I am thinking it’s a metal fence post? It has concrete around it. Found it while digging out a section for a patio just not sure if I need to shorten the patio and rebury or can I remove with chisel?

Thanks in advance!

by W1NOSAUR

38 Comments

  1. Just pull the whole thing out and backfill it. 

  2. SlickerThanNick

    Possibly an insert for a clothes drying rack if it’s just near your patio and not on any sensible fence line.

  3. most likely just an old fence post with concrete footing just need to dig out the concrete. Should only be about a foot deep at most.

  4. Novel_Primary4812

    At the bottom you’ll see a sign saying Do Not Remove under penalty of the law

  5. blackdog543

    There is a possibility it could be some sort of utility or plumbing access that’s OLD?

  6. steveinstow

    Look like an old fashioned washing line pole that’s been cut. Had to dig one up in my garden.

  7. AncientExercise3755

    If you’re building a patio there I would dig it out and then clean out the hole and fill it with gravel until it’s level with the rest of your excavation. That way you can reduce the risk of settling, compared to filling in the hole with dirt.

    If you’re not building a patio there I would pound the post into the ground with a sledgehammer and bury it all below grade

  8. JimmytheFab

    It’s the thing I ripped my knee open on the day before I was supposed to go to an awesome water park when I was 10, but I couldn’t go because I had to get 16 stitches , because someone couldn’t be bothered to completely remove the thing.

  9. Content-Grade-3869

    You could just knock it down a bit , toss some gravel in the depression then pour the new slab right over it

  10. It’s absolutely the base for those old fashioned round post for chainlink fences

  11. W1NOSAUR

    Figured it out just concrete and post thanks everyone! Back to digging

  12. Photon_Chaser

    A lone pipe/concrete footing? Could have been for a Teatherball setup?

    May be just a one sack, possibly two sack posting so around 100-120 lbs of concrete slug to dig up if you’re so inclined…

  13. MTMax5-56_45-70

    Cut off pipe with concrete footing. Have fun with that.

  14. whydid7eat9

    We put some concrete footers around our sail shade posts earlier this year. If we ever choose not to use the posts we’ll cut them down and leave the concrete. That’s what I suspect you have here. Old fence post or laundry line post, long ago cut down and abandoned.

    Dig it out and remove it, concrete and all. Fill the hole with dirt or gravel. No need to get out the sledge or chisel.

  15. ShouldersBBoulders

    Claymore, definitely a claymore.

  16. WhoKnowsMaybeOneDay

    It is a cement anchor for a metal post with the base of the post still set in it. You can take it out if you want.

  17. WMoore_89

    You could probably pull the whole thing up. Its probably only 1 bag of cement used

  18. Low_Cream1167

    Is it the only one? Because it honestly looks like someone cut down the posts to a chain link fence. Easier than digging out all those poles and concrete. I only no this Because I did it before.😂

  19. No-Acanthisitta8803

    It likely is either a fence post (looks like whatever it is was possibly cut off level with the ground and forgotten about), an old satellite support post, or as others have said a clothe line insert. If it’s in your way, you should be able to gently dig it out, especially if it’s been raining lately or you thoroughly “wet” the ground around it first with a hose. Just be advised it is not only recommended but a legal requirement in most areas to “Call Before You Dig” to get underground utilities marked before sinking so much as a hand trowel in the ground. It’s 100% free, and might slow your project down by as much as a week or so, but could very well:

    1. Save your life! If you hit underground electric or gas lines with a shovel, it could very well be the last thing you ever do!

    2. Save you $$$! If you damage anything that has to be repaired, in addition to fines you are likely to be charged if you failed to dial 811, you will be given a bill from whichever utility company’s lines you damaged.

    3. Save you jail time! In some areas, in addition to fines and repair bills, you could even face criminal charges in some case.

    Again, please always “Call before you dig” it’s a 100% free service in most areas, and typically accessible in the USA via dialing 811. It should also be noted that they don’t ask what you’re doing, as your are encouraged (and technically legally required in most areas as mentioned above) to call even if all you are doing is planting a few petunias in front of your porch, and therefore if you are building a new patio w/out a permit (I will neither judge nor tell), there’s no need to fear that the permit office has been notified.

  20. Averagebaddad

    If it’s anything like mine, there used to be a clothes line there. It was cut off cause digging out a huge think of concrete is a bitch.

  21. Chain link fence post. You can take it out but it’s a bitch. Easier to cut it below ground level and top fill.

  22. justabuckeye

    Definitely a pole insert for entertainment purposes, ops backyard used to be wild.

  23. Mastiffmory

    Is that my old oil tank that I cut at ground level lol

  24. Lopsided-Duck-4740

    Dig down a bit. Wrap a chain around the concrete. Hook the other end of the chain around a floor jack and start cranking.

  25. CleverPiffle

    This appears to be an unexploded land mine circa WWI. I suggest stepping away slowly and selling the house.

  26. PerfectlyHumble1979

    Yes, this can be removed. You can tell because of the way it is.

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