*
I realize there is an obvious answer to this query…just dig it out, however, I am curious if anyone has any tips/tricks that might make the job easier (and perhaps let me end with something that does not resemble a bomb crator). Situation is this: 4X4 P-T post(s), 3′ concrete in good condition, soil is sand/rock (very difficult to dig). Do I break up the concrete first? Any help would be appreciated.
Cheers, Wm.
Add a strap for easy carrying and pouring when working with 5-gal. buckets.
"I have learned so much thanks to the searchable articles on the FHB website. I can confidently say that I expect to be a life-long subscriber." - M.K.
Dig into cutting-edge approaches and decades of proven solutions with total access to our experts and tradespeople.
Start Free Trial NowGet instant access to the latest developments in green building, research, and reports from the field.
Start Free Trial Now
Replies
*
When I was a kid we used to use a lever w a rock as the fulcrum. Had better luck in later years by attaching the lever to the post, w post as pivot point, and pulling up on the long end of the lever. Mechanical advantage. Once pulled a basketball hoop pole out by wrapping a chain around it and using a bottle jack.
*Dynamite.Rent an elephant.Train some termites.Take up whittling.Let the local playwrights group practice Excaliber with them.Cut them off at ground level and paint them green.Cut them at odd angles, glue them back haphazardly, and tell Hollywood that it's the latest version of crop circles.Convince the local fire station that the men need practice in controlling 'fence post fires'.Drive a piece of rebar all the way to the bottom of the pole. Remove the rebar, and use it to drive a single peanut down the hole the rebar made the first time. Remove the rebar once again. Rent a pig.
*I pull fence posts with a Hi-Lift jack and a short lengthof chain. Double wrap the chain around the post so it binds and just lift it out with the jack.
*
Ryan's method is one that I have never used but have read elsewhere is a very good method to solve this problem. May want to make a base for the jack with some plywood or something. Luka's methods were much more enjoyable to contemplate.
*
Mongos idea works quite well. We take a 12' 4x6 cut about a foot off for the block. Nail a peice of scrap 2x to the post for the lever to fit under & lift. It helps to have a second person to help balance whoever walks out the 4x6. It pops em right out.
*Korreckshin:Drop the "bottle" from "bottle jack."Sleeping again while posting...
*Will....Tow trucks are fast for pulling out a line of posts that can be backed up to....The lever works well if long enough and stout enough...A tripod of 4x4s to hook a chain hoist to, will do a dandy job...With many a tennis court fence, we cut flush to the ground and re-space the new fence to miss the old...Saves the customer the cost of removal...near the stream pulling very few out,aj
*Everything from levers to jacks to tow trucks ... good American ingenuity!But if the post breaks? :(
*explosives. hehehehehehe...
*I've dug around rotten posts just enough to expose a few inches of good wood, wrapped a chain on that and still been able to pull a post out.If not, let the thing stay where it is. Who cares if there's a post underground.
*A carjack and chain.Carjack should be the tall post type, usually found in 4,000 lb Ford LTD or similar era cars. Maybe pickup trucks still use them ?A thick metal plate should prevent the jack from digging in.
*The problem you have is that the soil is sandy and rocky. When the hole was dug originally it would have been anything but a nice straight hole. Trying to pull out against the rocks and such will probably break off every post as you go. In loose soil or clay the lever and fulcrum or jack methods work well. Can you just cut them off below grade and leave them?
*I knew a guy who pulled miles of fence after the bottom fell out of emus. He used a jackhammer to peel away the concrete from the posts (metal,not wood), said it was easy.
*You might be able to use a tractor and loader, or use the 3-point hitch on a tractor without a loader.
*For some strange reason, I end up pulling a lot of deck posts after the decks end up heaving with the frost (doesn't anyone use footers any more?). Anyhow, what we usually do is drill a 1" hole through the post, set some blocks on the other side, and use a metal bar with a cheap bottle jack I got from Norther Hydraulics. The metal bar rests on the blocks, and the bottle jack at the end of the bar provides the leverage. Usually takes about two-three minutes per post, but I'm going to try that chain-wrap and hi-lift jack idea next time. Thanks.
*The high lift jack and chain works but if the jack itself rests on the concrete surrounding the post you may want to make a bridge for the jack to rest on by using a couple of concrete blocks with a piece of 6X6If you don't use a chain you can nail or screw a two foot 2 X 4 to the side of the post (vertically)
*all the advise here is good (except the elephant, kinda hard to locat one) but alot of it depends on if your going replace the fence post. I install fences, and we dig to one side, approx. 24" deep, or the bottom of the post, which ever comes first, and lean it over and drag it out of the hole. FYI, the highlift jack and chain works great on wood post, but the chain slips on a steel post. If u dont want to save the steel post, drill a hole through it, and run a bolt through and attach the chain.
*
I realize there is an obvious answer to this query...just dig it out, however, I am curious if anyone has any tips/tricks that might make the job easier (and perhaps let me end with something that does not resemble a bomb crator). Situation is this: 4X4 P-T post(s), 3' concrete in good condition, soil is sand/rock (very difficult to dig). Do I break up the concrete first? Any help would be appreciated.
Cheers, Wm.