Fence post drivers

[mike90045]

Gotta put in a bunch of fencing, and don't have tractor yet.  I've seen several :
propane hammer
low rep rate pnumatic style (1 cycle / sec)
hi rep rate pnumatic style (jackhammer speed)

Anyone use any of them?   Suggestions (I don't have tractor yet)

[rl71459]

I know this sounds crazy.... But I recomend you take the money for the "fence post driver" and usd it for the down payment on your "New Tractor" 

I say this because a few years back I bought my tractor based on the cost of having a retaining wall
installed. The Quotes for the retaining wall/landscaping were so high that a bought a Brand New Tractor
with Loader and all of the Landscaping materials for less than half of what the Quotes were and my wife and I built the wall ourselves! It was a HUGE project for us.

Now that I have a tractor I dont know how I got along without it. I Love My Tractor! My buddies a work
tease me about how I traded in my Corvette for my Tractor! I just laugh and say yup... That's right!

Rob

[vdubnut62]

Ditto, buy the tractor, BUT use extreme caution!!! I cannot stress this point enough!!!
Tractors are unbelievably addictive, I started with just one, you know "for the garden".
That led to another, and another, I now have 4, from 10hp to 60hp 2 wheel drive and 4 wheel drive.
So please, please, be very careful!
They do make post hole diggers for the 3 point hitch
Ron

[cschuerm]

Agreed.  I've used my tractor more than I could have imagined when I purchased it.  As mentioned though, it's a black hole.  You'll want all kinds of attachments (new stuff has an amazing variety) and you WILL end up with multiple tractors eventually.
I'd strongly recommend a 4WD if you get one of the smaller ones and intend to put a bucket / forks/ etc on the front.  Just not enough weight on the back end for real work.  Having a tractor fork-lift is awesome - especially to move your Listeroid and generator hardware around with!  A 3-point post hole digger is great too.
Several mfgrs offer zero interest financing.  That's how I ended up with my Kubota.

Chris

[rl71459]

Chris

0% for a year! That is exactly how I bought mine... It worked out awesome, I put my vette up for sale
2 weeks before my first payment was due and it sold in time for me to pay off the loan in full! Mine is a 4 wheel drive New Holland.  Although it was almost a Kabota I liked them both very well! but my dealer
had a better financing program for the NH.

Rob

[cschuerm]

Rob - that is just *too* weird!  I also sold my Vette to provide funds for the tractor (and house project which justified the whole thing).  At that time, Kubota had 3 year zero interest, so I put 50% down and just paid off the rest monthly.  I'm really a green tractor guy, but both the Holland and Kubota were a little more bang for the buck.  Now... if I could lay my hands on a pristine JD 4020, I'd be all over it!  Just don't build 'em like they used to.  My favorite is my wife's JD "H".  Not nearly as useful as the new one, but a lot more fun and makes a great noise.  We get quite a bit of use out of it pulling a trailer around cutting firewood and hauling it.

cheers
chris

[oliver90owner]

Oh dear, turning into a tractor forum!

I have the other green, 12 of them.  Hence my handle.  They are not all Olivers; some are Cockshutt (Olivers) and I have a David Brown (also sold as Oliver) and a pre Oliver buy-out Cletrac HG.  Nothing modern and only one three point hitch among them.

Regards, RAB

[Jedon]

I have a 70HP Massey-Ferguson 2WD with 4/1 bucket and gannon grader but it doesn't have a PTO and it's 2WD. I did get a great deal on it but now really want/need a 4WD tractor with all the implements. I was thinking maybe a Bobcat would do the trick.

[mbryner]

Get the tractor!  Forget the post driver.   You can get an auger for $500-700, and put in a lot of posts!

I have a Kioti 45 hp 4wd w/ backhoe, etc.  new 2yrs ago w/ 0% financing.   What did I ever do without it?  For all of you Deere, NH, Kubota guys:  my Kioti has almost 200 hrs on it, no problems, and cheaper and heavier.  Don't forget to look at them when looking at tractors.   (Almost all brands made in China or Korea anyway, even the ones you think are Japanese!  None of them made in USA.)

[rbodell]

I have a little Satoh beaver s370 similar to this one except mine has tractor tires instead of turf tires.

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachments/mitsubishi-satoh/112467d1224643503-satoh-beaver-s370-satoh-flail-mower.jpg

Its only a little bigger than a riding mower but I plow a half mile road with it every time it snows and when the neighbors get stuck, they call me. It runs on motor oil as fuel too.

[Henry W]

Get the tractor!  Forget the post driver.   You can get an auger for $500-700, and put in a lot of posts!

I have a Kioti 45 hp 4wd w/ backhoe, etc.  new 2yrs ago w/ 0% financing.   What did I ever do without it?  For all of you Deere, NH, Kubota guys:  my Kioti has almost 200 hrs on it, no problems, and cheaper and heavier.  Don't forget to look at them when looking at tractors.   (Almost all brands made in China or Korea anyway, even the ones you think are Japanese!  None of them made in USA.)

Kioti is a great tractor for the price. Very HEAVY built. The U.S. manufacturing site is about 25 miles from where I live.

Henry

[rbodell]

(Almost all brands made in China or Korea anyway, even the ones you think are Japanese!  None of them made in USA.)

I Started looking for a Harley till I found even they at least have parts made overseas, So I looked farther. Now I have a Hyosung motorcycle that I ride every day except in rain and ice (a little chilly in 10 degrees F). I almost passed it up until I found that they made bikes for Suzuki And I used to have a Suzuki years ago. I see more Suzuki people buying parts than Hyosung people because Hyosung parts are about half the price as Suzuki. Then I bought my Listeroid. Sure the quality isn't quite as good as American made, but you at least get what you pay for and I am not afraid of stuff made overseas any more. I won't buy anything made overseas, but I will at least look into it.

[WGB]

LOL I have a Satoh, Case 580TLB and a Kubota. Check out the post hole digger!

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachments/106099-mounting-rhino-phd-fel.html

[mike90045]

So, got the fencing in last week.

A friend with a mini-excavator helped, first step was to
un-bend the bent poles,
drive a wrecking bar in first to clear a path thru the rocks
chain onto the bar, and extract it, and then use a sleeve over the Tpost, (keep it from bending again)
Sleeve the Tpost with a 2.5" water pipe, (not shown) and then press into ground with mini-ex
Chain the sleeve, and fling off the sleeve by lifting off with the mini-ex.

Then walk around and zip tie the fence to the posts, then plant and water the trees. What a long 5 day weekend!

Pics: (checked to be public)
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2042559&id=1196643274&l=3efcceca48

[mbryner]

Cool pics, Mike!   Except I don't think I would be standing under the excavator bucket while driving in posts.   If something breaks, bends unexpectedly, etc., and the guy at the controls can't respond fast enough then someone gets crunched!