Easy way to remove large fence post with no heavy equip

[BADBAJA]

Well I got a good lead on a local that might have buried goodies. I heard he may have buried something under one of the many postholes near the home. Problem is there are about 20 different posts still standing. They look more like railroad ties than a fence post. Maybe buried 2 3 or even 4 ft deep. They are solid with no fencing. But no noise from any detectors we tried. This would NOT have been something he went back for. It was said he was a hermit type with no family and lots of $.

I cannot dig all these as the new property owner won't allow. He was going to cut them at the base until I told him the past of his place. Now he is curious as well. He is cool.
We cannot get a vehicle out in the area I believe to be a sweet spot. Out of the question or I would have my buddy with a boom truck pull em.
The rocky ground would be a pita. I dug a foot in a hours time it was so rocky.
All I have is basic hand tools.

I sat up all night pondering and came up with maybe one solution.
Drill a hole through the post and slide a strong piece of tube through the hole that sticks out each side near the bottom like handles. Then get a couple heavy duty bottle jacks or high lift jacks on each side and jack.

Your guys thoughts and ideas would be much appreciated.

I have thought of all the cache spots but this money would have been buried to stay, not to dig up days months or years later.

 

[WV62]

If you are not getting any metal hits around the post I don't see the need to pull them. From all I have read and hear very few people would bury their money under a fence post, because they may want to get to it them selves.

Most of the time people would bury or hide their valuables in a spot where the could see and get a good shot at anybody messing around their hiding spot.

So before you pull the post I would go back to some windows or doors at the house and see which post are best seen from the house and start searching around the post. My guess is if there is something buried out there it is not very deep. Just think about if you were hiding your money and one day you needed a few coins for a can of pop you wouldn't want to dig for a day and a half and pull a large fence post to get at your money. You may find something like a flat rock near a post, flip over the rock and 2 or 3 inches you have your treasure.

Maybe I just think lazy

Good luck,

Ron in WV

 

[Diggler]

Sorry I didn't read the post, just the title and thought I would give you an easy solution. Fence posts are easily removed with a bumper jack. Just put a chain, strap or anything that won't slip or break around the post. Make sure the bottom of the jack is on a board if needed to keep it from sinking in, and jack away. Have pulled fence posts, shrubs and flag poles using an old bumper jack. Good luck!

 

[slingshot]

If you are not getting any metal hits around the post I don't see the need to pull them. From all I have read and hear very few people would bury their money under a fence post, because they may want to get to it them selves.

Most of the time people would bury or hide their valuables in a spot where the could see and get a good shot at anybody messing around their hiding spot.

So before you pull the post I would go back to some windows or doors at the house and see which post are best seen from the house and start searching around the post. My guess is if there is something buried out there it is not very deep. Just think about if you were hiding your money and one day you needed a few coins for a can of pop you wouldn't want to dig for a day and a half and pull a large fence post to get at your money. You may find something like a flat rock near a post, flip over the rock and 2 or 3 inches you have your treasure.

Maybe I just think lazy

Good luck,

Ron in WV

I call it thinking smart-and many of the ole' timers (Roy Lagal, Karl Von Mueller, Hardrock Hendricks,-Whew! showing my age!) often wrote about this. However, one thing is that the post was usually marked in one fashion or another-a tin can on top of the post, etc. So if a post shows ANY sign of wear or former markings that would be the first to check.

 

[Jerry-Wi]

Sorry I didn't read the post, just the title and thought I would give you an easy solution. Fence posts are easily removed with a bumper jack. Just put a chain, strap or anything that won't slip or break around the post. Make sure the bottom of the jack is on a board if needed to keep it from sinking in, and jack away. Have pulled fence posts, shrubs and flag poles using an old bumper jack. Good luck!

My workshop/garage used to be a dairy barn. I spent a lot of time with an old screw type bumper jack removing all the the stalls and steel posts from the concrete floor.
All you need is a good strong chain and double wrap it and attach it to a short beam which has the opposite end from the jack on it's own post. This is so the jack will lift fairly straight. I removed 26 stalls and all of the associated steel posts this way. It works.

Jerry

 

[BADBAJA]

Right on. A new home was built over the top of the old homesite so not sure how to check the lay out. Plus I do not think he would have wanted to retrieve it. I think he just buried it and forget. The land even today is very valuable because of the view and location.

I have a few ideas after google searching and your guys help.

Would minelab 705 detector hit on something up to 4 ft deep? Let's say if it were a 10 lb bag of coins? Also there are nails and small pieces of barb wire everywhere.

My idea is to pull post then check hole with a stick with my audible pinpointer attached and listen for any noise.

 

[WV62]

If you pull them there goes your markers, you may want to see if the land owner will let you put the post back, or make that the last thing you do. That pin-pointer may be a good idea but at best you will only get another 2 to 6" depending on what pin-pointer you have.

You may want to post your minelab question over in the minelab forum that will give you a couple of chances somebody may have the answer to that 4' question. You could also air test it on something about that size and get and idea. My brother and myself were trying to detect between my 3" pipe fence post and with his fisher 1266x and was picking up the post at better than 3'ft.

It would be nice if you could get your hands on one of those 2 box type detectors they are made just for the larger deep items. You may want to check around you may be able to rent one.

Again good luck with this treasure hunt.

Ron in WV

 

[khouse]

My friend is an excavator. He has a Backhoe with a clam bucket on it. He simply clamps down on the posts and pulls them out. A good operator of a Backhoe can get into places you wouldn't think.

 

[westwing357]

I've had sucess pulling post in hard to get at places, by using a farm/barn jack. It's like a super duty bumper jack. You can get them at any tractor supply place or farm store. Just wrap a chain around the post and pump. Hopes this works for you. HH Jack

 

[rewmarshall]

sears used to sell a post bank that you would put under your fence post and the were a steel box ive herd also to look for the posts that are not quite even with the rest of the fence becouse the boxes would sink and o would the post

 

[blue dunbar]

Have you determined that the posts don't have any concrete at their bottoms? That can make a difference in your plan of attack.

 

[rewmarshall]

n/t

 

[salmonriverhotrock]

One trick we use on removing and replacing run over broken highway sign wood posts is using a pick and spade shovel. In team effort, one plants one tip of the pick in the side of the post as near ground as possible and enough it will hold but also come back out. The other slightly shoves the spade shovel down at an angle in the dirt to get a bite in the opposite side of the post and then together, leverage upwards. We do 4X6, 6X6, and 8X8 inch posts up to 16' long and most times, this method works. In fact so well at times and our area is very rocky, we can drop another same size post right back in the hole if we are careful.

I've done wood posts with "Handy Man" (farm/barn) Jacks and a chain but what happens is jack and post like to tilt over to one side on the way up with a single jack and you end up having to wrestle with it all.

 

[TURNMASTER]

High lift jack and a couple feet of chain.

I doubt if the 705 will hit at 4 ft. Might ask Randy but my experience is no. Maybe if you get that new 15" coil but still at 4' probably not. With a long buried cache maybe?

Jeff