Back-Saver 2000

[rokit]

This one falls into the category of Stupid-Simple-yet-Oh-So-Useful (to me anyway).

I am putting in a fence around my property. The majority will be steel posts, but along the frontage I did railroad ties every 10 feet. I quickly got sick of maneuvering the posts only in the horizontal with the tractor and vertically with my own grunt...so on a bad-weather day I zapped together a fork out of 2" x 2" x .250" square tube and some 3/4" nuts and bolts. BTW, a hitch receiver on my pallet fork attachment makes this a snap.

Anyway, now I simply pull up to a tie lying on the ground, zap down the bolts down with a battery-powered Dewalt mini-impact, and lift away. The posts go vertical and I plop them in the holes with the FEL. This little rig is equally as effective at pulling stuff out of the ground (an old mailbox post, other old fence posts, etc.). I wondered about gripping strength and slippage and the need to add gussets, but so far it hasn't been an issue.

 

[PHPaul]

Hmmmmmmmmmmmm....and I have some heavy square tubing laying around too...

 

[BigDog1956]

This one falls into the category of Stupid-Simple-yet-Oh-So-Useful (to me anyway).

I am putting in a fence around my property. The majority will be steel posts, but along the frontage I did railroad ties every 10 feet. I quickly got sick of maneuvering the posts only in the horizontal with the tractor and vertically with my own grunt...so on a bad-weather day I zapped together a fork out of 2" x 2" x .250" square tube and some 3/4" nuts and bolts. BTW, a hitch receiver on my pallet fork attachment makes this a snap.

Anyway, now I simply pull up to a tie lying on the ground, zap down the bolts down with a battery-powered Dewalt mini-impact, and lift away. The posts go vertical and I plop them in the holes with the FEL. This little rig is equally as effective at pulling stuff out of the ground (an old mailbox post, other old fence posts, etc.). I wondered about gripping strength and slippage and the need to add gussets, but so far it hasn't been an issue.View attachment 500666

Good job, easy enough---alway's looking to save the BACK

 

[oosik]

Fortunately, when I installed barbed wire fence around my 80 acres - 1.5 miles - I only needed seven greasy railroad ties. I sure could have used something like what rokit has built. I ended up using a log chain to "pinch" the ties to the lip of the bucket. It worked - but was only one tiny step above setting them by hand.

 

[davedj1]

Looks like a nice tool you have build.
Good idea! Now I have to add a 2" receiver to the quick attach plate I have for my front end loader build

 

[newbury]

Looks good.
Simple, fairly easy to make, very useful. Good project to learn welding with.

 

[Leejohn]

Good Ideal!!!!

 

[handirifle]

Neat idea. I'd like to build a set of forks to swap my bucket out with. Could use them a lot around here.

 

[DaveOmak]

I like it....

 

[Renze]

I wrap a chain around it. Easier to put a post down than when it is clamped

 

[Gary Fowler]

I wrap a chain around it. Easier to put a post down than when it is clamped

But you have to manhandle it to get the chain around it. Last time I worked with railroad ties, I used my backhoe with the hydraulic thumb to move them, never touched them by hand from unloading them off my truck to placing them where I needed them-no touch. Of course not everyone has a backhoe and the OP's invention seems like it would work well. The bolt holds it tight, but allows it to transition from horizontal to vertical as it is lifted. GOOD JOB>

 

[rokit]

Mine also is a No-Touch operation.

I pull up to the tie, Da Wife zaps it with a cordless impact, I lift it to vertical and drive it to the hole, plop it in the hole (dead center, with no swinging around, and squared up with the world) and Da Wife unzaps it with the cordless. Sip beer and repeat.

She's a keeper (Da Wife is, too)!