Powered T post driver

[Tractor Seabee]

I have the Roeher for T posts. They make them for up to 3" round wood posts. I believe if you get the big one they make adapters for all the smaller stuff. They have a web site.

Ron

 

[Summitsrule]

Has anyone used the Roeher 3.5" round driver for wooden posts? Web site recommends for pipe. Likely depends on soil condition...

 

[BukitCase]

I have this one

99E-M Post Driver 2 - 7/8" Max Diameter Recommended For Military Use and Drill Stem - Rohrer Manufacturing

bought it with 2" square and T-post adapters.

Took a 6" piece of .187" wall, 4x4 square tube, capped it with 1/2" plate, welded a similarly capped piece of 2" square tube on that, slide the 2" tube into the driver - works to drive 4x4 PT posts.

Clarification - I set up a jig to "pencil point" the posts with a 12" long taper on the end, then soaked the cut ends in preservative before driving - we have fairly heavy clay soil, very few rocks - couple of the posts went in almost before I could flip the kill switch, most took about a minute or two, one took probably 10 minutes.

If you were going to do very much of that, I'd get the largest model they sell.

After rotator cuff surgery, and complete biceps re-attachment, (but BEFORE doing a 3000 foot re-fence with longer T-posts) I'm looking at modifying a slightly broken engine cherry picker with a swivel base to fit a 3 point hitch - a longer boom and a cheap 12 volt winch with pendant will allow me to pre-set posts, and lift the 38 pound driver up over posts much easier.

For smaller jobs than re-fencing 10 acres, it's pretty easy to just slide the post into the driver horizontally, then tilt the whole thing up and drive the post. With the post driven, it's now about 18" shorter so not too bad to lift the driver off the post.

One annoying thing about this driver - the first cycle tends to jerk the post UP as it's getting started (or else I'm doing something wrong) - if you're trying to be precise on placement (straight fences comes to mind) you need to REALLY hold down on the driver while flipping the toggle to start it.

I'd still buy it again, sure beats the alternatives for us "semi-broken old farts" :=) Steve

 

[TomSeller]

Well my jackhammer with picket driver is just under 30 pounds. I have the generator in the back of my pickup. Wife drives pickup to position for pole. Holds pole vertical. I am on the tray of the pickup. Slip jackhammer over T post and press trigger. You need zero down force. wife drives to next post. Put 1000's of post in this way.

I would have to teach my dog to drive the pickup to the next post hole. I doubt the fence would be in a straight line.

 

[Kaliburz]

I have the Rohrer. I haven't used it much, but it seems to work fine. I have no other experience.

I bought a used Rohrer from a buddy who got out of grapes. He was using it to replace wood posts w/ steel T posts. He said it worked out fine, I haven't had the chance to use it. His place had lots of rock, but it would drive them in he said. I'm sure he didn't go more the 2 feet down with the T posts. He bought a Craftsman gas air compressor......

 

[BHD]

It has been very dry and the ground is dry and hard, I order it Post Driver, T Post Puller, Post Pounder - Rohrer Manufacturing, very fast shipping, got it last night and set up and pounded a few test posts in the drive way, and did it fine, drive way very solid,

will most likely go out and put some T posts in to hold up the barbed wire fence, a number of rotted off wood posts, Looks like on some of my old T posts that have been used a lot will need to cut off an inch or so as some of there tops are bent up, and to slip through the guide they need to be fairly clean. (many of my T posts are for tempory fence or use. to support until a wood post can be put in,

after using for a few days I will try to report back

 

[JJT50]

I'm also looking at the Rohrer driver for 2-7/8" pipe. What size did you get? Did you just drive t-posts as a test? What type soil? I have hard clay with large sandstone rocks. Look forward to hearing your report and opinions!

 

[BHD]

I bought the small one for t posts, Tee posts is all I envision to drive, the screw handle is the weak point of the system in my opinion, it takes some trial and error on how tight to tighten it, if it comes loose or slips it does not pound right,

I went out this after noon, and put in 30+ posts, in a fence line, I have been building, the soil is sand but very dry, and reasonably hard, we did get a little rain a day or so ago, so the top was a little softer, it seems to be hard hitting, and I was pleased, with it performance, the switch IMO takes a little bit to get use to, especially shutting off, I suggest some hearing protection, the pounding is a sharp sound,
I took me about an Hr, to put them in, working by my self, over 1/2 mile, (I had walked the fence and marked the spacing, with marking paint), I did not feel it was to bad, moving the truck and setting the post and attaching the wire to the post,
it did save the shoulders, at this point I would buy again, and think it will be a worth wile investment,

I ordered a in line pressure regulator, for the hose, (I attached a 15 foot hose to he pounder), so it would be protected if some one just plugs it straight in to the compressor, as the directions say 70 psi. the air use is minimal.

 

[wdgarrett]

I bought the small Rohrer and had similar experiences as BHD above. We have hard clay loam and tight sand with some rock. It works great unless you hit a rock. I also installed a pressure regulator and a lubricator inline. I feel the lubricator to be important to the life of the unit. I purchased the small unit because of it's weight and since I use a Shaver hydraulic driver for pipe corners and bracing. I have found by putting my foot on the T-post plate it helps to start the post on the first couple of strokes. These units do not require a lot of CFMs to operate.

 

[newbury]

Good timely (for me) thread.

Love the reviews!!

Bought the 99E-M , but was not able to drive it more than 10-11 feet, it stops and won't go beyond.

Tried few hole and lost 4 wellpoints.

Guess he thought he could drill for water or oil with a post driver!

I'm seriously thinking of getting the biggest with the smaller inserts so I can drive anything smaller. Most of my soil is clay and sand.

 

[BHD]

been thinking about the hard ground and rock question, I have the small unit and I think it hits about as hard as my hand driver, (big difference is I do not have to lift and slam it down), Ok with that said,
My guess is that if it can be driven with an equivalent hand driver, the machine will do it, (I can drive a post in frozen ground it may take me 50 or more wacks with the hand driver to do it, and my guess is the harder it is the less progress one will make with the air driver, my unit weighs about 27 pounds or so, yes there is a down force by air, but one can only drive it down so fast and hard, just like a hand unit,
so I will say this if it can be driven in by hand then most likely this will do it as well, MY GUESS Is that the heaver larger units will drive more than the small unit,

so if your not able to drive a tee post in the soil or ground by hand most likely this will not drive it in either, in rocky soils if you hit a rock and the rock does not break I doubt if your getting through it or past it,

and unless the guy driving a well hit rock, one could fill the pipe with water and let the well point wet the ground down at the point, and come back the next day and try again. just like I many times do with hand digging a post hole, dig down about 6" fill with water comeback the next day and dig as far as is workable and if needed fill again and do it the next day, and finish out the hole,

 

[BHD]

Reporting back,
I put in a mile of fence T posts, the last few days, and the pounder worked well for driving hem but the controls were very finicky, part of it was the soil conditions, some what soft on the surface, and solid, and there is a weight on the on and off lever, and on softer soils the heaver weight is better and on solid the lighter weight is better, problem was on the soft it would end up between the cycles if you had the light weight on, and the opposite on the solid other way so I ended up keeping it set for the harder ground,

It was hard enough that in some places it was only driving a bout 1/32 of an inch per hit, very hard soils,

as far as the driving it was great, get it started and then go lean on the truck or get some thing else ready to go and let the driver work.

I really do not think one could have pushed them down with a tractor loader bucket,

 

[newbury]

Thanks for the update!
This is now in my plans.
I've a makita 2400, 4.5 cfm@90psi, do you think this will run it well?

 

[two_bit_score]

Reporting back,
I put in a mile of fence T posts, the last few days, and the pounder worked well for driving hem but the controls were very finicky, part of it was the soil conditions, some what soft on the surface, and solid, and there is a weight on the on and off lever, and on softer soils the heaver weight is better and on solid the lighter weight is better, problem was on the soft it would end up between the cycles if you had the light weight on, and the opposite on the solid other way so I ended up keeping it set for the harder ground,

It was hard enough that in some places it was only driving a bout 1/32 of an inch per hit, very hard soils,

as far as the driving it was great, get it started and then go lean on the truck or get some thing else ready to go and let the driver work.

I really do not think one could have pushed them down with a tractor loader bucket,

Thanks for the update. It looks like you said you got the small one. Since you now have had experience using it on about a mile of fence (congratulations BTW) do you think it would have been better with a larger unit?

.

 

[BHD]

I would not want any heavier,

and I can not really for see driving any thing but the T posts,

now this time I did not even have the hand pounder on the truck, but when I got it I kind of did a test and it seemed like that the "normal" hit with the hand would drive the t post about the same as with the air powered pounder, so any way, the difference was the air unit keep pounding even if the progress was slow,
but it was such I could take hands off and just let it work. after starting the post.

the ground has been very hard do the lack of nearly any rain here for the last year, we got a little rain in mid September and the top few inches are some what moist, but down about a foot or so, it is very hard,

I did not try this, but my guess is if I would have taken the tractor and loader, 1970 JD 4020 about 9,000 pounds and use the loader on the post I do not think I would have been able to push them in more than about 6 inches and it would have stopped the post and just lifted the front wheels off the ground, and most likely bending up the post not driving it. an any more.

so it is some hard soils,

I would rebuy what I have, I am reasonably sure of, the only reason I may consider the next larger size would be for the extra capacity in size of post, but I guess if I get between a rock and hard place I can use the wood post pounder I made, so I see no reason to consider the larger unit, (my guess the larger unit would hit some harder, which I would think would be a benefit in hard soils, but since It has passed my tests, I am satisfied,

(just an example of how tight the soil is, I drive in one wood post with the tractor mounted driver, and then changed the idea some and went to pull the post, my tractor I know can lift over 4000 pounds on the forks, it could not pull the post or budge it. until then I had not ran in to a post I could not pull)

I would think the 4.5 cfm would run it nicely, for the small unit the 98E Basic, one thing it runs at 75 psi, so the compressor can keep up with it easer, (unlike many tools that run at 90 to 100, the compressor starts before your below the operation pressures,

Runs off of any small air compressor that delivers at least 2.5 CFM at 90 PSI. Runs off air set at 70-75 PSI.

I see the larger units tank more air,

small trick to help smaller compressors, is to hook in an air bubble tank, in to the line, and it will give you more reserve air,

last year I was using a large air hammer, called chipper, with a home made rod driver, and it was about 20 cfm, and had a small compressor but it would drive the post, and the compressor could recover as we moved up to the next post location, now under normal conditions the time that the 98E would drive the post is reasonable quick, (now I will admit these posts I just drive did take a few mins to drive)

one more thing is this is not a large AIR HAMMER,
it a air powered driver,
there is a sleeve that clamps in to post, and the air powers a small piston that pushes up the driver up that is weighed just like a manual pounder,
and when it is raised up the piston reverses and drives the outer sleeve down with the weight , hitting the top of the inter sleeve clamped to the post, driving the post in,
thus it is not a constant pounding of a air piston. like in a air hammer, but a powered driver that work similar to a hand driver, up and down, up and down, up and down. thus the more efficient use of the air source,