Ranch/homested powered tamper for posts?

[BHD]

as I get older,I find tamping post holes more tiring than it once was,

and have seen commercial tampers/compactors. that I have seen the electrical poles tamped with,

but there expensive, and use a large amount of air, to run,

any one seen a ranch version? some thing a small compressor could run, and not that heavy? but still tamp in posts good?

 

[Fallon]

in the same boat... Tampers seem to be over $1k new. Thought about a used hydraulic jackhammer that occasionally show up on CL for a coupe hundred. But im close enough to the end of my fencing project i havent gotten anything. Tractor hydraulics should be enough to run one not to mention more portable & avalible than a compressor.

 

[ddbackhoe]

demolition hammer or breaker? electric version? Large hammer drill with a custom attachment?
Hydraulic Hammer | eBay
Greenlee Fairmont Pavement Breaker 45 lb Class Hydraulic Jack Hammer HPB45 1 | eBay

1 1 2" SDS Rotary Hammer Drill Kit Concrete Demolition Tool 1 5HP w Bits Case | eBay

 

[newbury]

Assuming your tamping posts, not holes
http://www.rohrermfg.com/

Several threads here praising them.

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/projects/237301-has-anyone-used-rohrer-98e.html

is one.

 

[BukitCase]

I have this one

http://www.rohrermfg.com/post-drivers/99e-m-post-driver/

weighs almost 40 lbs by itself, I've used it to drive pointed 4x4's with an adapter I built - I think if I were gonna use it to tamp AROUND posts (and I may need to) I would grind a long "dog point" on a custom set screw (normally just tightens up on the post being driven) so it wouldn't mess up the threads, and wouldn't let the "tamp adapter" slip on the driver.

I have the T post adapter and a 2" square one, if you have much in the way of shop tools I'd build my own adapters except for maybe the T post one, they're just a piece of 5/8 plate with a sae tapped (3/8 or 7/16, don't recall) hole in the side for the T-handled set screw, and 2 clearance holes at the perimeter to bolt onto the air cylinder.

Works well, runs on a little oilless nail gun compressor, (check specs on their site for air consumption) should do OK on a genny with over 2500 running watts -

At 71, 40 lbs overhead is starting to get irritating so when I start my re-fence project ('bout 3000 feet) I'll probably fab a 3PH mounted "mini-jib crane" and hang one of the 2500# HF winches on it on one of my tractors so I can do more than 10 posts a day

IF you dont think you're ever gonna drive anything bigger than a T post, I think the smaller ones would do OK for tamping duty (soil/rock type dependent, of course)

HTH... Steve

 

[BHD]

I am talking about tamping the dirt around the posts, not driving posts, I have a T post driver, but building some corrals and using steel pipe, 6" pipe and digger is a 9" hole, (digging them, so I can fill them with concrete, in time, so if the steel rots off the posts will not fail), but would like a good way to tamp them (the HOLE) good when back filling them.

 

[bcp]

I believe he was suggesting the idea of the powered post driver as a tamper. For example, a T-post with a 3 inch disk welded on the end could be inserted into the driver and used as a tamper.

Bruce

 

[BukitCase]

Bruce, you're right - first paragraph after the link. I tried not to get too wordy (rare for me :=)

BHD, I don't know WHICH driver you already have, but if it will take the HEAVY T posts Bruce may have hit on a way. As soft as some T posts can be, I don't know that a lighter gauge post would hold up to that much pounding.

The Rohrer drivers have a T handle locking screw that needs to be pretty tightly screwed against the side of the post to work right, so if/when I need to drill holes and tamp AROUND posts, I will drill a hole THROUGH my "tamping adapter", make a new locking screw out of a grade 5 bolt (tougher and less brittle than Gr.8), and turn the end threads off (dog point) of that locking screw (so it can get unscrewed without messing up the female threads)

Most of the above will ONLY make sense if you are familiar with the Rohrer drivers, but if we knew WHICH T post driver you had, someone might come up with a cheap way to utilize it as a tamper... Steve

 

[BHD]

sorry I miss under stood, that is a possible working idea, Thank you,

some thing like this guy made, (his is a rock breaker) but some thing may be worth the effort and basically the cost of either the T post like suggested or buy the round adapter, (some how I missed posting the link ot the guys story)

Rohrer

 

[BHD]

this is what I came up with for the time being. or my first try, I may try the Rohrer ponder, but it is not light either, I was wanting some thing that was light and easy to move and lift up and re positon, the tamper,

so I was thinking about an air hammer, (have seen the air floor scrapers, but figured if I would put one of them in a hole with a altered end on it the dirt would kill in short order,

so I went to the shop and found a old air chisel, and some bits, one was a center punch type bit,

it nearly fit in side a 3/8" pipe, loosely, and then took a 7/16" rod and ran up in the pipe and drilled the end with a center drill so the punch would work on it, and then, cut a 1 1/2" shaft off about 1" long and drilled it so the pipe would fit in it, and then drilled holes to plug weld the rod in place, and the punch. I used 7018

I know in past experience, welding on chisels is not very successful,

so is there a way of doing it where it will hold, in about 2 mins, of use the plug weld is loose, it is entrapping the chisel, the picture with chisel end,

is there a way of welding the chisel, so it will hold,

Or should I just, turn out a regular shaft to the shape of the chisel and put in, but then I am concerned it will mushroom out and not last either,

I do not know if this will work reliability but I wanted to try.