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
• Bricks
• Concrete Blocks
• Measuring Tapes
• Shovels
• Heavy Piece Of Lumber
• Ropes
• Common Nails
• Hammers
• Hammers
• Shovels

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.

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.

[burland]

on 9/4/2009 I have been working on removing 6 fence posts set in concrete for some time. I had tried numerous approaches to no avail. Finally, I found a way to do it that worked quite well for me.

First - I dug around the post down to the concrete and just a bit further. The hole was about 2-3 ft in diameter.
Second - I soaked the post hole over a couple of days working the post loose as much as possible.
Third - I nailed a 90 degree angle bracket to the post. This is the type of bracket you might use to put up a shelf that needs to support a heavy load. The bracket was placed on the post so that I could use a 4X4 as a lever against the bracket.
Fourth - Placed a concrete block close to the hole and used the 4X4 against the bottom of the bracket. (The bracket, when attached to the post would look like a backward capital "L". The bracket should be of the type that has substantial support a...

[enard]

on 1/19/2009 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.

[northernhammer]

on 4/21/2007 There is a really easy way to get a post out of the ground. I've even used it to pull small stumps and trees. The method requires a jackall jack or some equivalent hi-lift type jack plus a length of chain. I use an old piece of chain that was formerly a heavy snow chain (the links are about 1/4" across the thickness of the metal so is not a light thing). I wrap the chain around the post, tree, or stump two or three times times and then up over the step on the jack and fasten it off. Because it was an old tire chain I left the connectors on and make use of them. When I start jacking the chain tightens, biting into the post and pretty soon up it comes. You do have to use one hand to hold the top of the jack steady else you will probably be whacked by it as it topples over. If you want to see what one of those jacks looks like I saw one at: http://www.firstfouroffroad.co.uk/jacking.htm

on 8/1/2006 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.

on 4/1/2006 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.