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Pulling T Post

J

john in la

Well-known Member
Location
What part of in La do you not understand
Have some T post I need to pull up.
Backed my Ford 801 up to the post; wrap a chain around the post; and tried to pick up with 3 point hitch.
Clay ground is so hard it picks the front of the tractor up.
Post are maybe 2 feet in the ground.
I was able to get 2 post out by rocking the tractor back and forth but stopped as this just did not feel safe.

I got a drum I can put water in and haul out in the field and was thinking about soaking the ground and then see if they would pull easier.

Any Ideas?????????
 
I use a front loader and don't have any problem. You might need to put a garden hose at the post and let water trickle for a few days and soften the ground.
 
Kinda also depends how many posts you need to pull? and where they are located? Can you get water to them? If in no hurry I have sometimes waited on a "soaking rain".... the least work the better :)
 
#2 grandson and I pulled the 4X4s out of the front board fence with the garden tractor. I wrapped the chain around the post and backed the 455 up to the post,wrapped the chain around the top of the tire and down to the ground and drove forward. Three foot in the ground and they came right out.
 
I just pulled about 20 post in the black clay dirt here. Used the front bucket of my Kubota. If it didn't come up I put the water hose on it and shook it back and forth a few times. It would take more than a minute with each post.
 
You may need them out immediately but I wait until the winter rains begin and the ground softens. I pulled close to 100 by hand this past year. Easy pulling.
 
You must have some harder than normal ground. High clay content? We have some soil like that around here in small areas. The front tires on the loader tractor will squish down pretty good before the post comes up.
 
Backing with the post in front of the tire OK going forward can flip the tractor easily (maybe not that time, but it is a real "never do that" thing. Not a flame, but others might try it!!.. Jim
 
I've never had to try this, but I saw it on this forum: Stand a piece of 4x4 or 4x6 just a tad shorter than the post, next to the post. Run chain from bottom of the t-post over top of the 4x4, which is notched on top to hold chain in place. Run chain to lowest gravity center on tractor and pull. Force is directed upward, not forward. It works on paper, but like I said, I've never tried it.
 
A single piece is pretty unstable.

We use a fork cut out of a tree about 3 feet long with branches around 3 - 4 inch diameter. There is a V cut in the single end to locate a chain. Set it up at about 45 degrees on the post (might have to dig in the ends to stop them sliding. Mostly used on wooden posts. On our steel ones (Y posts) we have a plate puller with a rectangular notch that fits pretty neatly on the post with the chain hooked on one side so it levers the plate and locks it on the post. For bulk jobs we use that plate with a tractor tpl (don't have a loader)

Known as "The Toothpuller"
a167774.jpg
 
All else fails you could always cut the post off flush with the ground. A sawzall with a metal cutting blade will wack them off quickly.
 
There is a gadget made to drop over the post that hooks when you pull up, it pulls the post out,when the ground is really hard you need to drop it to the bottom of the post to keep from bending the post.Of course you have to have enough machine to pull the post out the ground regardless.
 
(quoted from post at 04:02:02 08/02/17) All else fails you could always cut the post off flush with the ground. A sawzall with a metal cutting blade will wack them off quickly.
Click to expand...

Eventually the soil will erode away from around that stub, and then it will be protruding ABOVE the ground. Guaranteed to ruin your day when that stub punctures a tire.
 
If its just one I would use a high lift jack and some chain. Makes for a long day if you have to pull 100 that way though.
 
I don't mess with T-posts in the summer, neither drive nor pull. Wait for the rains. Work with nature not against it.
 
My dad was popped in the head by a steel post that broke off while we were pulling it. He wrapped the chain around the post and I ran the loader. It was pulling very hard when the post broke off and flew up hitting dad in the head. He had to go home to rest awhile. We have pulled thousands of posts without event but eventually something will go flying.
 
(quoted from post at 22:51:58 08/01/17) I've never had to try this, but I saw it on this forum: Stand a piece of 4x4 or 4x6 just a tad shorter than the post, next to the post. Run chain from bottom of the t-post over top of the 4x4, which is notched on top to hold chain in place. Run chain to lowest gravity center on tractor and pull. Force is directed upward, not forward. It works on paper, but like I said, I've never tried it.
Click to expand...

A tractor or 'big-truck' rim is good to put the chain over and will put the force from the drawbar into the vertical direction.
 
Thanks guys.

I spent a few hours with a cordless drill and a soil drill bit putting a hole next to each post.
Now I will just wait for some good rains to fill the hole and see if that works.
If not I will try with a large rim.

I got about 600 feet (60 post) to do and getting a water hose out there is out of the question.
 
From the look of the weather report this morning, you should be able to pull those post out by hand tomorrow if you can get to them lol.
 
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