Pre drilling super stakes

Hey y’all , I looked back and can’t find the thread but I remember seeing someone post about this. I had rotator cuff surgery three month ago and I’m gonna struggle with driving stakes. Yes , I know , and I have some drags that I can and do use but there are places on my lines that they are not an option.
Who has pre drilled and how did they hold? What size bit? How much easier do they go in?
Maybe , now that I think about it, steeltraps was the one that posted.

I have been pre drilling pilot holes for a while now. Use 1 inch wood boring bit for harbor freight. The wood boring works better than masonry bit. Wood boring pushes rocks out of the way better than masonry. I used a 6 lbs hammer for year. Just muscled it in. Now at 50 I drill pilot holes and use a 3 lbs hammer.

I use my driver to make a pilot hole as well as checking for pesky rocks. But if I where to pre drill I would use about a 1" bit for my super stakes.

Steeltraps, would you say it is 50% easier ?

Y’all guys and your rocks, lol. Wait until you drive that anchor through a big ole root and then can’t figure out why you can’t get it back out!!
The drilling would probably tell me if there was a root there or not. Sounds like a good idea.

I use an auger on a cordless drill to make dirthole sets. Tried pre-drilling my anchor holes a couple years back, but changing out the auger with the bit is not something I enjoyed doing at nearly every set.

I pre-drill mine also, but for a different reason. Frozen ground. A masonry bit along with a Milwaukee rotary hammer drill does the job. We have between 6 and 10 inches of frost already.

I went to using lags(18 inch), I had my shoulder done this summer, I have other parts worn down so always looking for an easier way, they also come out of the ground easier than jacking stakes. I have 3/8x12 to cross stake.

Like ST I too predrill with 1" bit from Harbor Freight on 95% of my staked sets. Very rarely ill find a sandy spot in the rt place that I don't have too.

We don't have a single rock in this part of the country. They are all married and have big families! Nothing worse than having most of your set made and you find a big ol' rock about 6" below your set. But I can understand predrilling for other reasons too.

I credit Taximan with explaining his method for drilling.
He uses a rotary hammer to drill and also chip out trap beds in the frozen dirt.
I adopted his method immediately.

For thawed ground use ship auger bits from Harbor freight.
For frozen ground use the hammer drill setting with carbide masonry bits.
Bosch cut great and outlast others.

Swamp - I have done that too.
Carrying two cordless drills makes it easy and efficient.
I use 18 volt Milwaukee M18 1/2” hammer drills.
(My goal is to upgrade to a rotary hammer.)
They make a couple models.
Get the one with the highest torque.
Make sure you get the side handle.

Drilling saves wear and tear on worn out shoulders, wrists and hands.

Thanks Taximan!

Drags and a good dog no more pounding you must master the way of the drag.

I agree with Bandy...drags pre-hooked to a sturdy object can make life a lot easier on those shoulders, wrists and arms.
I usually pound out out a trap bed and then pre-hook my drag bed the trap, cover, lure and go.

I'd like to drag, but these young bears with their smaller feet will mess up my day. The bigger bears throw the trap with their big feet so they're not a real problem.

I’ve taken to pre-drilling just about year round anymore.

Saves me, and saves my drivers! I burn up a driver in a month if I don’t pre-drill.

Bout the only time I don’t is when I’m using a drag.

A 1" bit?? Does that not make a hole bigger than the super stake itself? I predrill with a 5/8 bit. I tried a 3/4 bit and felt that was too big so I stepped it down. Heck, with a 1" bit do you even need to drive the stake in or can you just press it by hand to the bottom of the hole? I know a 1" bit would not work for me in my soil. I don't have sand or any soil that will collapse back in the hole, I am drilling through some rocky stuff

I use the finned super stakes with the retrieval boss and I use a 7/8" ship auger in mostly clay soil. With the fins, it still takes some force to drive them but not a lot most of the time. I typically use a masonry hammer. Without pre-drill in my soil, it would take a 10 pound sledge and you would never get them out even with the retrieval cable.

Great info guys, thanks to everyone

I use a 7/8” bit for wolf fangs.

It seems big but anything smaller still takes way to many smacks to get down.