Because they are so deep, using something as leverage (even the post driver trick) won’t work because of how deep they are. I don’t own a jack.
The soil is hard and filled with rocks. Roots from nearby plants are wrapped around each one.
I really don’t feel like digging a bunch of 3 foot deep holes, but there are only 8 of these, so I don’t want to go out and rent or buy a tool.
Advice?
by NottheIRS1
41 Comments
Cut them off and cap them? Not wanting to rent/buy is gonna mean hard manual labor to get them out or leaving them somehow.
Google “pull a post or stump using a wheel” or something similar.
Push/pull it back and forth aggressively in multiple directions until it feels loose, should slide out when loose enough. Or cut it off with a grinder below the surface.
Thats farm jack central.
They sell tool that removes them super easy
https://www.homedepot.com/p/AMERICAN-POWER-PULL-36-in-Metal-Fence-Post-Puller-14600/331189706
Found mine for cheaper at a local ranch store.
They make a t-post remover that most hardware stores will rent cheaper than cutting off would cost. It little elbow greese and can usually pull stuff deeper than that l, UT if you don’t want to rent the thing…
List them for free on Facebook marketplace. I’d come pull them out today if you were close to me just to get some free t-posts.
Get a floor jack and chain it together.
Borrow a jack and block of wood. Or borrow a Bobcat. Or get a Dodge Ram and wrap a chain around it. Cut them and place a piece of flat stone over them.
They were pounded in. The roots are the killer. Dig down a foot and twist them back and forth. They are brittle, will metal fatigue and will eventually break off.
Use that long fence rail and a large rock. Make a fulcrum. Simple lashing with rope, strap or whatever you have.
Won’t a fence post puller work?? Shouldn’t matter how deep they are. Especially if you have non rocky soils and they aren’t concreted in. If you’re working with fence posts regularly you should have a post puller.
That’s really shallow for northern MN.
Couldn’t be easier! Back your tractor up until one of the rear wheels just touches the post. Wrap your chain around the post several times as close to the ground as you can, run it over the top of the tractor tire, and then tuck it under the front of the tire. As you slowly pull forward in your lowest gear, the post will come out. And Bob’s your uncle.
Well you don’t want to get a jack, and don’t want to get other equipment, so why are you asking for advice if you just say no? Just keep them in the ground then if you think you are better than that. How you get it out of the ground otherwise is with a front end loader/skidsteer and a chain or three point hitch to pull it up out of the ground. A jack and chain works too but takes longer .
Torch or grind off just below ground. Pound down with sledge hammer. Beer O’clock.
These are typically pounded in and will come out with some leverage. Farm jack will take them out, but I just wrap them with a chain and hook the end on my loader bucket and they lift right out. Same principle as using a jack if you don’t know someone with a loader. Ask friends and family if they have a jack you can borrow.
Don’t listen to people saying to cut it off. That’s not good and could cause problems down the road. There’s an easy tool for pulling tposts.
Can pick up a bottle jack pretty cheap at Harbor Freight. It’ll be useful for all kinds of shit. Might be able to improvise with the spare kit jack that comes with your car.
Number one, go buy a jack because it’s a hell of a lot more useful than you think. Number two, drill a 1/4 inch hole in the bottom of a 5 gallon bucket close to the edge, fill that with water, put that hole as close as you can to the post and let it drain out twice. Smooth like butter. But also get the jack.
pipe wrench and a 2-3 ton floor jack.
Farm jack is the easiest way to remove those posts
Jack or wheel puller
Use an old car bumper jack and a chain.
Do you have a pipe wrench? Adjust wrench to catch the post and jack up under the pipe wrench. Repeat as throw of jack reach’s end point. Still gotta get a jack, but you need one anyway as they are useful. Easier than fooling with a chain with the jack. YouTube it.
I use the post driver they were installed with.
Be glad they’re only 36″. Up there the frost line is closer to 48″ where they should have been put.
Below the frost line
T post puller is worth it!
Is that supposed to be a deep hole?
I’ll be the first to say it – Your grandfather was a savage!
Give this a try?
https://www.reddit.com/r/Damnthatsinteresting/s/tZe0ep6EBK
Use a floor jack or high lift jack and a piece of chain
Power washer and shop vac if available. Basically a diy version of hydro excavation
https://youtu.be/DYnqI78edFA?feature=shared
Dig a few inches down and cut off w saw or grinder. Fill back in.
This is really easy, I just use my superhuman strength. There’s way more than enough there to grip on to
Do they need to be out of the ground or just not above ground? If the latter, angle grinder and then fill in with soil.
Got a tractor with a bucket and a chain?
He didn’t dig it, he most likely used a driving tool that also doubles as a removal tool.
I bet when he finished he said, “there, those ain’t going anywhere”