I have a old wood fence post that I need to remove. It was set in concrete. Can I pull it out with my FEL. I purchased a 15 ft chain with hooks when I brought my tractor. Do I wrap the chain around the post and hook the other end on the FEL and lift it out? Any suggestions?
Pulling Fence Post
- Thread starter Grizzman
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I don't know the size of your tractor, but if I were doing it, I'd approach the post from several sides with the FEL. Ease into it and try to put it an inch or two in multiple directions. Then you can hook your FEL on it and try. Be sure to have the chain centered on the FEL--you can put a lot of weight on one side of your FEL if its not centered.
If you have an old car rim, you could hook your chain on the lowest part of the post, over the top of the rim, and to a LOW SPOT on the rear of your tractor. The drawbar would be good. You can flip a tractor backwards if you hook high. The idea is the rim will lift the post straight up.
When I've had to remove posts in concrete, I have to dig around them in the clay. Sometimes I've used a handyman jack (1500#s) to pull them out. Usually, my posts are rotted off, which is why I'm pulling them, so I have to dig down and chain around the concrete to pull it out.
Good Luck,
Ron
If you have an old car rim, you could hook your chain on the lowest part of the post, over the top of the rim, and to a LOW SPOT on the rear of your tractor. The drawbar would be good. You can flip a tractor backwards if you hook high. The idea is the rim will lift the post straight up.
When I've had to remove posts in concrete, I have to dig around them in the clay. Sometimes I've used a handyman jack (1500#s) to pull them out. Usually, my posts are rotted off, which is why I'm pulling them, so I have to dig down and chain around the concrete to pull it out.
Good Luck,
Ron
MikeIA
Silver Member
Do you have a drawbar for your three point?
If so, then:
Back up to the post, so that the center of the drawbar is almost touching the post.
Wrap the chain once or twice around the drawbar and hook it into itself.
Wrap the rest of the chain 4 or 5 times around the post, leaving as little slack in the chain between the drawbar and the post as possible. Wind the chain so that each loop lies on top of the last one.
Stretch out the rest of the chain and leave it on the ground.
Raise the 3-point. IF the front tires come off the ground, STOP!
Start digging.
If the post did not come all the way out of the ground, lower the 3 point. If you are lucky, the chain will slip down the post, and you will not have to get off the seat before raising the 3 point again. The chain will "bite" into itself and the post if you wind it right.
(Two people can pull a lot of posts this way, 1 backing up the tractor and running the 3-point, the other making three quick wraps around the post and then pulling the free end of the chain tight.)
If so, then:
Back up to the post, so that the center of the drawbar is almost touching the post.
Wrap the chain once or twice around the drawbar and hook it into itself.
Wrap the rest of the chain 4 or 5 times around the post, leaving as little slack in the chain between the drawbar and the post as possible. Wind the chain so that each loop lies on top of the last one.
Stretch out the rest of the chain and leave it on the ground.
Raise the 3-point. IF the front tires come off the ground, STOP!
Start digging.
If the post did not come all the way out of the ground, lower the 3 point. If you are lucky, the chain will slip down the post, and you will not have to get off the seat before raising the 3 point again. The chain will "bite" into itself and the post if you wind it right.
(Two people can pull a lot of posts this way, 1 backing up the tractor and running the 3-point, the other making three quick wraps around the post and then pulling the free end of the chain tight.)
hunterridgefarm
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I have used both methods that MikeIA and RonR suggested and both work well.
I just pushed up 15 big post, phone pole size, by raising the FEL 3/4 of the way up the post and pushed them over. they were 2-3 feet in the ground. I would start applying downward pressure as soon as the post started to lean. Once over I backed up, lowered the FEL, scooped it up and headed for the barn.We have had so much rain that the ground is very soft and this was easier than getting on and off the tractor to adjust the chain.
The only problem would be if the post breaks off you will have to dig it out. /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
I have also wraped a chain 3/4 of the way up the post and attached to FEL and pushed and pulled to losen the post before trying to lift it out.
I just pushed up 15 big post, phone pole size, by raising the FEL 3/4 of the way up the post and pushed them over. they were 2-3 feet in the ground. I would start applying downward pressure as soon as the post started to lean. Once over I backed up, lowered the FEL, scooped it up and headed for the barn.We have had so much rain that the ground is very soft and this was easier than getting on and off the tractor to adjust the chain.
The only problem would be if the post breaks off you will have to dig it out. /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
I have also wraped a chain 3/4 of the way up the post and attached to FEL and pushed and pulled to losen the post before trying to lift it out.
Tim_in_IA
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If that post still has the concrete bonded to it you are going to have a hard time pulling it out. Might be better off digging, or at least egging the hole out first.
I've used the 3 pt drawbar method with a post without concrete and raised the front of a fairly large tractor. Would really help if the ground was wet. If you try pulling it out soak the area with water off and on for a few days before you try it to loosen the soil.
I've used the 3 pt drawbar method with a post without concrete and raised the front of a fairly large tractor. Would really help if the ground was wet. If you try pulling it out soak the area with water off and on for a few days before you try it to loosen the soil.
Bird
Rest in Peace
Tim, I've pulled lots of posts with my FEL. I had chain hooks on top of my bucket; one at each end. With the bucket dumped forward enough that if I touched the post, it was with both the lip and top edge of the bucket, I'd stop just short of touching the post with the center of the bucket. With one end of a chain hooked to one of the hooks, I'd run the chain around the post twice, near the ground, then hook the chain to the hook on the other end of the bucket. That way the force was centered. I was able to simply lift most posts out that way, but if they didn't come up, I'd ease forward, keeping tension on the chains, push the post just a little bit, then back up a little; i.e., rock the post back and forth while lifting. I used the same method with metal t-posts, round wooden posts, and even a couple of railroad cross ties, both with and without concrete. I can only remember one post that I finally had to run water around it to soften the ground before I got it out, and one metal t-post that simply would not come up. I found that t-post was right through the center of a large tree root and had been there many years.
Well I pulled it out with the FEL no problem except the post decided to fall and put a nice pretty dent in the front of my new tractor, at least it did'nt bust my headlights /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif. My wife had the hood up on the tractor afterwards trying to knock the dent out. I told her not to worry about it because there will be many more to come! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
Tim_in_IA
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Bird,
I just would have thought that a big glob of concrete on the bottom of a post would have put a huge amount of resistance for that post to come out of the hole. What happens when you pull these out with the loader? Does the ground just break up all around the post as you are pulling it out or does the cement break away? I haven't pulled any posts with my new loader equipped machine yet. When I was doing it last year I was pulling posts with a IH400 with a 3pt conversion, and without cement it would lift the front right off the ground. I did the low attach with chain method and lower and readjust etc.
I have some more posts to pull out next spring with a refence project so it'll be interesting using the loader this time! /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
I just would have thought that a big glob of concrete on the bottom of a post would have put a huge amount of resistance for that post to come out of the hole. What happens when you pull these out with the loader? Does the ground just break up all around the post as you are pulling it out or does the cement break away? I haven't pulled any posts with my new loader equipped machine yet. When I was doing it last year I was pulling posts with a IH400 with a 3pt conversion, and without cement it would lift the front right off the ground. I did the low attach with chain method and lower and readjust etc.
I have some more posts to pull out next spring with a refence project so it'll be interesting using the loader this time! /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
Bird
Rest in Peace
Tim, I've it happen both ways, sometimes some of the concrete breaks off and stays in the hole, and sometimes everything comes out together. I tore down a chicken coop built onto the side of the barn and had to pull three 3" steel pipe posts set in concrete in what I'd guess was 9" holes. They came out, concrete and all. After I got them out, I figured on using those pipes again, so I just hit the center of the concrete with an 8# sledge hammer and it just shattered and fell away from the pipes. I was really surprised at how easy it was to get the concrete off.
