Driving T-posts

[newbury]

Not T-posts but 1 5/8 chain link fence line posts w/ a $24 17lb Home Depot post driver in moderately soft clay. About 20 to 30 strokes to put them in 2 feet deep. T-posts I usually drove with a sledge. Just maneuvering a tractor would take more time. But then I rarely drove over 20 at a time.

Now definitely dig the 2.5' deep post holes for corner and terminal posts with a 3pt PHD.

 

[jdjdjd]

I also own one of these: Man Saver Post Driver, Multi-directional pneumatic post drivers - Rohrer Manufacturing
Worth every penny and factory support is great!

I have tried pushing in with FEL. Some worked OK, some bent, some hurt!

 

[nc redneck]

Years ago I bought a bucket mount T post driver special made for this task has spring retainer to hold T post for one man operation. Never used it as plans at that time changed. Just had a project last week to give it a try. Setting about 30 T post. I messed around with it for several hours and was only able to set one in a area where a ditch had been dug 2 years ago. I ended up bending and throwing aweigh about 6 T post.
Loaded tractor up and towed to my other property where my Shaver Post driver was. Brought it back to shop made a adapter to fit T Post went back to job and put in 30 T Post in less than 2 hours with little effort. No more bucket driving T Post for me.
This was done with a Kioti 45.
Hope this helps
Scott

 

[crowbar032]

It does take two people to drive posts, one to run the tractor and one to hold the posts until the bucket hits the top. I've never tried driving T-posts with the tractor loader. However, I've driven many fairly large locust posts with my 953 Cat track loader in Indiana clay. As others have stated, the soil must be fairly damp and you have to sharpen the end. I didn't have any issues with the locust, but I did break a couple of cedar ones. Rocks and tree roots can cause problems if the sharpened end doesn't slip over them.

I was at an auction one time where a Shaver post driver was for sale. An old timer said he would never own one. One of his neighbors was using one to drive landscape timbers (mistake one). His wife was standing up the timber under the driver. The wife stepped a few feet back (mistake two not far enough), the driver came down, the post splintered in half and hit his wife in the stomach and came out her back. She was dead by the time he got off the tractor. Point being, safety isn't an accident. Use actual solid good fence posts and be stand far enough back in case something does happen.

 

[wolc123]

I will bet that most of them folks who try using their loaders have never seen or heard of a "pile-driver". Before I used one of them, I also did it with a sledge and that was difficult. I can still remember carrying a 5-gal bucket around to stand on and get better leverage with the sledge for the first few inches of driving. Thankfully, I discovered the "pile-driver" before ever getting a loader tractor, or I definetly would have been tempted to try it, and my wife would likely be a "one armed bandit" today. For every job, there is a proper tool, and for t-post driving, the pile-driver is it.

 

[MikePA]

It does take two people to drive posts, one to run the tractor and one to hold the posts until the bucket hits the top. I've never tried driving T-posts with the tractor loader. However, I've driven many fairly large locust posts with my 953 Cat track loader in Indiana clay. As others have stated, the soil must be fairly damp and you have to sharpen the end. I didn't have any issues with the locust, but I did break a couple of cedar ones. Rocks and tree roots can cause problems if the sharpened end doesn't slip over them. I was at an auction one time where a Shaver post driver was for sale. An old timer said he would never own one. One of his neighbors was using one to drive landscape timbers (mistake one). His wife was standing up the timber under the driver. The wife stepped a few feet back (mistake two not far enough), the driver came down, the post splintered in half and hit his wife in the stomach and came out her back. She was dead by the time he got off the tractor. Point being, safety isn't an accident. Use actual solid good fence posts and be stand far enough back in case something does happen.

No offense to the 'old timer' but his neighbor's accident had very little to do with the post driver and a lot to do with not following safety precautions. Any post can split, it's where you're standing when it does.

 

[doxford jim]

For ordinary T posts I use my homemade driver - a piece of 1and 1/2 inch sched. 40 pipe, with a weight on the end to act as the driving hammer. I slip the pipe over the post then place the post where I want to install. Just lifting the pipe and bringing it down sharply does the trick. It also helps to sharpen the end of the T post. I have one made from 2" pipe as well and use both when I install T posts. I made the divers so that they were about four and half feet long which allows a good depth for the posts (assuming 8' posts).

 

[wawajake]

I use this a piece of pipe 4ft long mounted on a wood base with hole in middle. It becomes a one man job, place post holder where want T post to be, slide t post in pipe , 3 feet will stick out , then place bucket on tpost and push down, (using underside of toothbar works good ) may need to adjust by moving forward or back as I am pushing down. Bucket stops at top of pipe.
Works for my clay in spring and fall ............(forget mid summer clay to hard)

 

[cletus99]

I use this a piece of pipe 4ft long mounted on a wood base with hole in middle. It becomes a one man job, place post holder where want T post to be, slide t post in pipe , 3 feet will stick out , then place bucket on tpost and push down, (using underside of toothbar works good ) may need to adjust by moving forward or back as I am pushing down. Bucket stops at top of pipe.
Works for my clay in spring and fall ............(forget mid summer clay to hard)

Interesting...seems like that would work pretty good