How do you remove a 2 3/8" metal fence post concrete and all. There is a jack that works great for wood posts.

Answer 1

There are some good ideas already posted.

Obviously, machine power is fastest and easiest, IF you can use it for your application.

Alternatively, leverage is very good as well.

If you are not using a machine, DO wet the soil well, and do it the night before you want do to the lifting.

A ten-foot length of 4x4 will do nicely if you have a couple of other pieces of wood and a car jack. A hydraulic jack is best for this.

Put one piece of wood on the ground and place the end of the 4x4 on it, roughly two feet past the post.

Put another flat piece of wood at the other end to act as support for the jack

Wrap your chain around the post and the 4x4 and jack it up.
The most pressure and leverage will be needed to get it started, but, once you have it up a bit it gets easier.

The jack will run out of lift, so you can either raise the jack by putting something else under it, or move it closer to the post or just re-fasten the chain so that the post will keep on coming up.

Answer 2

Fence Post Removal

Answer 3

Big'en's suggestion about the water is a good one AND you could probably use that wood post puller with some padding or blocks and use it on the metal post as well.

You don't need to dig out that 6 inches of dirt around the post. Just wiggling the post aggressively a few times in a circular motion should give you enough space for the water to seep down to where it needs to go.

Answer 4

my lower back hurts just reading this. having done a few of these, I suggest a backhoe and chain. if the post is a corner post it is probably in 2 feet. you can try the water and spin thing, but I think you will need to dig around the circumference of the concrete to remove the soils. a typical pier foundation receives 600# to 750# per square foot of surface skin friction. If you evaluate a 8"diameter concrete pier 2' into ground at 500# psf skin friction your looking at 2100# of resistance to you pulling the post from the ground. if you remove half the surrounding soil this reduces the resistance by half. take your time and lift with your knees. good luck.

Answer 5

The jack you reference is a "high lift " jack, usually bought for a pick-up truck. If you have access to one of these, it works just like on a wooden post. You wrap a chain around the post so it will catch, hook it on the jack, and jack it out!!! And, yes, it's a good idea to soak around the post the night before no matter how you wind up pulling it unless you use a backhoe.

Answer 6

By far the easiest way I know of is use a chain and an old wheel. Tie the chain to the base of the post, run it over the wheel which needs to start close to the post and pull the other end with a vehicle.

Answer 7

i would try to dig around the post about 6" or so. Pour some water around the post as to soften up the soil. Then push and pull the post towards and away from u tilll u get it really lose then pull it up.

Answer 8

Use a lever and fulcrum.Wrap a chain around the metal post several times and hook it tight.Hook the other end to your pry bar.Put the fulcrum point as close as possible to the post.The longer the pry bar or lever,the easier it will be.

Answer 9

dig around loosen it up and then lift with a front end loader is the easiest
Of course you may not have one of these so this point is mute

Answer 10

You have to dig around it unitil you can lift it out or pry it out. Plain old manual labor.