T post driver

[John D]

Mornin boys whats for breakfast? Im going to have to drive about 75-80 T post and will more then likely have to do them myself. Ive been throwing around the idea of useing the FEL for help. is there a way of adding something like the hand driver to some kind of hinge or bracket. I have the bale fork wich has a heavy duty frame work and you can see it better them when the bucket is on. maybe adding the driver to the bottom side of the lower cross brace? any pros and cons would help. thanks jb

 

[mikim]

been a lot of talk about that on here .... lots of folks have done it -- downside is who's gonna hold the post under there? and .. how's your rock situation? I think the botom line is - make your own rig with what you have and try it. may work - may not. My loving wife bought a pneumatic driver for me -- saves me pain in my bad shoulders. Drove about that many 75-80 on one day - didn't feel a thing the next day. The previous week I did 15-20 by hand and was hurting for a week after.

 

[jk96]

John,

depending on what type of soil you have you may be able to use the FEL's downpressure to just sink them in. I put in about 30 T-posts in a few minutes with a helper using my FEL and bucket on my DX33. My soils not too hard though, and I waited until a few days after a good rain. There were a few that didn't want to go and was lifting the front of my tractor so I just added a load of dirt to the bucket and they went right in.

jk

 

[deereguy]

My mom and I used that method a few years ago when we rented a "Bobcat" for a weekend (used it for the entire fencing project). I painted a line on the posts using turf spray paint (so all the posts were the same depth). She was a huge help in pointed which way it needed to go to be plumb. I tried it with one person this past summer pushing in 1-2 posts-what a bear.

My dad and I used the same procedure last summer, he thought it was fantasic- he was on the CUT.

 

[John D]

Ive got sandy soil but some sand stone so we'll see. I was thinking on starting them by hand and comeing back with the FEL to fish them. thats a good idea on marking the depth. If I weld some ears on the bottom of the 3x3 tubeing on my hay fork frame and attach the driver or a pc of pipe and that would keep it from going side to side and let it move from from to back. move the tractor back or forward to get plumb and drive the post. jb

 

[dirtworksequip]

Heres my method of making arrow straight t-post fence lines.Drive a post at the begining and end of the fence run. Stretch a string between these two post about 18 inches off the ground. Now layout the post at whatever spacing you want between them. I usaully lay a 300' tape on the ground and use this a my spacing guide. Stand up your next post at the point you want it and plumb it with a post level. The type that are made to plumb deck post. Then drive it in to the desired depth. The way I check the depth is with a 1x3 piece of lumber that is cut to the lenght of a finished driven post. The last step is to tweek the post by hand and check with the plumb level. The results make for a professional looking install. Its easy and fast and I could probably drive more post by hand than you will get with your tractor because of the time its going to take to set up the tractor in position.

 

[weldingisfun]

Heres my method of making arrow straight t-post fence lines.Drive a post at the begining and end of the fence run. Stretch a string between these two post about 18 inches off the ground. Now layout the post at whatever spacing you want between them. I usaully lay a 300' tape on the ground and use this a my spacing guide. Stand up your next post at the point you want it and plumb it with a post level. The type that are made to plumb deck post. Then drive it in to the desired depth. The way I check the depth is with a 1x3 piece of lumber that is cut to the lenght of a finished driven post. The last step is to tweek the post by hand and check with the plumb level. The results make for a professional looking install. Its easy and fast and I could probably drive more post by hand than you will get with your tractor because of the time its going to take to set up the tractor in position.

Dirtworksequip, while I agree with your procedures. By following the steps, as you outlined them, would surely end up giving you a very straight fenceline.
However, I challenge your assertion about you driving more posts by hand than can be done with a tractor. I may end up eating my words, but, your profile doesn't show where you are and John D is in south central Texas. He isn't driving T-posts into sandy loam soil. I can guarantee that.
My mother used to live just north of Houston. She asked me to set four posts on her property. I dug the four post holes and set the posts in less time it than it would have taken me to dig just one post hole at my place. Where you live makes a big difference.

 

[jk96]

I could probably drive more post by hand than you will get with your tractor because of the time its going to take to set up the tractor in position.

I'm also not sure one way or the other, but do know one thing. I would much rather do this using the tractor route. At the end of the day, I'll be able to lift my beer pain free, and will feel much better the next morning as well.

Flat or hilly land will make a big difference on speed of tractor too

jk

 

[John D]

I do run string lines. I like a straight fence to. I dont mind doing things by hand but thats why I spent all that $ on a tractor. bad knees and back are ready for a break?? its going to be nice useing the PHD on the H posts and I think Ill hang the old hand ones on the barn wall with a sign that reads Killed by JD in 2007! jb

 

[anojones]

Our ground is pretty soft with few rocks- so take it for what you will. I made a t-post contraption out of 4" PVC attatched to a piece of plywood with a 4" to 2" reducer on top. The PVC is attatched over a 4" hole in the plywood base with a flange- I place the PVC device where I want the post and then slide a t post into the pvc and place the coupler over the top of the t-post into the PVC to hold the t-post straight and push it down with my FEL. This way I don't need anyone holding the post or anywhere near the FEL and can do the posts alone. It's not fast as you need to set each post in the PVC but it beats pounding the posts for long runs.