Moving those massive concrete pillars with a digger is a solid way to save on material costs, but getting them to acutally stay put once you shift them is the real challenge. Most people just think about the foundation, but if you don't tie that pillar into the existing wall properly, you’ll see a nasty vertical crack appearing within a year. Instead of flimsy brackets, I always recommed drilling into the existing wall and the pillar to resin-fix some 12mm rebar starters. Brackets won't cut it here. It creates a much stronger mechanical bond than any surface-mounted piece of metal ever coud. Just make sure your new foundation bed is deep enought to handle the weight without sinking, as that's usally where the shearing starts. When you finally drop the pillar into place, use a high-strength non-shrink grout for the joint between the two concrete faces. It fills the voids better than standard mortar and keeps things watertight. It's a bit of a workout getting everythign lined up perfectly with the machine, but taking that extra twenty minutes to level it perfectly saves a massive headache later.
How I finally solved the pillar-to-wall gap — steps that actually worked
Jul 31, 2026
Last reply: 1 day ago
4 Replies
I tried this exact setup last spring when I was moving two 400kg pillars for my new entrance. I went with 16mm rebar starters instead of 12mm just becuase I had a few offcuts lying around from a previous slab pour. Getting those holes lined up while dangling the pillar from a set of chains on my JCB was definatly the most stressful part of the weekend. If you’re even a couple of millimeters off, that rebar just won't slide in.
I used Fischer FIS V resin for the anchors and it grabbed onto the old wall within twenty minutes. For the gap, I swapped the standard mortar for SikaGrout-212. It flows like soup but sets up incredibly dense. I found that taping off the edges of the joint helps keep the finish clean, otherwise, that grout runs everywhere and leaves a mess on the face of the stone. It’s been thru a full freeze-thaw cycle now and there isn't a single hairline crack to be found. The main thing I learned was to keep the pillar slightly tilted back toward the wall as you lower it; if it leans out even a fraction, the weight puts too much tension on the top rebar before the grout even has a chance to cure.
Spot on with the SikaGrout-212, but if you relly want it bombproof, make sure you're blowing out those holes with a proper pump before the resin goes in. I used a Hilti TE 70 to bore my 18mm holes for 16mm bar, and even a bit of dust will drop your pull-out strength by 40%. Once the grout is set, I always run a bead of Sikaflex 11FC down the vertical joint. It handles the micro-movements better than leaving the grout exposed. If moisture gets behind the grout and freezes, it'll pop the face off eventually, no matter how much rebar you've got pinned in there.
If you're drilling those deep holes into old, cured concrete, grab a Bosch Bulldog Xtreme bit. Standard masonry bits wander too much and you'll never get the rebar to line up. I wasted three cheap bits before switching to the Bosch, and it made the difference in getting that 16mm bar perfectly seated. Since you're worried about the joint, I always finish off by coating the base with Everbuild 402 Water Seal. It keeps the moisture from getting behind that new grout line and popping it off during a hard frost. It’s cheap insurance for all that heavy lifting you’re doing with the machine.
Totally agree on the Bosch bits, those cheap ones are a nightmare for wandering. One thing that relly helps when you're lining up that 16mm rebar is to slightly chamfer the ends of the bars with a grinder before you start the lift. It gives you that tiny bit of lead-in you need when the pillar is swinging on the chains. If the bar ends are square, you'll be fighting it all day, but a quick 45-degree bevel makes them slide into the resin-filled holes way easier without catching the edges.
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