Best way to knock in fence posts

HaffiesRock

HaffiesRock

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I have about 100 round wooden posts that I need to knock in (OH needs to knock in!) We have a post knocker and a manual hole borer but this sounds backbreaking! Any suggestions? The local farmers are all too busy to help. Can you hire anything to help with the job? Just wondering if I have missed something obvious.

Thanks
 
It is back breaking!

We have a postknocker which goes on the back of a tractor, it is a heavy weight that is literally dropped on the top of the pole, then raised again and dropped again until it is driven into the ground. You might be able to hire something, but using machinery you are not used to is tricky. Can you wait until a local farmer with the appropriate equipment is less busy. We have also used a loading shovel to push stakes intothe ground, but apparentley that is frowned upon as not a safe practice.
There are people who erect fences for a living and who will have the equipment, but they are going to charge well. Look in a local feed merchants for advertising or in the parish magazine.
 
round here we have a chap who isn't a farmer and who specialises in dealing with paddock owners requirements perhaps you have someone like that nearby? its definitely worth asking, our local chap doesn't advertise much as people pass on recommendations word of mouth

Its worth waiting for one of the farmers otherwise if you are able to
 
We have several local contractors who have the equipment to knock in 100 posts in no time especially if your OH can do the manual work of moving posts to where they are required, if you can be flexible they should be able to do a half day in between other jobs at this time of year, possibly when it is raining so the silaging/ hay making etc cannot be done, it will be back breaking and very time consuming otherwise.
 
Tractor and loader squeeze them in but depending on your soil type even that will be hard work. It is also probably a real health and safety no-no but that is how we do them.
 
You could try a fencing contractor, they may not be as busy as the farmers who are all mowing atm (at least they are round here). My OH and I have knocked in above 100 posts but we have spread the work over about 9 months. We use a pointed metal bar to make a hole then a post knocker it is great for the stomach muscles / core strength! The ones we have put in are only 2&1/2" round, bigger posts may be more of a challenge.
 
Dry Rot said:
You are beginning to worry me. At least you didn't suggst the OP takes up carriage driving!:D

So that's the quickest way to drive in 100 fence posts? By hand? And you were an agricultural advisor?
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I think you need to chill Dry Rot, if I were here now and had a skilled male available the posts would be in by lunch time, provided they were the little ones used for electric fencing. Please don't follow me around.
 
I tractor with a bucket to bash them with or with a poster on the back of it :p.

I can't see how doing them with a mallet would ever be the quickest method!
 
This time of year it will be very difficult. My OH, who used to be a fancing man but now only repairs mine says he will only put in posts in winter, the ground is far too hard now. If you really have to do it now then I would pay someone. Did you say you did have a tractor bonger thing (techie term) or just a manual one? 100 posts would kill you manually. And forget the mallet option!
 
We have a hand held petrol auger for making the holes. I wouldn't say it's light work but it's a hell of a lot quicker than a hand one.
 
A friend of mine makes a living doing fencing and such. If he gets a contract for 100+ posts he sub contracts knocking the posts in to a mate with a proper machine, then does all the wire / rails etc himself. I'd go with that approach, and you'll get the whole lot done in a day, and be able to walk afterwards.
 
I and another livery knocked in 10 across the paddock with a sledgehammer and it was HARD work! We used metal spiked holders which are easier than banging the whole post into the ground on its own. After all the rain we've had recently, I would imagine the ground would be ok. My entire garden has been looking like a water feature and my chickens have grown webbed feet and started quacking :)
 
No but you pay someone who has! - she says about hiring things to do the job! We used a very simply non-hydraulic option (on end of chain jobby) on the back of a tractor (also not ours) to do our fencing.

As presumably they don't have a good man with a mallet or they would be in too.
 
When we took this place on, we tried knocking posts in by mallet. That lasted for possible three posts that went in all crooked and split. We then got a manual post hole basher, and fenced off four acres with that. It was hard and slow work especially if you want all the posts to be upright, and not tilting over a wonky angles. Its a two person job, and the ground needs to be fairly soft, so June would not normally be a good time ;). The fence lasted for 25 years, though.

We have recently replaced all the fencing, and being older and more creaky these days, we got a proper fencing contractor in. He has a custom post hole basher thing on the back of his tractor, and he gets them in, all straight and true, in no time. He does both square posts for post and rail, and round ones for sheep netting. I highly recommend getting in someone with a tractor mounted basher!
 
OH did nearly 100 by Mallet, he dug a hole first with narrow post spade, then knocked them in. He said no problem, but then he was a rugby Prop Forward, and had similarly built mate helping. Personally I would get someone in!
 
The quickest way is to get a fencing contractor who will do a better job than you can do manually .
100 is too many to do by hand .
We knock in the odd one with a mallet but 100 life's too short .
 
i think when our were done we had some sort of post knocking machine on a little tractor type thing? then again that couldve been the hole borer, i didnt take much notice!
 
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