Hydraulic Post Driver Recommendations

[JTD]

That's pretty much my experience also. The line should be staked out and the poles distributed beforehand. Generally found the posts to follow the line well although round posts with varying widths (since these tend to be tapered) can be offline by a couple of inches. It's also a lot easier for one person to put up a line with the driver versus a PHD and hand backfilling/tamping.

 

[JTD]

Also make certain you space the posts a few inches shorter than you rails and cut the rails to fit. This will allow for some variation in measurement and post movement during driving. I like my driver and am glad I bought it. An acquaintance has a fence building business and he uses the Kinghitters. They have more height capacity (he's also go one with a hinged driver that will drive 16 ft posts). They're also pricer and have moving cables, etc that might intimidate me for a while. The drivers will make these small tractors shake. The neighbors always know when I'm using it since the noise carries a long ways.

 

[Anonymous Poster]

<font color="red">I have no roots but
some fieldstone that comes into play about 15% of the time from my experience with the
PHD. </font>

Hi Steve--For what it is worth? Our experience in driving posts in a similar soil and rock condition that you have: If the rocks are over the size of a softball in that clay base--the driver will either stop or slide off to the side or stop and split out the post. If the latter happens, better get out of the way quickly--Ken Sweet

Sweet Farm Equipment Co.

 

[SteveBenson]

Thanks guys, I give you an update in a couple of months when I get my new toy and the ground thaws out. The wife calls the disease Implementitus.