Removing old fence posts

[tld]

What kind of post are they?

Most likely cypress. Partially painted. At a piece of property I plan to buy.

 

[tld]

Put a price on them and they will be stolen. Nothing but empty holes the next day.

mark

Not until AFTER I pull them out and stack them up....

 

[tld]

I've left few post holes uncovered but, of those few, I've found a small animals trapped in a couple of them so, once you get the post pulled, please consider filling the holes immediately.

Oh yes. We have three Labs that love to run. One leg in a fence post hole and their competition days are over.

 

[RoMad]

My son was replacing fence for me and he just tilted the bucket down an hooked the fence with the hook that is welded on the top of the bucket and pulled them out with the fence.

My old neighbor puts his bucket pointed about 30 degrees down about a foot from the post, pulls forward and when the bucket hits the post about a foot down tilts the bucket up. kind of messy but he doesn't have to get off the tractor.

I usually pull them out with a nylon strap (choker). The nylon gets a lot better bite on wood than a chain does. I choke it around the post and pull them out with the loader. As someone else said, it goes a lot faster with someone helping, only problem is I always end up being the ground man while wife operates tractor.

 

[JimRB]

I also do choker chain for old round fence posts. I used that pallet clamp thing when pulling up broken square posts the horses have broken off at ground level.

 

[greasemonkeyok]

One thing I forgot to mention, short-link chain works much better than long-link chain for a choker. Likely you will have to order short-link because they do not normally stock it in most places.

 

[bcp]

Square chain will really bite into a post. You can often find shorter lengths in a hardware store as security chain. Three or four feet should be enough to go around a post. Add some normal chain to pull with.

Rigging Products, Inc. Sales Online: 3/8" SQ CASEHARDENED SECURITY CHAIN

Shop Schlage 5-ft Heavy Duty Security Chain Lock at Lowes.com

Bruce

 

[LindenBruce]

I don't know about wood posts. But, I have used my Hi-Lift and an 18" section of chain for T-posts. Just a few pumps of the handle and out they come. B.

 

[rd_macgregor]

If you want to re-use the posts, you're probably best off with a chain. I keep dreaming of a way to pull the posts without having to get off the tractor and hook the chain to each. One way would be with some sort of hydraulic grabber, maybe a modified bale grabber? Another would be to bolt a V-notched steel plate to the bucket and pull the posts like pulling nails.

Hmmm. I suppose another approach might be to cut them off at ground level, pound the stub down a couple of inches and cover each with a bit of dirt...if the posts are cedar, redwood (hah!) or PT, they'd probably be good for another decade before rotting/sinking down enough to leave much of a depression.
BOB

 

[Midniteoyl]

How about a 'j hook' attachment similar to this t post puller? I'm sure something could be fabbed up to work. Say, on the end of a boom attachment.. I dont do drawings, so imagination is required