Post Driver

[Trail_Time]

I am going to put in about 5500 feet of board fencing. That will require about 700 posts with gates etc. I really don't want to drill that many posts. Does anyone have any experience or suggestions on post drivers? How easy are they to use, and keep a straight line?

thanks

 

[MikePA]

They are very easy to use. How straight your line is is more a function of how good you marked the location for each post. The only issue with driving posts is if the post hits a rock, it can stop, but more often a rock will cause the post to go in at a slight angle. Some posts can still be used, others have to be slightly relocated in hopes of missing the rock. I put 187 4" x 4" x 8' PT posts and 40 T posts in last spring. Less than half a dozen went in a little off perpendicular, but were still usable as posts.

 

[seaplanepilot1]

We used a Danuser PTO driven post driver to drive 4 x 6 x 6' posts around an arena. We also drove railroad crossties with it on one side of my property. Please keep in mind that we are driving these posts in South Louisiana. The guy who loaned me the post driver wanted to sell it to me for $200.
At the time I didn't have $200 I missed a great deal.
SPP1

 

[Trail_Time]

Thanks. Any other brand suggestions? I have been looking at the Munro . It is a combo auger and post driver. You drill a 2/3 size pilot hole first. Seems like a good idea.

link

 

[MikePA]

<font color="blue"> Any other brand suggestions? </font>
Worksaver. I have an HPD-16 and it works well on my TC25D.

 

[tkcomer]

Try to get a driver that is no bigger than you need. I had the small Shaver driver and it did a good job with 5” posts. But, I sold it and got the large Shaver model so I could drive end posts. Now, driving small posts straight is tough. There is too much room inside the driver. It lets the posts move around too much. And the big model can break a small post with one good whack if it hits a rock. So keep your feet back.

 

[Tevi]

Depending on the ground a front end bucket loaded with rock will drive them in

 

[LBrown59]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Depending on the ground a front end bucket loaded with rock will drive them in )</font>

================
how do you do it.?

 

[Trail_Time]

Mike, I got a good price on the Worksavers.... looking at the 20 series. What is the soil like where you are and how long did it take to drive the 4" posts?

 

[MikePA]

<font color="blue"> What is the soil like where you are and how long did it take to drive the 4" posts? </font>
I keep a 'tractor diary' in which I record Date, Hours and what I used the tractor for. For the fence, I not only did this, I maintained a separate spreadsheet. I tracked not only expenses, but tractor hours and the number of posts I put in. I also used the spreadsheet to calculate distances between posts (less than 8' and equally spaced) and the number of posts I'd need. On average, it took 13 minutes to drive a 4" x 4" x 8' PT post 3 feet into the ground. This includes setting up over the pre-marked post location, plumbing the post then driving it in.

Our soil is a layer of top soil over clay with the occasional rock to snag a post hole digger auger or send a post off course.

 

[KenVT]

Mike,
Obviously you have alot of experience with your driver, I just got a Shaver post driver at an auction, but it did not come with the return hose adapter, the manual says it should be returned to the hydo fill? I've been everywhere but no one has the adapter? Am I missing something her /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

I jsut drove in 30 t posts and 2 wood post with the Bucket, sure would like to try out the implement that is actually made to do this work.


Ken

 

[LBrown59]

How do you drive stakes/post with the FEL Bucket?

 

[slowrev]

Ken,
The shaver post drivers I have used just have the return hose going to the fill hole in the top of the lift box. It just needs to dump into your hydraulic sump. There will be no real pressure on the return hose.

Ben

 

[KenVT]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Ken,
The shaver post drivers I have used just have the return hose going to the fill hole in the top of the lift box. It just needs to dump into your hydraulic sump. There will be no real pressure on the return hose.

Ben
)</font>

Just being certain, do you mean to connect to the Yellow fill cap on the back of my tractor, I have attached a pic....

LB - Driving a post with the loader entails 2 people, one to hold the stake, and 1 to work the tractor, moving the loader down to put post into place,... with the T-post, we could mostly just push them all in with the bucket flat, with the wooden posts I pushed it down some, and then the 'holder' backed away, I then tilted the bucket up and used the back ege, it has a little flat spot, and then hammered them in. Actually....I was pretty impressed with how well they went in.


Ken

 

[MikePA]

Ken,

Your attachment didn't make it. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

slowrev is correct, the return line just dumps back into your hydraulic sump. The faster you can dump into the sump, the faster the hammer drops. Also, the return line on my driver was the worst designed part of the whole driver. It had a 90 degree attachment on the end of the return line that just sat on top of the hyd fill hole on my tractor. The instructions said to securely attach (bungee cords, tape, rags, etc.) the return line to the fill hole. That was not really possible on my tractor and it was a mess. A TBN member designed an adapter for my hyd fluid fill cap that allows me to use quick connects on the return line. A much better solution that I've suggested to Worksaver.

Note: You can download a manual as well as order parts at the Worksaver website.

 

[KenVT]

oops, here it is...

that does sound like a poor design... so basically it was like a Washing machine drain, with only a 90 degree 'Hook' on the end?

Do you have a Pic of the quick connect you use, maybe I could fabricate something,

Thanks,
Ken

 

[MikePA]

<font color="blue"> Do you have a Pic of the quick connect you use, maybe I could fabricate something, </font>
Here you go. /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif