has shifted, adjust quickly before the concrete dries.
After the concrete has set, it’s time to attach the mailbox to your post! Most manufacturers have their own instructions for how to get this done, so we recommend following those closely. Once the mailbox has been attached, don’t forget to add your address. If your mailbox is on a different street than your home, USPS requires that you put the full street address on the mailbox.
Even though your mailbox is technically complete after adding your address, you can always go a step further by landscaping around the mailbox before returning your earth drill to the rental center. Earth drills have many uses, including DIY landscaping such as planting small shrubs around your mailbox post.
