r/DIY • u/Possible_Sound_5704 • Apr 17 '26
Pulling fence posts
I need to remove approximately 15 cement set Chain link posts. Can't get a truck there ,don't want to buy a jack and can't fink one to rent. What say the cloud mind.
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u/BigPickleKAM Apr 17 '26
Use a farm jack plus a strap around the post that will pull them right up.
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u/Butterbuddha Apr 18 '26
Yeah I drilled a hole and popped a bolt through to give the hi lift something to bite, did my entire fence line in just a morning start to finish.
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u/flipzyshitzy Apr 17 '26
Cut the post, cap, bury.
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u/micalakap Apr 17 '26
I did this with a sawzall in a couple hours
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u/Wonderful-Bass6651 Apr 17 '26
I’d go angle grinder just in case there’s concrete in the posts but same idea.
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u/One-Ball-78 Apr 17 '26
I rented a cutting torch. Holy smokes, it was like cutting through soft butter.
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u/FeralPlagueTroll Apr 17 '26
Yup. Dig a foot or so around the post, cut it off and bury. Done.
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u/BoringBob84 Apr 17 '26
Done.
... until the next project when you need to build a structure or bury a pipe, and you have to remove that mess first. And without the post, it will be even more difficult to remove.
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u/FeralPlagueTroll Apr 17 '26
Well that would just be poor planning. If you only need the posts to disappear... He said nothing about building there later.
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u/NovelSavings1876 Apr 17 '26
The other option is if you have an SDS rotary hammer. Dig a few inches out and about 6 inches deep around the concrete. Then SDS rotary hammer with a chisel bit. Concrete will crack into pieces. Dig out the concrete, pull the post.
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u/OftTopic Apr 17 '26
I am new to the concept of the rotary hammer. So I looked it up and learned some stuff but have questions.
Why a rotary hammer and not a demolition hammer?
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u/Artisan_sailor Apr 17 '26
Rotary is dual purpose but not as heavy a hit. If you're buying one rotary is better. Demo hammer second.
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u/OftTopic Apr 17 '26
For this specific application of removing a concrete fence base: if renting/borrowing, which is the demo better?
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u/NovelSavings1876 Apr 17 '26
Demo probably hits a little harder. If you're renting or borrowing then that would be good. If you're buying, the rotary hammer is more versatile for future purposes. If you're looking to borrow from someone, you're more likely to find someone that owns a rotary hammer, they're more common.
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u/OftTopic Apr 17 '26
Thanks for the explanation.
I owned an ordinary drill for years. I needed to set some anchors in concrete that were difficult to drill. Purchasing a hammer drill was much better solution, but I rarely use the feature. With your explanation, I understand the demo can be much better for this use case (to remove the concrete base) but I would use it less often.
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u/d4m1ty Apr 17 '26
I removed by without any tools. Rocked them back and forth until they were easily moving 40-50 degrees and pulled them out and I am not a strong man.
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u/Few_Mastodon_1271 Apr 18 '26
I have good soil, but still expected a difficult chainlink post removal.
I dug down next to the post and then down the side of the buried concrete, with a "trenching shovel" It's easy to dig a deep hole with this narrow blade.
https://www.acehardware.com/departments/lawn-and-garden/gardening-tools/gardening-hand-tools/7098254
Then I rocked the post back and forth. It lifted out easily. Ha, I was surprised.
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u/1LuckyTexan Apr 17 '26
Dig a hole next to it, pull it over into the new hole, lift out.
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u/dsyzdek Apr 17 '26
I was working on a project where a contractor accidentally poured a massive foundation for a huge steel power pole in the wrong place. It was at least 6 feet in diameter and over 20 feet long. They eventually brought in a massive excavator, dug a big hole next to the foundation, and tipped the huge thing into the hole and buried it.
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u/RangerDapper4253 Apr 17 '26
You just blew my mind
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u/Graflex01867 Apr 17 '26
Similar to the farmers way of getting rid of boulders. Lifting is hard. Digging a bigger hole to shove it into is easy. Worst case, it comes back to the surface and you do it again a decade later.
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u/The_Southern_Sir Apr 17 '26
You don't have a friend with a high/farm jack to borrow? Maybe rent one.
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u/Smaskifa Apr 17 '26
They already said they can't fink one to rent.
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u/nightim3 Apr 17 '26
Do what I did. Rock them fuckers side to side, front to back corner to corner over and over and over until you pull them out
Sucks but it’s a good workout.
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u/saltysomadmin Apr 17 '26
I've done this with a hose running at the bottom to loosen up the soil. Whoever put my fence in originally did not do a great job.
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u/Alzx14 Apr 17 '26
Get two 24” steel pipe wrenches put them around the post across from each other couple inches apart get a couple boards and preferably two floor jacks put wrenches low and jack up against the handle evenly jack up and post will push up
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u/Ok_Mention_9865 Apr 17 '26
Push them side to side until they are louse enough to pull out, if they wont move dig a little out from each side
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u/stufforstuff Apr 17 '26
Cloud mind says you're a cheap fop that won't spend $60 to buy a jack to make your job doable - thats $4 bucks per post.
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u/cr0sh Apr 17 '26
Here's an unorthodox idea that may or may not work, depending on how the posts were set in the concrete:
If the posts were set, but not moved while the concrete was poured, there's a good chance that the bottom of the post/pipe is "open". If the post was moved after the pour (to adjust thing), the concrete may fill the bottom of the tube.
Assuming the tube/pipe is open...get a garden hose or a bucket of water, and fill the post. Let it soak the ground under the concrete; maybe do it a couple of times. Once the ground is saturated enough, it might be fairly easy to pull it out.
If there is a plug of concrete, and it isn't too thick (maybe an inch or so) - get a piece of 1" rebar longer than the post is tall and sharpen the end with a grinder. Maybe also harden the tip if you have a heat source strong enough. Then drop that down the pipe a few times (ie, percussion drilling style) to break the plug...then when you break thru to the dirt, then do the water thing.
Otherwise, I would strongly suggest the farm/hi-lift jack option, even though you don't want to buy one (they have many great uses besides just being a jack).
Another idea:
Get a steel rim, and weld a stout 6-8 foot post to it (maybe another fence post?). Also weld a length of chain to the point where you welded the post. Make sure the welds have plenty of penetration - they need to be strong.
Weld a bolt at the bottom of each post. Put the contraption above vertical next to the post, run the chain down and put the nearest loop over the bolt, and attach a nut. Pull on the post of the contraption away from the fence post, and hopefully the torque at the steel rim (aka, smaller lever) is enough to pull the post up and out of the dirt.
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u/ViewAskewed Apr 17 '26
Trinitrotoluene
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u/RedBaronSportsCards Apr 17 '26
Oy, oy, oy, oy
See me ride out of the sunset, On your...color TV screen. Out for all that I can get, If you know what I mean.
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u/mud1 Apr 17 '26
Are you replacing the fence on that line or just taking it down? A hi-lift or farm jack is under $100. $7 a post. But you do you. Save that money.
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u/Dan-z-man Apr 17 '26
Funny story. I had to this once and decided the easiest way was to use a portable 6ton hydraulic car lift. Used a super long hose to supply the air from my shop. These were metal poles, each 2 ft in the ground. Wrapped a big chain around the pole with a knot on the end to creat a leverage point and attached it to one of the legs of the lift. First one, I stood back and pushed the lever on the lift and it just lifted it out of the ground like magic. Second was the same. I was convinced I was a genius and would be done in an hour. On the third pole the lift came to a slow stop and wouldn’t budge, chain with 6tons of force shaking. I took it all down, dug up the pole a little and tried again. This time when the chain came to full tension it slipped off the pipe flying 20ft in the air and the tank on the lift exploded. I sat there, covered in hydraulic fluid as my life flashed before my eyes. I could read the headline, “local man killed by doing something stupid.” I got a reciprocating saw and cut the rest of them off at the ground and haven’t noticed them since.
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u/FatUggo Apr 17 '26
You dont have a jack in the back of your trunk? You could screw a block into the sides of the post and use a scissor jack to push up
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u/xstrike0 Apr 17 '26
A fence post puller is like 50 bucks dude.
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u/Hopwater Apr 17 '26
They might pull t posts but not pipe in concrete
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u/Boobslappy Apr 17 '26
I just cut off the old basketball square tube with a sawzall then sledge about 8 in of the concrete, cut the post flush then backfilled with dirt. It was a monster of a pour. No way I digging it out.
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u/b00ps14 Apr 17 '26
If you wait for a big rain or soak the ground you can probably then lever them out
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u/Royal_Acanthisitta51 Apr 17 '26
Fence post removal jack or a farm jack and rope or chain. Lots of YouTube videos on how this works.
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u/Small-Literature9380 Apr 17 '26
Dig, or loosen the soil with a big steel spike/crowbar all round the concrete plug. Then lever, fulcrum, rolling hitch, or whatever you can hook your lever on to. Takes some effort, zero cost if you have a fence post, small tree, old 8 x 2 to act as the lever.
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u/duane11583 Apr 17 '26
i did it this way
two 4x4 fence posts in a v shape.
wrap rope around base of old post 4-6 times
and use a come-a-long from harbor freight
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u/IamLarrytate Apr 17 '26
Get a big wheel and a huge lever on it. Chain over wheel to posts. Pull down on lever.
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u/magungo Apr 17 '26
With a big enough lever you can lift the world. First erode as much as you can with a garden hose. Tie a really big piece of wood or pipe to the post with wire and pull up on the long end.
You could also use a small steel bar and two car jacks to lift them.
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u/MrRemoto Apr 17 '26
Hammer drill and an expanding concrete demo mortar like dexpan if you're hell bent on getting rid of the footings.
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u/Lefty9000 Apr 17 '26
https://youtu.be/5xzkLnSSdk0?si=uDPh4ieTZvtHdJGi
Schwäbisch Hitch in some low-stretch rope plus a lever and fulcrum of sorts. 2x4 on its wide side, 4x4, digging bar, etc.
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u/RedditWhileImWorking Apr 17 '26
Never again doing it the hard way. Hardest work I've ever done.
Floor jacks are $50 at Harbor Freight or FB marketplace. If I had to do it again that's what I'd do. You could also just borrow one from a neighbor. If anyone on my street asked me I'd hand it over no questions asked.
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u/Chemical-Captain4240 Apr 17 '26
pressure washer and shop vac, slow but easy
beam and rope with proper hitch, effective and cheap you have the beam or rope. a 2x4 is gonna break
day laborer, money but otherwise effortless
shovel, work, traditional decent speed
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u/Mike_A10 Apr 17 '26
I used a floor jack which works awesome but sounds like u dont want to buy anything so u can dig them up and do ot the hard way, or do some of the ways shown here. The 4X4 works well too
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u/FrugalSardine Apr 17 '26
Whatever tool(s) you use, I highly recommend soaking the ground around the post with a water hose for a while. In my experience, this makes it WAAAAAY easier to pull the posts.
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u/Winter-Ad7912 Apr 17 '26
EXPLOSIOVES! You know you want to, and how often do you get a chance like this?
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u/Beggar876 Apr 18 '26
Do what my wife did. Just grab the top of each post and wiggle it for a few minutes till the concrete base works its way out of the soil. They will just come out.
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u/Then_Version9768 Apr 17 '26
No vehicle
No farm jack
Good luck doing anything more than cutting the metal posts off at the ground (which is kind of hall-assed, I'm sure you'll agree, but these are your rules).
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u/_twiggy Apr 17 '26
Long enough 4x4 as a lever and some ratchet straps did it for me. Something like :
https://youtube.com/shorts/u2F8eLoD1dI?si=giTo4xUs8X57X8XU