Bucket Post Driver Is Speedy, Safe

Bucket Post Driver Is Speedy, Safe FENCING Tools 33-1-11 Mike Zweifel's simple, inexpensive bucket attachment makes driving T-posts faster, easier and, more importantly - safer. "Bucke-T-Driver is far safer than trying to level your loader bucket out and slamming a T-post into the ground while a worker-helper is holding on to the T-post for dear life," says Zweifel, who invented Bucke-T-Driver at a friend's request a few years ago. He developed five models - each with 2-in. inner diameter barrel drivers that connect to mounting brackets bolted or welded to the front edge or side of a loader bucket. The most efficient method is to load T-posts in the bucket - the bucket is completely upright and the extra weight helps drive the posts. A helper on the ground slips the post into the Bucke-T-Driver barrel. Most models use a clamp at the bottom of the driver to hold the T-post long enough to set it in place on the ground. The helper releases the clamp, steps out of the way and the bucket operator pushes the T-post into the ground. "The barrel hangs straight up and down, so it's self leveling," Zweifel says, though some fencer installers also use a torpedo level to ensure the posts are straight. Two of the Bucke-T-Driver models have 3/4-in. welded hitch knuckles for the head components for faster alignments with a tighter head fit that works well on extremely dry or hard ground. Driver-V is the most advanced unit with a convenient spring latch to hold a T-post, which releases by simply lifting the bucket after the post is driven in place. Zweifel recommends using better quality, T-posts in hard ground. He tested his driver on a hard-packed driveway with good posts. The front of the tractor rose up, but the posts didn't bend and went into the ground without a problem. "I loaned it to a doctor who put in 750 posts and only bent six of them and averaged a post every 30 seconds," Zweifel says. He offers less expensive models for people who only need to put in fence posts occasionally and models for frequent fencers who may also be dealing with hard ground. Zweifel makes, packs and ships the drivers from his Enid, Okla., shop. Drivers and mounts range from $28.50 to $74. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Bucke-T-Driver, Mike Zweifel, 1618 Indian Drive, Enid, Okla. 73703 (ph 580 747-9288; mrzweifel@yahoo.com; www.bucketdriver.com).

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