Removing Fence Posts

I'm lookin' for suggestions on how to remove 20+ metal posts that were installed for a chain link fence. The poles are sunk into concrete poured inside holes dug in the yard...

I can't figure out a *good* way to remove those suckers, with good defined as non-backbreaking and not cutting the poles off flush with the ground...

Thanks,

KB

Reply to
Kyle Boatright
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Hire a tractor and pull them out.

-- dadiOH _____________________________

dadiOH's dandies v3.0... ...a help file of info about MP3s, recording from LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that. Get it at

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Reply to
dadiOH

Fair enough... Got any suggestions on how to chain (?) a post to a tractor?

KB

Reply to
Kyle Boatright

I used a hoist puller like this.

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What held it off the ground was a pair of 2x4's about 7' tall with a 2' 2x6 on edge on top. Scrap nailed to each 4" side of the top of the 2x4 made a "Y" that held the 2x6 and let me vary the width. I nailed scrap pieces of

2x6 to the bottom to keep the legs from going into the ground. My 10' chain was long enough to make a loop at the top for the hoist puller and go around the post a couple times & make a loop for the other end of the hoist puller.

It worked well. It helped on some posts to put tension on, then rock the post and/or frame.

HTH.

-- Mark

Reply to
Mark Jerde

Put one end of the chain two or three times around the post at ground level. Hook the chain, or tie a half hitch if it doesn't have a hook. Lower the tractor drawbar and back up until the drawbar is about 1" from the post. Put the chain around the drawbar a couple times and tie a half hitch. Raise the drawbar.

Be sure no one is standing close. We pulled a lot of posts this way on the farm/ranch I grew up on, and sometimes posts do funny things coming out of the ground.

-- Mark

Reply to
Mark Jerde

Kyle,

Go to your car and get your jack and your tire iron. Drill a hole big enough to accept the tire iron through each fence post about 1 ft up from the ground. Put the tire iron into the post and put the jack under the tire iron. Jack up the post.

Dave M.

Reply to
David Martel

I'd forgotten about pulling posts with a handyman jack. Good idea if the concrete doesn't go out too far.

You don't have to drill a hole. Put a chain around the post about 3 times & hook it with enough slack on the last loop for the jack to catch.

-- Mark

Reply to
Mark Jerde

Wrap a chain around the post. Attach to the 3-point hitch (or the front-loader bucket) with a snatch hook, and use the hydraulics to pull the post straight up.

Best regards, Bob

Reply to
zxcvbob

If you have an Al Qeda (Sp?) terrorist cell nearby, I hear they are active in 40 States now, they probably have access to explosives and have people who know how to use them. They may be happy to blow the posts out for you if you let them use it as a training exercise for new Al Qeda recruits.

Des

Reply to
Des Perado

Have you ever used chains? Just wrap the chain around the post and overlap so that tension will tighten the chain and then attach both ends to the lift on the tractor. Use a big chain. You might find that a car towing strap actually works better.

Reply to
George E. Cawthon

According to George E. Cawthon :

I suspect not. Once that fence post comes out, it's a little less weight than another vehicle, and the spring in the towing strap may just throw the whole assembly thru something you don't want it to.

Besides, a tractor lift isn't going to have the velocity to make good use of the strap. You won't get the "elastic assist" you're counting on, so the "jerk" of the chain is what you want.

We pulled a number of posts out of the ground simply by chaining the posts to the 4WD's tow ball and pulling slowly and gently in

4-wheel "low". Posts came out easily and smoothly, even tho the pull was horizontal rather than vertical.

The ground was sand however, and only a few of the posts (6" diameter wood posts) had concrete, so your mileage may vary...

Reply to
Chris Lewis

One method that might work is to use a big segment of large diameter tree trunk (say..at least 2 feet in diameter) on its side (like a roller). Fasten the chain tightly around the very bottom of the post, run it up around the log and fasten it to the rear of a car, truck, tractor or whatever. As the vehicle pulls against the chain, it will change the horizontal pull into a vertical pulling action and pull the post UP out of the ground. We used this method years ago to pull an underground fuel oil tank up out of it's hole. It worked great.

Reply to
Steve Newman

According to Steve Newman :

The "old farmer" way is to build up an A-frame "boom" out of lumber. Even

2x4s (or 4x4s). "wide end" is on the ground a few feet your side of the post. Rope/chain/cable is fastened to truck (or team of horses, or all of the farm kids), then top of boom, and then to post. Boom is diagonally leaning over post when cable is snug.

Pull on cable, boom starts rising, pulls post straight up.

Just like renting a crane.

2x4s are a lot easier to find than 2' tree rounds.

Or befriend a tow truck driver ;-)

Or, build a tripod out of 4x4s and use a cable come-along to hoist straight up.

Reply to
Chris Lewis

I have heard of people doing that with a CAR RIM since it can ROLL and chain can SLIDE in the GROOVE in the rim.

Reply to
Conase

Hire someone to do it.

Jeff

Reply to
Jeff Cochran

I use a long travel 3-ton hydraulic cylinder from Northern Tool. $29.00

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Fasten a binder chain to the end of the ram, wrap the chain a couple of times around the post, secure it on itself with the hook and pull the post out. $25

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You'll want to put the base of the cylinder on a substantial platform to distribute the load. A hunk of railroad tie 12 to 18 inches long should do.

RB

Kyle Boatright wrote:

Reply to
RB

I've had some luck with a plain old fashioned car jack (not the screw type). The hard part is getting the chain around the post. Usually had to drill a hole thru it and put a pin in it for the chain to grab onto. Also have to put it on a strong board to keep the base from sinking into the ground. But then I only had 5 to do.

Reply to
jmagerl

Kyle Boatright wrote on Fri, 13 Feb 2004 18:15:03 GMT :

Just say, "Honey, could you run to the 7-11 for me?" "And don't back into the garbage cans again, OK?"

Reply to
coldasice

The EZ way is to remove the fancy cap on the top of the post and drop in about 1/4 stick of 60% with a fuse long enough to get behind cover. The concrete will shatter and the post will come out easily if a bit shorter.

Reply to
Nick Hull
1 stick dynamite per pole otta do ya
Reply to
m Ransley

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