Driving ground rod with bucket?

[vvanders]

So yeah, was way overthinking this. Started with a ~4" trench to bury the cable and just let the hose fill it while I dug.

After that took 3-4 pounds of the t-post driver to send em in. We're still new on the land and adjusting to what I'm used to in SW WA. Here it's just all loamy soil and hay field so pretty easy to work. We'll see how well it does once we get some fence hooked up to it but the 3x6' rods should be a large improvement over our old system.

Cleaned up pretty nice all said and done, last place we had 4" sticking out since it was almost impossible to drive a rod in that soil.

This is also a good precursor to getting the ham shack setup, that's going to get some serious grounding put in place.

 

[TheMan419]

For 3 posts I would just use the t post driver by hand as you did.
We have clay soil here. So when I had to set 200 t posts I did it in the spring when it was wet. Push the posts in no problem. It is a two person job. Takes some work to keep them straight. But once you get in a flow it is no issue.

For our ground rods I drove them w the t post driver. But then you are left with the length of the t post driver above grade. I used the bucket to do the last bit since I had the tractor right there but the shop w the sledge was way over yonder.

If our ground is dry there is no way the tractor is pushing in a post.

 

[flusher]

Setting up the electric fence in our new place tomorrow, got about 1800' to eventually hot wire so stepped up our ground rod game a bit and grabbed 3 6ft grounding rods to drive tomorrow.

I've done them the old-fashion way with sledge hammer and garden hose. Planning on soaking the ground a bit, regretting that I left my hammer drill back at the house we're going to be selling soon. Assuming I get a few feet going is it worth using the loader to help them along or am I just asking for a bent ground rod? Soil here is mostly sand so I'm hoping things shouldn't be too complicated.

Also heard of the hydro-pipe method which is my backup if things end up not going too smoothly.

You'll get frustrated trying to drive a skinny ground rod with the FEL bucket. For sure you'll bend it and end up with a mess. Use your hammer drill and a portable 120VAC generator to do that job the easy way.

Good luck

 

[Gary Fowler]

I think you could drive it (ground rod, t-post etc.) without bending if you used a 1.5" pipe over it for reinforcement. Just pound it in along with the rod or post then pull the pipe back out of the ground using the FEL.

 

[Saitcho]

I don't want to sound too negative but around my place a farmer was driving post down with his bucket but the bucket fell off on the farm hand holding the post with tragic results...... something to keep in mind.

 

[CobyRupert]

Setting up the electric fence in our new place tomorrow, got about 1800' to eventually hot wire so stepped up our ground rod game a bit and grabbed 3 6ft grounding rods to drive tomorrow.

A much more effective way to "step up your ground game" would be to skip the extra ground rods near the fencer and run a conductor (strand) from your existing ground rod to fence posts along the 1800'. This grounded conductor is actually connected to, not insulated from, the posts.

Remember, the way the fence works is an animal/person only gets a shock when the circuit is completed from the hot terminal of the fencer to the "other" (grounded) terminal of the fencer. Normally, this means the circuit (current) has to complete the LOOP from the fencer's "hot" terminal, through the fence wires, through the object touching the fence, through the earth all the way back (1800') to the ground rod, which is connected to the "other" fencer terminal.

Wiring the fence posts to the grounded terminal means that the circuit:
- Doesn't have to use 1800' of earth as part of the circuit. Only uses "earth" to travel to nearest fence post then back to fencer.
- Has a lot of "ground rod area" (i.e. fence posts) in contact with the ground = good connections.

 

[greggyy]

A much more effective way to "step up your ground game" would be to skip the extra ground rods near the fencer and run a conductor (strand) from your existing ground rod to fence posts along the 1800'. This grounded conductor is actually connected to, not insulated from, the posts.

Remember, the way the fence works is an animal/person only gets a shock when the circuit is completed from the hot terminal of the fencer to the "other" (grounded) terminal of the fencer. Normally, this means the circuit (current) has to complete the LOOP from the fencer's "hot" terminal, through the fence wires, through the object touching the fence, through the earth all the way back (1800') to the ground rod, which is connected to the "other" fencer terminal.

Wiring the fence posts to the grounded terminal means that the circuit:
- Doesn't have to use 1800' of earth as part of the circuit. Only uses "earth" to travel to nearest fence post then back to fencer.
- Has a lot of "ground rod area" (i.e. fence posts) in contact with the ground = good connections.

As someone with an electrical background, I always wondered why no manuals etc suggest using the existing fencing wire and posts, but all want to sell you all these ground kits.....

I have crappy soil with rock, I hate wasting time, I used copper clips (not gal) and put them on an existing t post that is only in the ground a bit, but it has a nice leaky poly pipe near it, I can tell you with the worst drought you get belted hard even with good boots and thick gloves etc on dry ground with poor quality poly as the main feed out

Anyone near me who wants to say this is a load of rubbish is welcome to come hold my fence The poor buggers that forget and get too close take off like a bucking bull at a rodeo ! I try not to react like that...lol


PS I have not used any of the excellent wiring on the fences and posts as extra earthing, but I will one day and would do that before using extra ground rod kits without a specific known problem.

 

[greggyy]

I don't want to sound too negative but around my place a farmer was driving post down with his bucket but the bucket fell off on the farm hand holding the post with tragic results...... something to keep in mind.

Was thinking same thing, you would need someone to hold post, would not be me standing near a post being pushed into the ground near any loader bucket....

 

[k0ua]

This is also a good precursor to getting the ham shack setup, that's going to get some serious grounding put in place.

I hope the Noise Blanker is working well in your Rig. "pop", "pop", "pop". Fencers make a lot of QRM.

 

[thekkfan]

Nice view! Two story cabin right at that gate opening. :thumbsup: