Hank makes a new friend, which upsets the balance of things as far as Dale and Bill are concerned
Hank rents a loader back-hoe to help Bill install his new, gigantic septic tank. After a frustrating afternoon of digging up the yard and watching Dale play with the back-hoe, Hank retreats to the peace and quiet of the Mega-Lo-Mart. There, he meets a man named Hal, with whom he has a lot in common--they even drive the same model truck! The next day, Hank runs into the Hal again at the gas station and the two decide to grab a beer.
As the two new friends spend more and more time together, Bill and Dale start feeling a bit ignored. They follow Hank and Hal and watch with jealousy as the two enjoy shopping at the sporting goods store and playing guitar. But the worst is when Hank and Hal successfully install Bill's septic tank, without even asking Bill or Dale for help. Dale concludes, "whoever controls the back-hoe, controls Hank," and so they head off to an abandoned pet cemetery to practice their maneuvers. Naturally, they maneuver themselves into trouble and get trapped in a giant hole they've created. In the meantime, Hank and Hal have decided to "break up," because their long-distance (20-mile) friendship just isn't convenient. When he realizes the back-hoe was never returned, Hank traces his friends' path of destruction to the pet cemetery and rescues them. He admits that Hal could never replace Bill and Dale because they are something Hal will never be--neighbors.