T posts and dry ground..........

Anonymous-0 · Sep 3, 2012

Not the best combination :roll:

Fenced a place off last year during rainy weather... 60 posts and 3 strands of electric in just over 2 hours... Today, had to move one side (20 posts)... Started at 0800 and had to pull every one out with the FEL then dive them back in.... took plenty of breaks and finished up about 1600..... That armstrong post driver just flat out ate my lunch and I feel about every bone and muscle from the waist up..... I know I didn't age that much in a year......

Tom in TN · Sep 3, 2012

Dave,

You are absolutely right that dry ground doesn't go well with any fence post or fence post hole. We had an outrageous drought here in the latter part of May, all of June, and all of July. Right in the middle of it, I had to dig two new post holes for a new gate and install about 15 t-posts.

I've done a whole lot of fencing over the years, but I really wasn't sure that I was going to be able to finish that little bit of work. The ground was like concrete.

Fortunately, we've had some rain since then. I need to hang a gate in another place pretty soon. It will be work, but not an unreasonable amount of work.

Glad you got your project done.

Tom in TN

bison · Sep 3, 2012

(quoted from post at 12:30:40 09/03/12) Not the best combination :roll:

[b:c43050ed00]Fenced a place off last year during rainy weather[/b:c43050ed00]... 60 posts and 3 strands of electric in just over 2 hours... Today, had to move one side (20 posts)... Started at 0800 and had to pull every one out with the FEL then dive them back in.... took plenty of breaks and finished up about 1600..... That armstrong post driver just flat out ate my lunch and I feel about every bone and muscle from the waist up..... I know I didn't age that much in a year......

ou're a hard learner. :wink:

PJH · Sep 3, 2012

Been building fence off and on for the last month. Before we got the rain from Isaac, I could only make four holes with my 12" post hole digger before I had to either sharpen or flip the cutters.

larry@stinescorners · Sep 3, 2012

it was a lot more fun a the petting zoo with the goat wasnt it? lol

Traditional Farmer · Sep 3, 2012

Cut the handles off the armstrong post driver and grind smooth where they were attached,use leather gloves to grip the driver and 'throw' it down on top of the post it'll drive faster without the impact on your arms and hands when it hits the post.

Ozlander · Sep 3, 2012

Just use the FEL to push them in.

Spook · Sep 3, 2012

I've gotten pretty good at pushing them in with the fel. I mark the post to the depth that I want, then carefully push it in. But I am a lazy old guy!!!! (57)

Pair-a-dice farm · Sep 3, 2012

(quoted from post at 18:26:29 09/03/12)
Just use the FEL to push them in.

I push them in with a FEL too. I cut a piece of pipe the length of the post to the flag and welded up one end. I slide the pipe over the post and push it in, The pipe keeps the post from bending.

David G · Sep 3, 2012

I put about a dozen posts in today with hand driver. My boy
wanted to try and made about one. It was nice having him
help.

Anonymous-0 · Sep 3, 2012

ya could of addd a little water where you were gonna push the post... It does make it go easier :wink:

Rich_WI · Sep 3, 2012

(quoted from post at 16:17:56 09/03/12) Cut the handles off the armstrong post driver and grind smooth where they were attached,use leather gloves to grip the driver and 'throw' it down on top of the post it'll drive faster without the impact on your arms and hands when it hits the post.

I must be doing it wrong but I was taught to let the tool do the pounding, weather its a hammer, post pounder or spliting maul. Swing the tool and when it hits something, the tool does the work, your arm is just there for the ride. In the case of a post pounder, since the post is guiding things, just let go of the handles.

bison · Sep 3, 2012

I can push a 3/4"ground rod 8' deep by hand even in dry ground.
The trick is to dig a small hole and fill it with water,insert the rod and pump it up and down deeper and deeper,the water will run down the bore and soften the dirt on the go. Just keep filling the hole with water when it disapears.
Might work with a T-post too.

huntingreen2day2 · Sep 3, 2012

You can't push an eight foot ground rod in the
ground where I live by hand. I don't care how much
water you use.

Anonymous-0 · Sep 4, 2012

(quoted from post at 14:17:56 09/03/12) Cut the handles off the armstrong post driver and grind smooth where they were attached,use leather gloves to grip the driver and 'throw' it down on top of the post it'll drive faster without the impact on your arms and hands when it hits the post.

Done.... This is just a big, heavy, homemade one for driving wooden posts. In wet/moist ground, it'll drive a post in about 12 licks... Not yesterday.....

Anonymous-0 · Sep 4, 2012

(quoted from post at 13:36:57 09/03/12)

(quoted from post at 12:30:40 09/03/12) Not the best combination :roll:

[b:e4d0431274]Fenced a place off last year during rainy weather[/b:e4d0431274]... 60 posts and 3 strands of electric in just over 2 hours... Today, had to move one side (20 posts)... Started at 0800 and had to pull every one out with the FEL then dive them back in.... took plenty of breaks and finished up about 1600..... That armstrong post driver just flat out ate my lunch and I feel about every bone and muscle from the waist up..... I know I didn't age that much in a year......

Click to expand...

ou're a hard learner. :wink:

My pastures consist of several rows of fruit trees and one may have 3 or 4 owners. Older folks and they are glad to have them mowed... Tell them all that when they want to gather fruit, they can just go in but make sure the gate is closed (if there are horses there)... If the poo bothers them, they need to tell me a few days ahead of time so I can clean up for them. One lady is mid 80's and gettin a little forgetful. She came the other day as I was leaving for work and said she wanted to get apples (at 1300) and I needed to clean up. Told her I couldn't do it but would first thing in the morning. OK and she left. Got home from work and the fence was down on that side, the 3 horses I had there were out, and her and her daughter (bit of a nutcase) had mowed the whole row......
Son (who is responsible for everything and who I made the agreement with) came by later and apologized but said he wasn't arguing with them anymore..........

Anonymous-0 · Sep 4, 2012

(quoted from post at 15:26:29 09/03/12)
Just use the FEL to push them in.

no down pressure....

Anonymous-0 · Sep 4, 2012

If you get the wife on the other side of the driver it will take half the time.

Mike (WA) · Sep 4, 2012

The water trick works for boring holes with an auger, too. Water the spot a couple of times, then drill- you'll only go 2 or 3 inches, but that gives you a basin to fill with water again. Wait a day, drill again, fill again. By the third day, you'll be able to go all the way down.

cannonball · Sep 4, 2012

We used probes similar to this one to find pipelines...I made mine from stainless and would weld a spiral weld around point on bottom..That would allow water to run by and would help if it stuck....
Untitled URL Link

Traditional Farmer · Sep 4, 2012

There is also an air operated post driver that works real well but costs around $450

Anonymous-0 · Sep 4, 2012

been eyeballin em just can't justify it..... No problem when the ground has enough moisture in it.. Been thinging about trying a hammerdrill just to see if it works, but the armstrong driver is quicker usually.

bison · Sep 4, 2012

(quoted from post at 18:12:10 09/03/12) You can't push an eight foot ground rod in the
ground where I live by hand. I don't care how much
water you use.

ou got to work that rod up and down like a cable tool on a well drilling rig.
I assure you it works in the hardest ground. Ofcourse, if you hit a rock,...it's game over. :wink:

T posts and dry ground..........

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