Pulling out remainder of broken-off 6x6 fence post

[joshuabardwell]

My fence has several places where there is a 6x6 post with a long (drive-through, opens-in-the-middle) gate hanging on one side and a short (walk-through) gate hanging on the other side. Two of them have recently broken off at ground level--probably rotted away, I would guess. I would love to be able to get the old post out and re-use the existing hole for a replacement. Does anybody have any tips for how to do this?

One thought that I had was to treat it like a stump, drill some holes in it, fill it with diesel, and start it burning. This would leave a neat 6x6 hole to receive the next post, but I'm not sure whether it would reliably burn out completely. Alternatively, I thought maybe I could affix some kind of an anchor and pull the post out with my tractor. But I'm not sure what I could sink into the post, especially into the end grain, that would hold strong enough to take the post out.

Any other suggestions?

 

[MossRoad]

Dig down around it for a foot and wrap a chain around it and try to use your FEL or 3PT hitch to lift it straight up.

 

[murphy1244]

I like the driving in some kind of anchor and pulling it out.

 

[tow653]

If concreted in,dig down around it,use long metal bar to break concrete. It breaks a lot easier if it has room to break away from post.

 

[teejk]

My fence has several places where there is a 6x6 post with a long (drive-through, opens-in-the-middle) gate hanging on one side and a short (walk-through) gate hanging on the other side. Two of them have recently broken off at ground level--probably rotted away, I would guess. I would love to be able to get the old post out and re-use the existing hole for a replacement. Does anybody have any tips for how to do this?

One thought that I had was to treat it like a stump, drill some holes in it, fill it with diesel, and start it burning. This would leave a neat 6x6 hole to receive the next post, but I'm not sure whether it would reliably burn out completely. Alternatively, I thought maybe I could affix some kind of an anchor and pull the post out with my tractor. But I'm not sure what I could sink into the post, especially into the end grain, that would hold strong enough to take the post out.

Any other suggestions?

Seems to me that a long lag bolt (3/8 or 1/2) tapped into the top should work if you can get a vertical pull with a tractor. I've done something similar just using the hydraulics on a plow truck. You might find that it is rotted though and you won't get a bite. So then I guess the burn method. I wonder if anybody has ever tried using hot charcoal on something like that? Slow burn but sustaining.

 

[DFB]

Try lifting it with your tooth bar

 

[SPIKER]

using a large Eye Bolt in the top may work if only bare dirt. Use the FEL to push it back & forth a bit to loosen the grip of the dirt.

you can also use a big Spud Bar down along side to pry it back & forth a few times then come in at an angle to the post drive the spud bar in some or drill a hole using a spade bit & battery drill so there is something to bite into on the post. then use a 4x4 as a pivot point to pry it up & out if you cant get tractor close.

Next option is to use Dynamite a "HOLE" bunch my preferred method j/k lol. but not sure how cold you all are getting now you can also shovel out around it some to form a bowl use a sledge hammer to beat it back & forth some then fill hole up with water. let it freeze and drain along the post side come back in a couple hrs and beat it back & forth in the muddy hole and then pry out.

additional option is to NAIL or SCREW a 2x4 onto the top one or 2 sides and chain under/around it still requires some digging. then FEL or Spud Bar to pop it up also can use a FARM JACK or old style Bumper Jack to JACK it out of the ground.

Mark

 

[ovrszd]

Whatever method you use, by the time you have the post out, the hole isn't going to be a neat 6x6 hole anymore. You're gonna end up cleaning the hole. I'd use the chain loop method as described above.

 

[DT86]

I wonder if a fire would get enough oxygen to burn in a hole that small and that deep.

I agree that digging and wrapping a chain could work and an anchor might work as well, maybe a large lag bolt screwed into the top to pull from.

Something to think about is why it broke to start with. If you have a long gate on one side and a short gate on the other it sounds like there is no brace. If the gates rest on something like a block or the ground then that probably isn't a problem, but if the weight of the gate is hanging on the post with out a brace then it could be the reason the post broke.

 

[MossRoad]

Something to think about is why it broke to start with. .

In most cases someone drove into it with a tractor.

 

[DT86]

In most cases someone drove into it with a tractor.

Now who in the world would do a thing like that?

Back in the summer a guy was pulling a four wheel hay wagon out of one of my gates onto the road. A 20' wide opening, two 10' gates actually. Anyway he hit the end of one of the open gates with the front of the wagon. It put a slight bend in the heavy duty gate (less than a year old) and pulled the bed half way off the wagon frame.

I was pretty mad but luckily it was his wagon and it didn't break the 10" post.

 

[MossRoad]

I hear ya. The only dent in my car hauler trailer fender came from me hitting a tree while trying to avoid the gate post! :laughing:

 

[SPIKER]

Yep never sure WHO hits stuff with my tractor or the car trailer ok maybe I could have a clue (wisper wisper wisper) sorry I've been advised to take the 5th

M

 

[BigE_]

Pulling straight up has worked for me a few times. This was with a 4x4 post. I got the biggest lag bolt I could find at the hardware store, then drilled down through the top with the appropriate sized bit, and finally, screwed the lag bolt in tight. I made a quick frame with a couple of 4x4 posts, and then one across the top. I hung my come-along from that and pulled straight up. Came out with a perfect hole. I dropped the new post in, and I was done.

The times this has not worked, I dug down about 6 inches on each side of the post and gave it a few whacks on the side with an 8lb sledge. Hitting it with your backhoe bucket or FEL might do the trick as well. Once it was loosed up a bit, it came right up.

If you want to use your tractor to lift, then I would lift from the 3pt hitch. Easier to lift straight up, and you can lift more.

 

[edlegault]

The burn with diesel idea ---- supercharge the airflow with a leaf blower... should burn out in no time.

 

[joshuabardwell]

Something to think about is why it broke to start with. If you have a long gate on one side and a short gate on the other it sounds like there is no brace.

Exactly. Whomever designed the fence put a bunch of these places in where there is a drive-through gate on one side and a walk-through gate on the other. It's just a 6x6 post in the ground with two gates hanging off of it--one of them about 8' long. The two that broke are on a hillside that sees a LOT of water running down it, so my guess is that's why they broke. I'm not sure how to fix it, though, short of taking out the drive-through gates and putting in fence rails instead. How can you brace something like that?

 

[Bandsaw]

Dig down around it for a foot and wrap a chain around it and try to use your FEL or 3PT hitch to lift it straight up.

I work construction. pulling out old decks and such. Chain and FEL is by far best method. If it won"t pull right up, lift and drive forward and back a bit at the same time.

 

[bcp]

Redesign it with a single opening so you can brace the posts. A 8-12ft single gate is no problem to walk through by opening it just a little bit. If you really want a small gate, make a double gate with an 8ft and a 3ft, for example.

Bruce

 

[DT86]

If you take out the longer gate and leave a short walk through gate (4' I'm assuming) you probably wouldn't have to brace it at all.

You could leave both and put a wheel on the end of the longer gate or leave a block of wood, a rock, brick or something like that at the end to keep the weight off of the post. Then I think you would be fine without a brace.

 

[Mace Canute]

Over the years when I was on the Line crew we pulled a ton of power poles! Easy when you have many feet sticking up to wrap a boom tip winch cable around, eh? . Seriously, for ordinary 4x4s or 6x6s, sometimes a chain and JackAll work the best, just have to dig down a ways to get the chain wrapped around the stump. I've had instances where the stump was rotted into a pointed shape so no way would the chain grip it, a lag screw or two would hold it down enough to tighten and then it pulled out with the jack. Sometime a jack works better than a front end loader as you can see what's happening. Use the loader to carry the jack, chain shovel and stumps.