The Best Way to Remove a Wooden Fence Post

Use the fence to help you lift the post from the ground.

Wooden fence posts are designed to keep your fence upright even in the face of double digit wind speeds. When they fail, it is often possible to make a complete repair to the fence by simply replacing a single post, but they can be challenging to remove. By using a little ingenuity, you can use the fence to help you and remove the post without having to engage in too much back breaking labor with the application of the right tools.

Things You'll Need

• Patio blocks
• Tape measure
• Bottle jack
• Reciprocating saw
• Sledgehammer

Instructions

1. Measure the height of your bottle jack with a tape measure. Position cinder or patio blocks on the ground beside to the fence post you wish to remove, directly under the bottom rail of the fence on one side. Stack enough blocks to put the jack an inch or less below the rail.

2. Set the bottle jack on top of the patio blocks, with its lift foot directly under the rail. Position a piece of scrap lumber on top of the lift foot as a cushion. Raise the jack by pumping the handle until it presses the scrap lumber against the bottom of the rail.

3. Use a reciprocating saw to cut the fasteners, releasing the post from the fence panel rails on the side opposite the jack to allow the post to be lifted, without carrying the extra weight.

4. Pump the handle of the jack to raise the rail, pulling the post up. Continue pumping until the post is at least 1 inch up from its original position to break the connection between the concrete footing and the surrounding ground.

5. Cut the connection between the rails and post on the jack side of the fence and shift the panels on both sides to give the post enough room to tip in. Strike the post with a sledgehammer, near its top, to drive it toward the inside of the fence until it moves that way a few inches. Drive it back the other way a few inches past its original position. Continue driving the post back and forth until it is loose in the hole.

6. Grab the post with a helper, both using both hands and lift the post straight up and out of its hole.

References

• "Fences and Gates"; Larry Johnston; 2008
• "Building Fences and Gates"; Richard Freudenberger;1997