Shaver Post Driver

[cletus99]

Anyone have any experience with a
Shaver HD-8 Post Driver or other brand post driver? We have red clay down here and South Georgia and I'm wondering how well it would work. I've put up a lot of fence around here and I'd love to get one if they work good.

 

[ishiboo]

I have a Shaver HD-10 and have been very impressed with it. I bought it used for $1500 IIRC, with both skid loader and 3-point mounts.

I have clay here which turns quite hard. It will drive pointed posts into anything, when the clay gets like concrete the larger posts that are not pointed do take some time to drive. I've heard that with clay though, augering and packing in posts is a very bad idea... though the first acre I fenced was done this route.

Shaver's customer service department was quite helpful despite the fact I told them I was looking at buying a used model. The same design has been used for decades AFAIK, all parts are available for my unit despite it being quite old, and they even have retrofit parts for the older units to bring them up to the newest safety standards. Plus all of the parts are really easily repairable.

I think you'd be very happy with one. I love having mine, but it's easily an implement that can be shared between multiple people... something to consider!

 

[nc redneck]

I have one. HD-8 . Bought on craigslist after a long time looking. Modified mine with railroad track added on top for more weight. I highly recommend as the best way to put in post. Kind of a art to get them straight. Main reason I added weight was not driving force. Sometimes when post starts going crooked you need to jam driver against it to get it straight extra weight helps. Dry or wet soil makes a huge difference. In damp conditions I can put a 6 inch post 2 to 3 foot in the ground with 6 or 10 hits. Dry soil will double that. Get one learn how to use it and you will never look at a 3 point auger again.
Scott

 

[DJ54]

I have an HD-8 too. Took 35-40 licks to drive unsharpend 5" post, 36" deep into shaley glacial till here. Damp ground definitely helps. Unsharpened 6" posts when the ground is really dry just bounce off the ground here, and started shattering the top of the post. But then, they were 9' posts, and not much of a drive stroke. Best I did in one day was 28 posts, but that was all by myself, and am pretty particular as to them being straight & inline. A torpedo level with a magnetic side to it can be your best helper. Place it on the side of the driver for plumb, then on the post itself, and adjust as needed. I'd check every 10-12 hits, depending on how it was driving, to keep things inline/plumb.

Sharpening the posts will cause you more grief than not. If you happen to hit a, guessing 4" - 6" rock, it will take off, and you won't bring it back. I tried regular 6" posts in the same area, and they drove straight down.

I would advise getting the hydraulic tilt model. Glad I did, because you do a LOT of adjusting. At least I did using it on my Ford 2000. Nice for nudging a post to straighten it too.

 

[JimRB]

I used a Shaver to drive about 500 posts. I pointed them. I had to wait until it rained because the posts would just bounce on the hard dry clay. I think I was taking 3 minutes a post to drive 3 feet. It has been 15+ years since I did my fence so I forget how fast they went in. As the other fellow mention, hitting rocks can cause the post to deflect.

It has been a while since I have been in Doerun. Isn't the first foot sandy before it gets hard?

The post driver works better with good springs. I got some from McMaster Carr that made a world of difference over no springs. If you get a new driver then that is not an issue.

 

[Rustyiron]

I had one and found that in my shale soil that a 4" pilot hole with 6"+ locust posts helped a lot. A nice tool but a pita on steeper hills. If you have an mid size excavator handy, they'll just push a post in the ground and you can "steer" it real easy. (found that out on the steep hills)

 

[DT86]

The post driver works better with good springs.

Yes!
I knew a guy that had a driver (can't remember if it was a shaver or work saver) and he was complaining about how poorly it drove posts. He was talking about adding weights, ect. Turns out the springs were gone, as in missing. I never did convince him that he needed new ones.

On our HD-10 the springs were getting a little tired and the the cylinder leaked a little. I replaced both springs and the top seal on the hydraulic cylinder. It was like new again. It's about 12 years old and has driven literally miles of posts from 4" to 8".

One time a weld separated from the surrounding metal where you adjust the angle via the crank. 15 minutes with a stick welder and we were back in business.

 

[cletus99]

I'd love to find a used one, but I've never seen one for sale around here. It would be nice to find a place that has one to rent. I might have to call around and check. The HD-8 is $2625 without and $5465 with hydraulic base from EA. Not sure if anyone else sells it cheaper.

 

[JimRB]

I see them occasionally in the Georgia Market Bulletin. If it is flat where your fence is going the manual base may be OK. My property is less than 4% grade and I did fine with the manual base even if the driver was old and had some slop. Ads - Ga Dept of Agriculture

 

[Timm250]

I bought a new HD10 from Kencove with the hydraulic tilt for about $3700 about 3-4 years ago. You may want to check out their prices.

I'd love to find a used one, but I've never seen one for sale around here. It would be nice to find a place that has one to rent. I might have to call around and check. The HD-8 is $2625 without and $5465 with hydraulic base from EA. Not sure if anyone else sells it cheaper.

 

[newbury]

Try to search CL with search tempest and be willing to drive at least a few hours. I found at least 6 there yesterday scattered from Georgia to Ohio ranging from $1K to $2.3K.

 

[DT86]

I should have mentioned that we sharpen the posts only in the fall when the ground is hard as a rock. Even then the driver still does good, compared to drilling and manually tamping.

Right now (March-May) is the prime time for driving, IMHO.

 

[ishiboo]

I should have mentioned that we sharpen the posts only in the fall when the ground is hard as a rock. Even then the driver still does good, compared to drilling and manually tamping.

Right now (March-May) is the prime time for driving, IMHO.

Depends entirely on your area.

Around here, the ground is still frozen probably 6" from the surface... frost depth this winter was over four feet. So the post won't be going anywhere.

And with clay soil, my tractor would be sunk through the 6" of clay mud and be sitting on that frost line the moment I went off the driveway Even with a tracked machine and no frost, it'd be too wet to effectively drive the posts... they move around a bit when driven and with really loose soil it'll end up with a bigger hole than the post. Like with planting/tilling/etc. or any ground work, there's a fine window when it's "best" to do something.

 

[DT86]

Depends entirely on your area.

I'll agree with that no problem. A lot of things depend on that, no matter what we are talking about.

What works in Ga might not work here in Va. What works in Va might not work in Ny.

:thumbsup:

 

[wareagle50]

We have a very old driver(no idea the brand) that was originaly 3pt but we modified it to work on the FEL. I was amazed how that thing could drive a 5-6" post in Pine Mtn., Ga's rocky, clay soil. This thing is old as heck and nearly wore out too.

 

[cletus99]

Thanks everyone for the replies. I'm going to keep my eyes open for a used one. Still need to call around and see if anyone rents them. Don't need it just yet. I'm still working on getting me a new tractor. Hopefully soon.

 

[wareagle50]

Thanks everyone for the replies. I'm going to keep my eyes open for a used one. Still need to call around and see if anyone rents them. Don't need it just yet. I'm still working on getting me a new tractor. Hopefully soon.

Good luck Cletus and...WDE!!!