Metal Post Driver

[Bird]

I think every hardware store in this part of the country sells "t-post drivers" for under $20. Just a piece of pipe about 2' long with a steel plate welded on the top end, and a lot of weight in the top end, and a handle welded on either side so you slide it down over the top of the post and then start hammering up and down with it. When the ground's soft and wet, they go in real easy, and when the weather's hot, and this black clay's hard and dry, you're lucky to get 2 or 3 posts in the ground before you have heat stroke.[img]/w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif[/img] And I've had all the experience I ever want with one of those contraptions, too.

Bird

[jdkid]

Hi Wen yep they sound like the same thing we have here . this driver is hyr( the smaller one's are pto driven)with a tall mast for driving deer posts (deer farms and cattle yards) in hard ground some contractors use a spike(pionted truck axle )frist then chain it to the hammer to pull it back out then drive there post
cya
JD Kid

[Bird]

Wow, JD, sounds like you must have some ground as hard as this central Texas dirt!

Bird

[jdkid]

hi Bird
yep alot of ground has a iron or clay pan under ground .all posts are pointed but in hard ground try driving a 6 inch post a straner is even harder 8-10 inch but if the grounds that hard ya back to hand digging or blasting in rock
ps wen i'll try and find a pic on the net of our post drivers just to see they are like the one you are talking about .most contractors here use side shift so it drives behind the right hand wheel(saves backin up all the time)
cya
JD Kid

[jdkid]

hi wen i found the kind alot of the contractors here use

http://www.kinghitter.com/

there is heaps of tricks to useing them too one good one is to turn the DROP lever upside down so ya don't grab it when shifting the angles the other thing is to get into tha habbit of holding posts by the side not the top (i have a mate who used to fence but can only count to 5 now!!!!)
cya JD Kid

[wen]

Bird, I have a T Post driver. That is why I want one that the tractor drives. People that have used those much, can't hear, but have big arms and mushy brains. [img]/w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif[/img]

[wen]

jkid,

Thanks, yes that sounds like how it is done. Since they seem to be priced so high, I may have to make that a project to build one.