Best way to install T-posts

[TheMan419]

25 just do by hand with the pounder from tsc unless you have a back problem or something.

I have literally pushed hundreds in with the bottom of the tractor bucket no hardware welded on. You have to adjust to deal with the fact the bucket does not move straight up and down.

The length of the post is the over all length. You bury about a foot and a half.

 

[California]

For a small project, I made up a post pounder with 3 ft of scrap 2 inch galvanized pipe and the matching end cap. No handles needed if you won't operate it for very long.

For this project I would use lightweight posts so they deform if hit rather than sending a ricochet back at you.

 

[MF RED in MT]

And what size.....???

I'm going to hang steel targets along a winding 250 yd path I cleared along a creekbed with real high natural berms. Idea is to have a long lane you can walk down and engage targets with pistol, PCC, or AR with 22 conversion kit. Not going to be centerfire rifle distance. I'm thinking best way to do this would be 10-12" gongs with 1 hanging hole and use the T-post target hangers similar to Amazon.com: Steel Target Hanger, T Post AR5 / A36 Plate Mount: Home Improvement. Problem is the ground is pretty rocky and the hillside has lots of roots, vines. Just get a T-post driver at TSC and hammer away or is there a better way? Probably do about 25, and add on as funds for more targets available over time. Otherwise, I won't be installing T-posts for anything else - not doing a fence or anything later on.

The T-posts at TSC range from 3' to 10'. Ideally I'd want the target about 3-4' high. So does the size of the post mean once you drive it in the ground there is that much still sticking up? i.e bury the ears of a 4' post and the top is 4' above ground level or there's only 3' remaining above ground because you buried 1'? Seems to be 2 flavors - studded & light duty. Since I'm not trying to make a fence with livestock leaning against it, I'd want the light duty ones? Or I need the heavier ones so they don't get mangled if they hit a rock while driving into ground or don't rust away quickly?

And then real dumb question.....can I just get it started then just push it in with tractor bucket or do I just need to keep pounding them with the post driver until deep enough?

I have used a hand post driver tool to drive T post (well maybe the wife has used it) and 2" diameter wooden garden area post, and it's not easy in Montana because there is a reason they call it the "Rocky Mountains".

At our gun club range we have large steel frames made out of 4" x 4" x 1/4" angle iron showing the legs at a 45 degrees from the shooting area.

We hang 2 sheets of 4' x 8' OSB on the inside of the frames with chain, and the steel frames get shot up like Swiss Cheese until they fall to the ground.

Then we repeat the process to fix the targets.

I have made my own portable target stands for paper and steel targets to use at our gun club range and made up a similar tube steel target holder (that you have linked above) for each of my AR500 targets, but now I just hang the targets from a piece of 3/16" welded chain with "S" hooks.

If it were me I'd used the KISS method for each target:

A 6" piece of rectangular tube steel 4" x 2" x 1/8" and weld on two sides a 18" piece of 1/2" rebar, and paint it, and pound this into the ground (if the wood is to loose for you, just shoot the steel tube a few times as needed).

Then I would use 4' pieces of 2 x 4 wood that just slips into the tube steel next to the ground.

I would then take a 3/8" piece of rebar about 12" long and bend a "V" shape on one end, drill a hole near the top of the 2 x 4 for a snug fit, pound the rebar into the wood and hang the steel target.

This or a similar system would allow for low cost and easy replacement as needed.

Just a thought, good luck,

KC

Oh, and I did try using my bucket to drive the T post, does not work on my property.

 

[EddieWalker]

For just a few T posts like you are doing, I would pick the ones that I like the look of the best. Bright green with white tops are my favorite. From what I've seen, the light duty posts are the short ones. I don't have much experience with them because what I have tried, has bent on me. I would stick with a regular 6 foot post, or whatever length is available that you like the look of and either deal with the extra height, or cut it off ounce it's installed.

I would get a regular post pounder. It's something that never wears out and you will find that it comes in handy when you need it.

Since your ground is rocky and full of roots, I would get a sacrificial 3/4 or 1inch wood auger and use it to pre drill the holes. The dirt will ruin the drill bit for wood working, but it will last a very long time for drilling into super hard dirt. On my land, I have what Iron Ore, which is a very solid packed gravel red clay. For that, I use a SDS Max rotary hammer to pre drill my holes. The difference between pounding into the ground with and without a hole already drilled is night and day.

 

[Ford850]

The studded t-posts from TSC are light weight, 1.25lbs per foot I think. Oosik mentioned 133's above, which are the heavier 1.33lbs per foot I believe. Driving by hand, the lighter posts should be fine as they deflect off rocks or roots. If you tried forcing them they will bend pretty easily.

 

[tallyho8]

I always use the heavier t-posts and drive them down with my tractor bucket pushing them a few inches at a time and then raising my bucket each time to let the pole straighten out before I push it down more. In extremely dry weather when my ground is hard as a brick, I fill my bucket with sand or dirt and the extra weight makes the poles push down easy.