How to Remove Fence Posts
Rotten posts threaten the foundation of your fence. If your posts are sunk in soil, getting them out won't be such a big deal. Concrete, on the other hand, is a different story.
- Difficulty:
- Moderately challenging
Instructions
Things You'll Need
- Bricks
- Concrete Blocks
- Measuring Tapes
- Shovels
- Heavy Piece Of Lumber
- Ropes
- Common Nails
- Hammers
-
-
1
Remove the dirt from around the post.
-
2
Measure up about a foot from ground level and drive a nail halfway into each face of the post.
-
3
Put a stack of bricks or concrete blocks at the edge of the area you dug out.
-
4
Lay a heavy piece of lumber across the bricks - this will act as a lever to pull the post up out of the ground.
-
5
Wrap a strong rope around the post under the nails (the nails will hold the rope in place).
-
6
Tie the ends of the rope to the lever. Press down on the other end of the lever. You, and maybe another person, might have to stand on it.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Dig out more dirt if the post doesn't give. You might also try soaking the ground to loosen up the soil, but be aware of how messy this can get.
If the lever isn't working, you may have to dig all the way around the concrete and use a truck or an ox to pull the entire thing out. If that's not possible, use a pick to break up the concrete and remove chunks manually until you can lever the post out.
Be aware that a rotted post can come apart at any time. Be ready for the post to break out of the concrete.
Related Searches
Comments
-
enard
Jan 19, 2009
I can't believe what I have read here. I have wood post that rotted off and were broken by the wind. I used two 4x4x8 treated post laid along each side of the hole that I had dug. I dug down past the concrete so that I would have room to attach a chain to the crete. Then laid a short 4x4 across the center of the two full length 4x4's to rest my 20 ton jack on.Them wrapped the chain around the concrete plug and over top of the 20 ton hydralic jack. I couldn't budge that suker it was in wet clay and someone says use brute force or an auto jack. Give me a break! I did get one plug out but it took all that 20 ton jack had to budge it. -
enard
Jan 19, 2009
I can't believe what I have read here. I have wood post that rotted off and were broken by the wind. I used two 4x4x8 treated post laid along each side of the hole that I had dug. I dug down past the concrete so that I would have room to attach a chain to the crete. Then laid a short 4x4 across the center of the two full length 4x4's to rest my 20 ton jack on.Them wrapped the chain around the concrete plug and over top of the 20 ton hydralic jack. I couldn't budge that suker it was in wet clay and someone says use brute force or an auto jack. Give me a break! I did get one plug out but it took all that 20 ton jack had to budge it.
-
Aug 01, 2006
I had 37 fence posts sunk two to three feet in my hard-pan soil. We tried pulling them out with an excavator and two guys with breaker bars. I estimate 4 tons of upward force used with that setup, and the posts didn't move. Next time, I will try a very long, 1" diameter auger bit on a 1/2" drill, and drilling down in the soil (an old auger bit I don't care about) at the outside edge of the concrete, several places around the post. That should loosen it enough that I can pull the post out using the leverage methods described in this eHow article, and I won't end up with a crater where the post was.
-
Apr 01, 2006
Removing broken wooden fence posts that were set with concrete can easily be done by one person using a method I discovered. First, using a post hole digger, dig down one side almost to the bottom of the post. Then dig about half way around the post to about half the depth of the buried stub. Place a flat metal (preferably) plate in the hole against the outside wall of the hole and using a scissor jack (a car jack), jack against the concrete plug and the metal plate. It will twist the post loose for removal. Works every time and is 1/10 the work of digging them all the way out - send money when it works to any charity.
-
Nov 22, 2005
First, take a sledgehammer and knock everything off your fence posts. Pulling fence posts takes two guys, each with a breaker bar. Dig away the dirt just enough so that you can spot the cement. When you've dug down far enough that you can clearly see the sides of your cement foundation, get out your breaker bars. Stab them into the sides of your cement so they have a good grip. When you and your buddy each have a good grip, put a brick or two near the end (underneath the bar) for leverage and press down together. Remember to push down as a team. The idea is to force the post and the concrete base UP. Try and do it on your own and you'll just wiggle the post back and forth. If you're going to use a pick to break concrete, make sure you wear safety glasses and boots. A pick can send a chunk of concrete right into your face, or it can bounce off the rock and into your shin so take a good stance. A small hand-held breaker is not expensive to rent for a day if you're alone and only have the weekend to pull 25 posts. Dig out all your posts down to the cement and see what you're dealing with before you rent the machine. Then apply the flat bit of the breaker right between the post and the cement. Try to carve the cement off the sides of the post. You basically want the post to come out first and then just reach in and lift out the broken slabs of cement that you broke off its sides.
