Double-Headed, Post-Driving “A”

Double-Headed Post-Driving “A” FENCING Miscellaneous Dennis Fisher uses both ends of his John Deere A to drive fence posts especially big corner posts on his hilly and rocky soils The A is equipped with a 4-in auger that operates under pressure on the rear end On front he has a big Shaver driver with special modifications     “I can back up to the fence line and make a pilot hole with the auger about 4 ft deep ” says Fisher “Tractor hydraulics drive the auger motor and the sleeve on the mast that holds the auger ”     The cylinder on the mast is from an old F11 front-end loader The mast is fabricated from 4 by 6-in steel tubing Fisher says the mast and cylinder are sturdy enough that when lowered against the ground they can lift the tractor’s rear end     “With the pressure of the cylinder on it the auger can work its way down between the rocks to create a pilot hole ” says Fisher     Once the pilot hole is complete Fisher turns the tractor around and brings the driver into position In addition to some extra steel weight added to the hammer Fisher mounted it to a plate with a pivot point     “We can swing the driver as much as 2 1/2 feet by pulling the lock pin ” says Fisher “It works just like a hinge and saves a lot of getting up and down from the tractor ”     Fischer also replaced the small hand wheels that adjust the pitch and angle with larger wheels “They make it much easier to adjust the driver ” he says     To pull old posts out of the ground he hooks a chain to the sleeve on the mast wraps it around the post and activates the cylinder     Fischer designed the mast and auger with 3-pt style brackets He uses an adjustable top link arm to straighten the mast before starting the auger The brackets give him the option of using the auger on another tractor That’s something he may have to do after having the pair of fencing tools on the old A for more than 16 years     “My dad bought the A at a neighbor’s farm sale and it sat around until we added the post hole auger and driver ” explains Fisher “Now the neighbor’s son would like to buy it back We may have to find a different tractor for putting in posts ”     Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Dennis Fisher 11714 45th Ave Sisseton S Dak 57262 ph 605 742-4197; dslacomc@gmail com

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