Pile Driver For Farm Fence Posts

Pile driver for farm fenceposts FENCING Fence Systems 15-3-11 "I built this post driver because I'm 78 years old and needed an easier way to get posts into the ground," says Hans Claassen, Surrey, British Columbia, who built a "pile driver" to mount on his front-end loader, replacing the hand-held auger he used for years when fencing. Claassen patterned his post pounder after a steam-engine driven pile driver he remembered seeing when he was just 12 years old. Powered by a 4-hp. Briggs & Stratton engine, it consists of a 250-lb. weight that's raised by a chain and then dropped onto the head of the post. Everything's mounts on a 7-ft. length of 6 by 6-in. steel tubing. The engine belt-drives a pulley assembly. The final pulley is fitted with a 4-in. sprocket that drives a length of roller chain running between the top of the post driver and a sprocket at the bottom. Two "swivel taps" mount on the chain. They lift the weight up and then release it at the top. The post pounder hangs from the lip of the loader bucket by a hook. Two 1 1/4-in. steel rods at the bottom of the pounder hold it in place while operating. Claassen says it'll drive a 4-in. dia., 7-ft. post two feet into the ground in just 2 to 3 min. He likes being able to reach across a ditch to drive a post and it's easy to use on hillsides. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Hans Claassen, 8321 - 140th Street, Surrey, B.C. V3W 5K9 Canada.

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