Things You'll Need:
- Shovel
- Bolt cutters
- Reciprocating saw with metal cutting blade
- Sledgehammer
- Protective goggles
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Step 1
Use bolt cutters to remove all the chain link, so that only the upright, and horizontal poles of the fence remain. The way a chain link fence is clasped to the poles varies, but for all fences, there is no need to cut through each individual link--you only need to cut the clasps, wire or other fasteners that hold the chain link to the upright and horizontal poles. If the links at the bottom of the fence are embedded in the ground or other objects, use a shovel to dig them out if possible, and if not, cut them off with bolt cutters.
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Step 2
Remove the horizontal bar that joins the vertical poles together. For some chain link fences, applying upward pressure will cause the bar to pop right off. If the bar does not come off easily, use a reciprocating saw to cut the bar off at each pole. If the bar did pop off easily, you may still want to cut it into sections so that it is more manageable.
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Step 3
Remove the poles. Chain link fences are supported by metal poles that are usually sunk into cylinders or blocks of concrete. There are two ways to remove the poles: Cut them off at the base or remove the entire pole, including the concrete block. Cutting the poles off at the base of the concrete block is much easier, but will leave a chunk of concrete in the earth, which may impede a new fence, or other landscaping. If you wish to cut the pole off, simply dig down with your shovel until you find the concrete base, and make a horizontal cut with the reciprocating saw. If you want to remove the entire pole, dig around the pole and expose all of the concrete base. Wiggle the pole back and forth forcefully to check how sturdily set it is, and loosen up the earth. If it wiggles easily, you may be able to pull it straight out. If not, continue digging deeper around the pole, and wiggling forcefully until the pole becomes loose enough to pull straight out. If the concrete block is especially large, use your sledgehammer to break away the concrete base as you dig. After extracting the pole, you can use the sledgehammer to break the rest of the concrete off of the pole to make it easier to handle.
