Setting poles in the ground

[MillWeld]

I'm planning a pole shed and will be using old utility poles. They will probably be 13 -14' long and set in 30 - 36'' holes. I have a tractor with boom which will lift to about 8 feet and winches and come-alongs. How can I set these poles in the holes safely with this equipment? I've built sheds like this before with the same equipment but it was a little dicey with the utility pole leaning too close to me while on the tractor. Don't want to take that risk again. Looking forward to any comments.
Bob

 

[MikeInEburg]

I don't think you can do this safely solo I'd get two other friends and a couple of ropes. Use tractor to get the poles off the ground and friends finish the lifting.
Mike

 

[theboman]

I used logs, 12-15' long and my FEL. A boom pole should work as well or better. I did it safely by myself.

I dug the holes 36" deep. I put the end going in the ground next to the hole. I had a piece of old tin and laid the pole on it to help from knocking dirt back in the hole. I lifted the other end (top) with my FEL to get it started then used a chain to act as a choker. The pole would slip thru enough go in the hole. Then lifted higher until bottom started dropping into place. When the pole goes...it goes in the hole! 12-15 poles zero problems setting. There maybe a picture on the Iron Hill Shed Project.

BTW, I dug all the holes. Drove every nail, screwed every screw, lifted every board etc. by myself. I used a few special words along the way with those oak boards too. Those 16' 2x6" were BRUTAL!

 

[cowski]

stand them by hand. 2 or 3 high school football players should be able to do it .they can even help you dig the holes and hang the rafters.

 

[magicheater]

I have done this repeatedly using my loader, my bucket with a hook welded on dead center and a logging choker chain. Since I have tines in the front of my bucket when I lift the utility pole I can get the pole centered on the bucket and then just use the curl function to get the butt of the pole off the ground. Drive to the hole and set it in. I use 16' poles for fencing. My tractor is large enough for me to feel safe. I tried it with my B7800 but there was not enough tractor weight or loader lift height to do the size of poles, some are 16" at the butt, and feel safe. Once I got the hang of it it worked pretty slick.

 

[Rancher Ed]

How big is you tractor? That will make a big difference in how you can do it.

We have a 70hp tractor that the loader will lift to 11' and we also have pallet forks so this is how we do it. We adjust the pallet forks so that the space between them is the same or a little bigger than the size of the post we are setting. I then line the tractor up so it is in line with the pole with the end that is going in the ground farthest away from the tractor. I put a chain between the pallet forks and under the pole and then curl the fork tips up while driving forward. This gets the pole coming over the top of the pallet forks towards you and it is between the forks so it can't slide off either side. I lift the loader enough that the pole goes over my head as I drive forward till there is 8 to 9 feet of pole left below the pallet forks. I then hop off and chain the pole to the top part of the pallet fork frame. This is ~2' above the forks so it works to keep the pole straight. I can now drive wherever I need to and then just raise the loader and tip the end of the pole down till it is pointed straight up and down and then lower it into the hole. We can do this with poles up to about 25 feet long.

I don't know if that makes sence. It is hard to explain but it is really easy to do in real life. If you tractor is big enough to do it like this it works very well and you could do the same thing with a bucket, you would just have to chain the pole above and below the bucket to keep the pole from rotating. If your tractor is too small for this then I don't really know how you would want to go about doing it. Good luck.

Ed

 

[cowski]

he does not have a fel.i also put them in with a loader.but 3 high school football players for a day is a lot less than a loader.

 

[bindian]

I'm planning a pole shed and will be using old utility poles. They will probably be 13 -14' long and set in 30 - 36'' holes. I have a tractor with boom which will lift to about 8 feet and winches and come-alongs. How can I set these poles in the holes safely with this equipment? I've built sheds like this before with the same equipment but it was a little dicey with the utility pole leaning too close to me while on the tractor. Don't want to take that risk again. Looking forward to any comments.
Bob

I set all my pole barn poles by myself with my boom pole on back of my Ford 3055. I would drag the pole to the hole, then position the traction to lift the pole, turning the tractor as I backed up and lifting the pole at the same time. I had the pole chained to the boom so that the butt end of the pole would be heavy. I put in 18 poles like this with the tallest two center poles being 22 feet long. It can be done alone, but real slowly, thinking all moves out carefully.
hugs, Brandi

 

[Joe H]

I use 16' poles for fencing. My tractor is large enough for me to feel safe. I tried it with my B7800 but there was not enough tractor weight or loader lift height to do the size of poles, some are 16" at the butt, and feel safe.

What the **** are you fencing in, a herd of mastadons? Or fencing them out?

Joe H

 

[buckeyefarmer]

I put in 16' 6x6's by myself, by hand. put one end over the hole, and walk it up from the other end.

 

[hizoot]

I put in 16' 6x6's by myself, by hand. put one end over the hole, and walk it up from the other end.

hey...Hey....HEY!!! this is a tractor forum....we dont do things manually ! Now,promise you want commit sacrilege again,and say two hail John Deere's by morning

 

[mmurphy]

I put in 16' 6x6's by myself, by hand. put one end over the hole, and walk it up from the other end.

That is just exactly how I did mine. It takes a few choice words and lots of grunting!

 

[johnrex62]

hey...Hey....HEY!!! this is a tractor forum....we dont do things manually ! Now,promise you want commit sacrilege again,and say two hail John Deere's by morning

Agreed! I think an 'Our Kubota' might be in line here too. Such tractor sacrilige cannot go unchallanged.

 

[MillWeld]

I would drag the pole to the hole, then position the traction to lift the pole, turning the tractor as I backed up and lifting the pole at the same time.

Turning while backing prevents the post from leaning over your head as you set it, right? The post leans to the side and the tractor boom sorta swings it in place?

 

[wedge40]

Someone had posted a few years back about setting the poles by himself.
What he did was place a 2"x6" in the hole for the pole to stop against and then use his tractor to push the pole upright. Once the pole was vertical enough it just slide down into the hole and could pull the 2"x6" out and move it to the next hole.

Wedge

 

[bindian]

Turning while backing prevents the post from leaning over your head as you set it, right? The post leans to the side and the tractor boom sorta swings it in place?

It kinda works that way. My old Ford 3055 could turn on a dime and give change. Just be sure the chain cannot become unhooked from the pole, but have enough slack to pivot

It realy is satisfying sitting your own poles. Good luck.


I sold my boom and 3055. Now I set poles with my 7 foot wide FEL bucket.:thumbsup:
hugs, Brandi

 

[MillWeld]

OK, I'm going to try to do this thanks to the responses and tips I got but it's going to several months before I get to it - I don't even have the posts yet but I know of a couple of free sources. Here's my plan: put a 2 x 6 in the hole and lay the pole's big end butting next to it. Back the tractor up to the big end and tie a choker around the post but keep it loose enough so the pole will slip (with help) but tight enough so the post won't swing to the side more than 1 diameter. Lift and pull forward. Should slide in hole without the post ever leaning over my head. The boom's reach is 7' so the post's hole end should be heavier and not lift but I may need to weight the end anyway. May take a couple of lifts to get the choker and post close to the end of the boom so that at the final lift they are coupled closely together.

 

[bindian]

OK, I'm going to try to do this thanks to the responses and tips I got but it's going to several months before I get to it - I don't even have the posts yet but I know of a couple of free sources. Here's my plan: put a 2 x 6 in the hole and lay the pole's big end butting next to it. Back the tractor up to the big end and tie a choker around the post but keep it loose enough so the pole will slip (with help) but tight enough so the post won't swing to the side more than 1 diameter. Lift and pull forward. Should slide in hole without the post ever leaning over my head. The boom's reach is 7' so the post's hole end should be heavier and not lift but I may need to weight the end anyway. May a couple of lifts to get the choker and post close to the end of the boom so that at the final lift they are coupled closely together.

The boom's reach is 7 feet? But how high does it lift on the 3PH above the ground?

If you pull forward that means parts of the pole are under your tractor when starting the lift.

With it slowly raising up, will it hit the underside of the 3PH or drawbar?
hugs, Brandi

 

[MillWeld]

The boom's reach is 7 feet? But how high does it lift on the 3PH above the ground?

If you pull forward that means parts of the pole are under your tractor when starting the lift.

With it slowly raising up, will it hit the underside of the 3PH or drawbar?
hugs, Brandi

1. about 8 feet
2. Not really. The end of the post will be right at the drawbar at the start of the lift. The posts are only 13 -14 feet long.
3. No. The post will never be under the 3PH.
It's all just a plan now - I may have to modify as it unfolds
Bob

 

[Army grunt]

I did it alone using my lifting 3 pt jack boom. lashed to my forks. (bucket would work the same.set everything it worked great.
Army Grunt