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Wondering how deep is the concrete base, will that be too heavy for two men to lift it up in bare hand after using shovel to take out the soil around it ?
We got rotrary drill , shovel and spade
Thanks for any ideas
Hi @ivanptr
Hand method
Generally speaking a post or pole should only be buried 1/3 of its length. with concrete possibly less so as a rough guide your pole will be buried between 50cm to 90cm deep just so you can estimate you work ahead. Drill may assist you here drill on one side (More sides if you wish beware your drill being hurt by concrete footing)
Simply dig out one side of the post as you go deeper the hole will usually be wider at the top. As you progress push and pull pole towards dug hole trench shape until it starts moving free. If ground super hard fill part hole with water wait 5 mins go again and repeat.
Dig some more and put a 100mm brick or block infront the pole and as the pole tips over the block it will act as a piviot point lifting concrete base out too.
If you find this pole super tough i use a car jack especially in old timber fences ie many posts. Pulls them out like steam hard bit is lowering jack then adding blocks as post rises. I use section of old fence posts to make varying block heights. 100% success done with my experiance.
I drill 15 to 20mm hole in post and push through thick steel rod (reo or very heavy tent peg ) I then put a besser brick and timber block one side and a car jack on the other side chocked up under the other side of metal rod. Then simply operate the jack with 2 to 4 tonne lifting force re adjusting jack and opposite blocks as it lifts up. Always double check stability around jack work. When pole is quite loose then man handle it.
I dont know if a woven strap will grip the pole as not to have to drill a hole. 40% success estimated.
Hi @ivanptr,
It's great to see that @Jewelleryrescue has been assisting.
Do you need to remove the concrete footer, or would a simpler approach be to cut the post off at the top of the footer with an angle grinder? If you could leave the footer in the ground, that would save a whole heap of work.
In regards to your question on whether two men could lift the pole and footer, I doubt it if an adequate amount of concrete was used to install it. A post that size would typically call for 60kgs+ of concrete. It all depends on the pole's use, and how well of a job was done with installation. You could find that next to no concrete was used.
Keep us updated, and reach out if you have further questions or get stuck.
Mitchell
Hello @ivanptr
It's great that you've received excellent advice from @MitchellMc and @Jewelleryrescue. Just to add to the ideas suggested, have you thought about the reason the pole is there? I believe it is used to attach a Marquee 3 x 3m Charcoal Triangle Shade Sail. Hence the reason why it is buried so deep and held in with so much concrete.
If you look at the front of your house you might find anchoring points for the shade sail. This would make an excellent spot for your car to park in without driving into the garage. It will keep it nice and cool this coming summer, although all this rain is making me doubt that summer will show itself.
However, if you wish to remove the post both methods suggested are worth doing, the third method I propose is to use a Cyclone 1650 x 25mm Hex Fencing Bar to break apart the concrete footing. Once you break the concrete footing you should be able to slide the steel post out.
Please keep us updated with your progress, we look forward to seeing the post removed.
If you need further assistance, please let us know.
Eric
Thanks for the excellent suggestion on how to avoid getting your drill stuck in the cement footing. Let me tag @ivanptr to make sure they see your added recommendation. I was wondering why there would be a pole in the middle of the garden at an angle and it came to me that it might have been part of a shade sail assembly.
Eric
Thank you so much for all the advice.🙏
@EricL @MitchellMc
We want to remove it because we want to install drainage and the pole is standing in the way of the best drainage path. Then we talked to the plumber, he said he would hire excavator to dig trench so he would remove the pole so well. The rate for the excavator with operator is approximately $400 – 500.
@Jewelleryrescue
Wholehearted thanks for the thought. car jack is really a good idea. even we decided to let the plumber to remove the pole for us, we are thinking to buy one car jack. It seems a great tool 😂 can come into handy sometimes. Do you have any recommendations?
TradeTools | Huge Range, Great Service
We found one, seems reasonably priced? $99, is it good enough?
Hi @ivanptr
Have you had a look at the Sidchrome 4000kg Hydraulic Bottle Jack or the Stanley 1600kg Trolley Jack? These should provide you with enough lifting power to get that post out.
If you need further assistance, please let us know.
Eric
