Gas Powered Post Drivers

[444Powerstroke]

Has anyone here used any of these type machines? I have a lot of 3" and smaller pipe along with t-post to drive in the ground and prefer not to use a auger or drive by hand. I have been looking at these post drivers and so far I haven't seen any negative comments, but not sure if I am seeing un-biased information.
No specific order of some of the brands I have looked at;
Rhino
Titan
SkiDril
RediDriver
Please share if you have any info on these machines.
Thank you.

 

[TheMan419]

You can easily drive the t posts with your bucket. Just use the bottom of the bucket and push them in. Makes it a 2 person job but you have the equipment to do it now.

 

[EddieWalker]

I looked at them on youtube, but I can't justify the cost. They also look really heavy, but I honestly don't know if that's part of what makes them work better, or if it's just me over thinking it.

The Man Saver is the one I'm planning on buying. It runs off of a small air compressor, which I already have, and a small generator, which I already have.

I've tried the front end loader to push in T posts and pipe, but find it difficult to keep it straight, and if you hit something under the surface, the T posts just bend before you know it. I also worry that the person holding the post is in danger if anything goes wrong.

 

[gsganzer]

I've used a pneumatic driver similar to the one that Eddie's referring to and it worked well. I don't remember what brand/model but it looked a little bit more crude and "home built" than the Rohrer mansaver. I remember it looked a bit hazardous in operation, but the Rohrer looks like all the moving parts are shielded and it looks more "finger safe". It wasn't all that fast, but you could control the pole plumb pretty well as it drove.

I don't have any experience with the gas engine driven ones, but my neighbors and I have considered going in on one for all our t-pole fencing we have. If I bought one, it would be whatever model had a good Honda engine.

 

[Al 2]

Search Google for more options. I've seen one powered by a small propane canister on the net and at the time thought it might have been ok. Have no experience with any of them but have put in 1000's of survey bars with a hammer.
Al

 

[TheMan419]

I looked at them on youtube, but I can't justify the cost. They also look really heavy, but I honestly don't know if that's part of what makes them work better, or if it's just me over thinking it.

The Man Saver is the one I'm planning on buying. It runs off of a small air compressor, which I already have, and a small generator, which I already have.

I've tried the front end loader to push in T posts and pipe, but find it difficult to keep it straight, and if you hit something under the surface, the T posts just bend before you know it. I also worry that the person holding the post is in danger if anything goes wrong.

The safety factor on pushing the t-posts in certainly worries me too. I often do them myself by using the standard man powered t-post tool. Just use one "hit" to have t-post standing in ground. Then come along with the bucket and push the rest of the way in.

It certainly takes longer, but my body is not beat up at the end of the day.

 

[Tractor Seabee]

I've used a pneumatic driver similar to the one that Eddie's referring to and it worked well. I don't remember what brand/model but it looked a little bit more crude and "home built" than the Rohrer mansaver. I remember it looked a bit hazardous in operation, but the Rohrer looks like all the moving parts are shielded and it looks more "finger safe". It wasn't all that fast, but you could control the pole plumb pretty well as it drove.

I don't have any experience with the gas engine driven ones, but my neighbors and I have considered going in on one for all our t-pole fencing we have. If I bought one, it would be whatever model had a good Honda engine.

I have used a Roeher quite a bit. My SIL used to rep them. They really work great and do not require a large compressor and are under $500 depending on model, buy direct from the manufacturer. http://www.rohrermfg.com/

There are also hydraulic ones out there, using the tractor system, but a lot more expensive.

Ron

 

[QRTRHRS]

I have thought about fabbing something up to make the loader drive-in safer. Maybe a short length of pipe large enough in diameter to easily slip over a T-post and bolted to the loader bucket. That would keep the post from slipping to the side.

Anyway, fingers crossed until the closing, my wife and I sold our current place and will likely be doing some fencing on a new place once we find one. Our horses are at the point where wire rope fencing will contain them so the next place will be mostly T-posts with just wooden posts for braced corners. I am going to look into renting some kind of driver since I mostly work solo anyway.

 

[TheMan419]

I have thought about fabbing something up to make the loader drive-in safer. Maybe a short length of pipe large enough in diameter to easily slip over a T-post and bolted to the loader bucket. That would keep the post from slipping to the side.

Anyway, fingers crossed until the closing, my wife and I sold our current place and will likely be doing some fencing on a new place once we find one. Our horses are at the point where wire rope fencing will contain them so the next place will be mostly T-posts with just wooden posts for braced corners. I am going to look into renting some kind of driver since I mostly work solo anyway.

Exact project I am working on right now. You can use Wedge-Loc Corner/In-Line Brace - For Life Out Here to do T-Posts for the corners. I am using a 7 footer for the corner and 6 footers the rest of the way around. This is for some somewhat temporary pasture to get the horses home.

Once we start to put in the rest of the fence I want to do wood posts at the corners as well. Wedge loc also makes a product to hang a gate off the T-post. Nothing more than a 10 foot gate. For starters we are doing 6 foot. I can get my tractor through a 6 foot gate. Once we go with wood I will do 10 or 12 foot gates so I can get bigger equipment in if need be.

Our soil is sandy loam/clay so pushing T-post in with bucket is zero issue. Working alone with the bucket is a challenge, but can be overcome. Certainly much easier to work in a pair, but we have to make do with what we have.

We are using Electrobraid for the barrier. It is a bit more pricey than other wire rope, but I like the 25 year warranty.

 

[boggen]

T posts... prefer a backhoe. and a pipe i can catch to top of T post in. the backhoe lets me move back and forth in various direction. to deal with the "bent post" happening, along with keep from bending the post. also lets me just "stab" the T post in by hand. even if T post almost falls over to the ground. i can grab T post with backhoe bucket / pipe end and get it straight.

i have wanted to try a ground rod driver on a T post but never had one around to try when needed a T post put in.

backhoe and ground rod = *meh* it work, but ended up with bending a ground rod and had to pull it out and get a new one put in. ground rod way to long and flex / bent.

i have tried a hammer drill for say using a concrete bit to drill a hole. *meh* did not work.

============
google
post driver site:tractorbynet.com
then click up on images. there are a few threads of different DIY builds of post drivers that i do remember seeing over the years.
the site:tractorbynet.com only brings stuff back from this website. vs searching all websites.

============
contact a local rental machinery place. there is a couple places about an hour in each direction, that rents out nearly everything that one could need, from simple hand tools, to trailers and tractors. if memory serves they also have a post driver to rent out. beyond the normal augers ( 1 man, 2 man, 3pt hitch, skid steer)

have seen, shot gun shell like post drivers, to LP units, to air compressor units, to hydrualic units, then extremely expensive units that connect to a backhoe. and pick up off of a trailer level it and sink it into the ground.

not sure if i could deal with the shot gun shells, or LP versions, seem rather expensive waste.

the air compressor units seemed to be nice. just looking at them over internet. looks to be like a standard 2 handle man handled T post driver, but instead of muscle an air cylinder to lift it up, and some valves and a trigger. i would imagine they still weight a descent amount. but still life saver on the muscles and shoulders, upper back, neck.

one of the DIY post drivers here on TBN. had a sledge hammer on a track setup. that raised the weight up and let it come down on post to hammer it in, yes, it looked "old school" but simple enough in design. i want to say the builder was putting in 3" or 4" wood posts with it. maybe same person or another DIY builder doing 6" posts. and i want to say they were not "making the bottom end of post into a point" but straight cut on end, and just hammering them in. i do remember comments of some went in at an angle. (connected to FEL, single person doing) nothing they could do about it, beyond try there best as they could.

 

[EddieWalker]

During the summer, it's very, very hard to drive T posts into the ground by hand with a post pounder. During a fit of desperation, and exhaustion, I put a 1 inch, fairly worn out wood auger drill bit into my cordless drill and drilled a hole into the dirt as a pilot hole for the T post. Shockingly, that worked great!!! I don't plan on doing it for the fence going around all of my land, but for a dozen T posts that I needed done right away inside my garden area to separate the dogs when one went into heat, it worked fantastic.

I also learned several years ago when I was given 4 horse instead of the 2 that I was planning on, and then one of them turned out to be pregnant and had her baby several days after she arrived, that driving T posts in winter when the ground is moist from the rains makes a huge difference in how easy they go in. I fenced 6 acres in one weekend and was more tired from carrying everything around then I was for driving all those T posts by hand.

 

[EddieWalker]

I've spoken to several guys who do fencing for a living, and they have all told me that they prefer pounding pipe posts for corners and H bracing into the ground instead of drilling a hole and filling with concrete. One guy told me that he did a test to prove his point to a client. They did both, then came back a week later and pulled them out. The concrete one pulled out much easier. This is all second hand information, but from what I'm learning on a variety of different web sites and FB Groups, it seems like what a lot of them are doing.

The Roher Man Saver comes in different sizes. The smallest is for T posts and it's the cheapest. Then you go up in size to handle different sized pipe. I'm looking at the one that will do 3 inch pipe and then buy the adapter to do T posts. If you go with gas, be sure it can do all sizes that you want to do, or know that it's limited to just pounding in T posts.

Somebody mentioned Ground Rod pounders. I have a Makita SDS Max hammer drill with a ground rod adapter that all you have to do is hold the trigger while it does all the work. I've also used it for anchoring landscaping timbers to the ground by driving rebar through holes drilled into the timbers and then several feet into the ground. Fast and easy!!! I've looked for a T post adapter and haven't found one. My guess is that it's not big or powerful enough for driving T posts, so nobody invented an adapter to do so.

 

[Haoleguy]

When I looked at the gas units I could not see dealing with the weight of them without something overhead to carry the weight. I decided to buy an Atlas Copco hydraulic pounder that works off of my tractor hydraulics and I use an overhead boom I made to swing it into position. ..... Post and ground rod drivers - Atlas Copco We used it to put in 1440 vineyard line posts.

 

[QRTRHRS]

Exact project I am working on right now. You can use Wedge-Loc Corner/In-Line Brace - For Life Out Here to do T-Posts for the corners. I am using a 7 footer for the corner and 6 footers the rest of the way around. This is for some somewhat temporary pasture to get the horses home.

Once we start to put in the rest of the fence I want to do wood posts at the corners as well. Wedge loc also makes a product to hang a gate off the T-post. Nothing more than a 10 foot gate. For starters we are doing 6 foot. I can get my tractor through a 6 foot gate. Once we go with wood I will do 10 or 12 foot gates so I can get bigger equipment in if need be.

Our soil is sandy loam/clay so pushing T-post in with bucket is zero issue. Working alone with the bucket is a challenge, but can be overcome. Certainly much easier to work in a pair, but we have to make do with what we have.

We are using Electrobraid for the barrier. It is a bit more pricey than other wire rope, but I like the 25 year warranty.

I have used the wedge lok's for some dog fencing. Makes for some pretty quick and quite strong corners.

I think Electrobraid was one of the first if not the first type of wire rope on the market? I have some poly/stainless in place nine years now that I got a good deal on that still looks good other than having some moss growing on it. When I went back to get more, it was not available and the rope I bought instead must have had a lesser grade of stainless wire because it has surface rust on it. Still carries a charge though. If memory serves, Electrobrade uses copper wire?

 

[EddieWalker]

When I looked at the gas units I could not see dealing with the weight of them without something overhead to carry the weight. I decided to buy an Atlas Copco hydraulic pounder that works off of my tractor hydraulics and I use an overhead boom I made to swing it into position. ..... Post and ground rod drivers - Atlas Copco We used it to put in 1440 vineyard line posts.

Does it sell for around $1,800?

 

[RobertN]

Is this humor Try that at my place and you'll have bent tposts. Too many rocks. Best to make starter hole with spike bit on jack hammer

You can easily drive the t posts with your bucket. Just use the bottom of the bucket and push them in. Makes it a 2 person job but you have the equipment to do it now.

 

[Haoleguy]

I have used the wedge lok's for some dog fencing. Makes for some pretty quick and quite strong corners.

I think Electrobraid was one of the first if not the first type of wire rope on the market? I have some poly/stainless in place nine years now that I got a good deal on that still looks good other than having some moss growing on it. When I went back to get more, it was not available and the rope I bought instead must have had a lesser grade of stainless wire because it has surface rust on it. Still carries a charge though. If memory serves, Electrobrade uses copper wire?

Eddie - They have different models so it depends what you need and then it pays big time to shop around. Mine was $2400 out the door. I'll try to post a pic of my setup. Here's a link to a blogpost my spouse put together that shows our setup. EnoViti: Some Info About Our Post Pounder .....Gary

 

[EddieWalker]

I like how you have it all set up. Did you compare it to the Man Saver? My thinking is that if I was to spend $2,000 or more, I could get the Man Saver, an air compressor and a generator to run it for less and have an air compressor and generator for other things. I actually already have several air compressors and a small generator, but for welding up my corner braces, I need a bigger generator for my arc welder. I'm also wondering about using my tractor for something like this. Do you do a lot of mowing with your tractor and do you have to remove your mower when you pound posts? I hate removing my mower and was hoping to install my posts from the back of my pickup truck or Kawasaki Mule. Then the tractor isn't even used.

 

[boggen]

Eddie - They have different models so it depends what you need and then it pays big time to shop around. Mine was $2400 out the door. I'll try to post a pic of my setup. Here's a link to a blogpost my spouse put together that shows our setup. EnoViti: Some Info About Our Post Pounder .....Gary

needs a couples a couple snatch blocks / pulleys rope/chain. one for the ponder, and another set to to grab post from truck/trailer with a stump / brush grubber or choke chain.

some of them wooden posts can be a bit brutal pulling them off truck/trailer. both in weight, length, and how posts end up rolling on top of each other.

 

[Haoleguy]

Hi Eddie - Yes I did compare with units like the Man Saver. There are 2 things about it that made me go a different route. First our posts start at 8ft and I couldn't figure out a way to hang onto something way over my head. The second is that I decided to go with a pounder that does rapid explosive short hits as opposed to long strokes and less frequent blows. That way it's hard to bend the post top and you can more easily keep the posts plumb and in line with the other posts. It also seems to vibrate rocks out of the way better. In fact my hydraulic pounder is based on Atlas Copco's jack hammers. We did use a large long stroke post pounder to drive in the black locust end posts....seen here .... EnoViti: Days of Pounding End Post .