View Full Version : Removing posts set in concrete
bazzo2
Jul 12, 2012, 07:07 PM
Im wanting to erect a wooden fence but the current fence has posts that are sunk into concrete with corrugated iron between posts. The re is also a concrete ledge all the way along about a foot from the ground up which is needs to be dealt with as well. Any ideas?
ballengerb1
Jul 12, 2012, 08:20 PM
Jack hammer or a tractor with a bucket. Could you cut off the posts and dig new holes off to the side a foot ot two?
ma0641
Jul 12, 2012, 08:34 PM
Wow, you are looking for work. Yep, I'd saw the posts off and move the fence too.
bazzo2
Jul 12, 2012, 09:35 PM
Cheers mate, The only thing is that I need to get rid of the concrete curb also that
The fenceposts are encased in as well. Dynamite you reckon. Just kidding.
bazzo2
Jul 12, 2012, 09:44 PM
Jack hammer or a tractor with a bucket. Could you cut off the posts and dig new holes off to the side a foot ot two?
Thanks Mate. That's a possibility. There's also the challenge of a concrete curb encasing the said fence posts as well as a concrete driveway on one side and a concrete footpath on the other. Urban buildup. Thanks for the sound advice.
nedricharddavis
Jul 12, 2012, 10:46 PM
If you insist on removing the posts here are some ideas. Posts that are not set in concrete probably will pull out with a little persuasion. Wiggle the post back and forth as you lift it. That makes all the difference. Shake it back and forth violently and pull up. Repeat the process and the post will eventually lose the battle.
If you are grunting more than lifting, you need a little leverage. A lift stand is a steel tripod that has a ring at the top for a come-a-long to hook into. This will turn a 90 pound weakling into the fence post pulling champion of the world.
You may not want to make a lift stand for a few posts, so use a steel spud bar or heavy pipe as a leverage tool. Pipe works great. Stand up a 5-6' length next to the post. Place a board under it so it doesn't bury into the earth. Hook a come-a-long in the end of the pipe top. Wrap the bottom cable around the post a couple of times and hook it to itself. Crank the come-a-long tight. Now pull back on the pipe and watch that post move up. Don't crank your come-a-long too tight. The real action takes place when you 'lean' back on the pipe with your weight. Cranking hard on the come-a-long will only break or damage the tool. Remember to wiggle that post horizontally between tugs.
We remove hundreds of posts every year just this way. What is a come-a-long? We sell them on our tool page. By the way, I would "kill" an employee for wrapping the come-a-long around the post. It does tear up the cable eventually. We use cable slings instead, which is a 1/4" cable with loops at each end. They are easier to replace then come-a-long cables. You will remember this little tip after just one time grabbing at a frayed cable that sinks tiny wires up under your fingernails (hurts to think about it).
If you have a lot of posts, cut a hole in heavy plate steel that is just slightly bigger than the post. Make a hole on one end of the plate for a chain or come-a-long hook to grab onto. Slide the plate down over the post and when you lift it from the one side with the chain, it will bind up on the post and give a death grip that will not let go (it would break or bend the post first).
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bazzo2
Jul 13, 2012, 02:23 PM
Thanks for that. There is a lot of concrete around the base of the posts as they sit on a concrete edge that goes down the length of our driveway to one side.Id also need a visual heads up on your method of how it works. Got a wee idea.Would probably need to remove the concrete border which is about a foot up from the ground in which the posts sit in.Thanks for your input mate.