O/T Building fence in a rock area

I need to build a fence in a limestone rocky part of our land.
Any suggestions on how to get the wood or steel post in the rocky area I would appreciate it.

Is there some place you can rent an aircompresser and a jackhammer. If so drill a hole the size of the steel post in the limestone. I at one time when farming owned 1/2 insterest in one and built a lot of fence this way. I don"t remember the size but there was 1 bit that was just right you could use a steel post drive and drive the post in the hole and it would be tight.

An old method used here was to drill a 1 1/4 inch hole in a large boulder.A 7/8 iron rod was put in the hole.Molten lead was poured into the hole to lock the rod in place.A wooden post was then stapled to the iron rod.All done by hand.

Here in the ROCKY mountains if you can't even drill into the rock we make a "A" frame post and when the wires are stapled to it it holds it up,and just sets on top of the ground. Another way is to stack poles on top of each other and zig-zag them.Takes a lot of poles, but looks nice.

I used a heavy pry bar and just chipped out a hole about a foot deep ,put the post in and put sacrete around it .Not as hard as it sounds as limestone is pretty soft.

Tom, Here in Central Texas, Here one needs a Beltec Digger to bore through solid rock, or find someone who does. You might find someone with a Truck mounted Texoma digger. Ask some local fencers what they use. They might dig you corner and various other holes for a nominal fee.
The average 3pt post hole digger will not work 60% of the time. So as the others have said start your hole with your 3pt rig then switch to a stud bar to start breaking through the rock layers as you dig to your target depth of near 4 to 5 ft deep.
Usually driving T-post are not a problem, most Rent-all places have a pneumatic drivers to drive pipe and t-post for about 100/day. Hope this helps!
Later,
John A.

In stony areas of central MN I've noticed a lot of folks take a hog or cattle panel, form it into a circle, and fill it with stones. Then they tie the fence to it. Usually done that way on cornerposts.

I seen a post driving outfit used on ginsing farms on the Niagra Escarpment.
A pilot hole is pounded into the soft rock with a steel piling. Then a wooden post is driven into the fractured rock.

Just curious- do people routinely dig fence post holes 4 to 5 feet deep in your area? The standard is 2 feet around here. Pole barn poles have to be 4 feet deep, plus an extra 6 inches for a concrete pad in the bottom of the hole.

Mike, Howdy, I am not sure what the "standard" is around here. All I know is if you want a fence to Stay Put, not move, not one iota. Then corner post will be 3 to 5 depending on you soil type.
In my area where we have calichie, with rock ledges and solid rock there is flat out no substitute for depth. If is was in then Houston Black clay that is known for its swrink/swell properties I would be in the 5 ft neighborhood to keep a post from jacking itself out during freeze/thaw times.
You can put "line" post in at 2 ft and you will not get much argument from me. All it had to do is support a fence from falling over. Since most folks use a wood or pipe post every 5 or 6 T-post.
Just drive around and look at fences that have been put in, in the last 4 to 5 yrs. I will be willing to bet that the vast majority, are put in at the standard you are talking about, Most are leaning, wire slack, corners jacking out of the ground. Sooooo I ask if one is going to build a fence to the "standard",,,,, and it needs to be rebuilt after just a few yrs........ Build it right the first time. Go the extra on the fence, extra depth of hole for corners, length of pipe for the post, welded , cemented in, or bell the hole, hand tamp the post in and get 35 yrs out of a fence.
ALSO.....2nd and 3rd Most important points........ Do Not Be Afraid of getting your wire tight to the point it is ready to break!.....Tie, clip, staple every wire on netwire fences, Not just top, bottom, and 2 wires in the middle.
Yes, above I made mention of a fence lasting 35 yrs. On this fence I made mention of--it is still stading, and in great shape, just this last yr we finally retied every wire on it and its integerty is just as good today as it was when it was new in 1973. Just my view on fence building, it works here in Central Texas. I do know that in other parts of the country there are challanges that make fence building unique, but hole depth is the foundation of any fence. It has to be right or one will have problems later. Hope this helps.
Later,
John A.