post pounder need to make one

[ibquackers20]

This spring I have to pound in a lot of post's for the larger corral and more to fence our yard in, is there anyone out there that has made an homemade one that will work on poles/posts 3-4 inches round ? I am not a welder or even know how. But I can make things from spare parts - do any of you have photos and instructions on how to make one ? thanks

 

[kaykay]

we bought one for 20.00 at tsc so im not sure you could make one cheaper?

 

[ibquackers20]

I live in Beausejour manitoba, nearest places around is winnipeg / selkirk / been searching all over for anyone who sells them - so far no luck - ready to pull hair out.

 

[sedeh]

My dad made one for me....but I like the store bought one better because it has handles. He took a heavy 4 inch pipe and then welded 2 big/heavy bolts in a criss-cross across one end. The walls of the pipe were about 3/8 inch thick. It heavy but it works. :bgrin

 

[kaykay]

i bet you can mail order it from tsc or cashmans but they are heavy so shipping wouldnt be cheap

heres the one we bought its only 17lbs so thats not bad?

post pounder

 

[Little Wee Horse Farm]

At my local feed store or Tractor Supply for $20 to $25. Weight to it so it helps put in the post plus handles that are part of the main metal in the pounder, so you can't break them off.

 

[Minimor]

I've seen them for sale somewhere here (Brandon) & they weren't too expensive at all, but offhand I can't remember where I saw them. I'm thinking maybe Princess Auto, at one of their sales they had some in on a special deal? I don't see them in their regular catalogue but they sometimes have things in on special that they don't usually carry. Wherever they were, I didn't buy one--actually I think there might be one around here somewhere. I seldom use it--I find it easier to use a digger, posts don't pound easily here!

 

[ibquackers20]

I will need one that will fit over a pole that is 3-4 inch round and 6 feet long , I only have to pound 2 feet into the ground here. I will give princess auto in winnipeg a call

 

[dangerranger]

You must have some soft ground there! If I tryed to pound a 3" post into the ground here two things would happen, first Id get very tired! and second the post would be beat into splinters before the wood got one inch into the ground! good luck. Ill bet if you took a pic of what you want to someone who welds they could make you one. DR.

 

[ibquackers20]

The ground here is not soft, I have used a big sledge hammer and standing on top of a picnic table hammer the pole down but I do tend to splinter a couple of the poles and I can not move my arms the next day or month for that matter. But if you put the poles in just after the ground unthaws and is still wet the poles do go in easier. I do have guys that I can hire to do it but they can be costly and I figured between my son and myself with the pole pounder we can put in the poles then hire the guys to stretch and nail the page wire on. We or I plan on fencing my whole 3 acreas and that is my whole yard with the horse corrals taking up 2 acreas of it. Less grass for me to cut in the summer and maybe cheaper on buying hay to feed them, I will still give them hay once a day but the rest of the time they can be horses and graze.

 

[sdmini]

To be honest I would do it the other way around. I would hire someone to put in the post and then put up the wire myself.

They do make hydraulic post pounders. One of our neighbors have one and we borrowed it last summer. We put in three miles of post in one day. As far as I'm concerned its one of the best inventions known to man.

I can't say I've ever seen a post pounder for wooden posts. Before the post pounder we would have to dig and tamp the post in place.

Steel post would go in much easier and can be put in with a hand post pounder.

 

[AJ]

How to set a pole --- Take a steel crowbar (straight) mine would be a automotive driveshaft, and create a hole by pounding and wiggling sideways. It is easy to go down 2 feet if ground is wet and no stones. Then fill hole with water and let soak a minute. A 3" pole will go in like a knife through butter, with no splintering as the resistance is greatly reduced. Another benefit of making hole this way, is that it is easy to get the pole set nice and straight. While I use a sledge hammer, it would work equally well for those "sleeve" type pounders.

 

[Relic]

We did all the fencing around the main barn by hand and we only used a crowbar and a sledge hammer.

l would dig the holes during the day where the post would go with the crowbar about a foot deep and wide enough to stand the post in then dump a bucket of water in the hole. The next day the old man would get on a barrel and pound them in with the hammer. At first the tops of the post would get smashed so he cut square pieces off of a plywood sheet just to fit the top with a little over lap and a nail in the middle to hold it in place works okay for about 2 posts with no damage then you need to use a new piece. l think we did like about 370 posts by hand and we were pooped at the end of the summer then opted to rent a pounder guy to come in and do the rest of the fifteen hundred posts...

This piece is the last of a paddock we're working on it has a lot of big rocks under ground so posts endlessly have to be pulled out and done again a few inches over and they don't line up even at the tops but at this point as long as they are in we don't care... :bgrin

 

[ibquackers20]

I was even thinking on renting a gas powered pounder (not sure what they are calloed )? but been told it needs 2 people to operate it and the holes it makes should be a bit smaller than the post, maybe that way I can cut the cost of paying by the hour - if they do not have to pound so much. But where I live I still have not even found anyone who rents them (winnipeg,manitoba is the closest city / then selkirk ,manitoba is the next town.)still hunting but I like the crowbar idea - maybe that will be easier / do they make post pounders that will go over 3-4 inch round wooden poles and can it be done without splitting the tops up ? need to plan for spring and have everything I need on hand.

 

[Magic]

The only posts we've ever pounded in were the metal "t-posts"; all of the wooden posts have needed holes dug to be put in. We've used some big posts though.. anywhere from six inches wide on up. I would think that you'd need your corner posts to have holes dug and put concrete in, for sturdiness.

The hydraulic post pounder sounds like it would be the best bet for you, if you could find one. Sounds like a huge job you are taking on!

Good luck with it!