Replacing a gate post that is concreted in?

Hello, as per the title really.

There is a gate post that has rotton just above ground level. I want to replace it with a new one but the old post is concreted into the gorund. Any suggestions on getting it out?

Thanks in advance.

 

Trouble is they only rot a ground level, the part of the post in the concrete is probably still good.

If its not too big the best thing to do could be to dig out the concrete and the post and relace with a new one.

You could try sawing the post off at ground level and drilling out the remainder of the post, but it can be a labourious process.

 

Hire a kangol breaker and chip the concrete away. Drilling never works for the reasons pete mentions plus the timber is damp and jams up the drill also youll struggle to get a drill bit long enough.

 

That's the problem with concreted post's, it's the lazyman's way of doing things. Always ram the earth (and hardcore) right from the bottom of the hole, if it's properly rammed you should need some more earth to fill the hole.

 

Spot on.

I usualy do this better still with repairs it saves having to get rid of the broken concrete.

 

If ya aint to weedy :wink: just get a big wrecking bar http://www.screwfix.com/prods/82500...g-Bars/Roughneck-Bent-Chisel-Digging-Bar-14lb

an set to it like a mad man :D i allways do it this way and ive yet to find one i cant break :thmb:

 

Sledge, mattock, crowbar and a lot of sweating and grunting. If you can see if you can get some friends or family to give you a hand. Rig up some sort of pulley or rope system to hold the post in place while you smash at it. When replacing it try and fill the hole with layers of soil and hardcore, using a tamping iron to heavily compress the material into place. No need for concrete. Concrete's for the lazy bums.

 

Think I would be lazy and use an iron post next time.
And concrete it in.

If its hard to get out, then thats what you need.:D

 

when I had a washing line (whirly girly) that the dogs bent it too was concreted in place so i took the pick axe to the base and dug it out, it took a while but it came out and very satisfying it was when it did
we put a new one into the hole and popped fresh concrete around it

dunno if that's any help at all?

 

That's the problem with concreted posts, wooden posts rot off, steel post's rust off. When I worked on a farm, they always soaked the posts in creosote when they had to be concreted in (stand for diesel tank) the top of the concrete and the 6 inches above was then tarred several times. As the posts were usually ex-railway sleepers, they were already creosoted. This was when you could get proper creosote, not the excuse for it which you get now.

 

farmers and professional gardeners can still get creosote under license Larkshall, it's just joe public arent allowed to buy it anymore, something to do with ar$enic or something tbh I have always loved the smell of it befriend a farmer or pro-gardener and try and wangle a barrel of some

 

I am fairly practical, but I don't understand this one. Can you explain in simpler terms please?

 

I have a lot of panel fencing around our plot and last Winter, again had some blown and the posts wrecked, due to rot. To save taking panels out which, because of the state of them, would have destroyed them, we cut through the nails on the broken posts, leaving the panels in position. then sawed through the posts at the concrete, thus removing the rotten posts. We then did a bodge job, by driving meta posts into the stub of wood in the concrete until they were rock solid. Having cleaned up the rotten end of the old posts, rammed them into the top of the metal sockets, renailed the panels into position and job done. Not the best of jobs, but put off the day when I have to pay out a fortune for new panels and posts, which will eventually be all concrete posts and kick boards.
stony

 

Earth, in it's natural state is not consolidated. When you dig out a hole in the ground for a gatepost you remove a large amount of earth, you put the post in and gradually add the earth and what ever hardcore was removed with it, ramming from the very bottom of the hole. This consolidates the earth and forces it into a smaller space and the gatepost will be tight. You then find that there is not enough earth to fill the hole. Farm gates (the well known "five bar gate") were always hung like this. The post would be four feet into the ground and about five feet out, onto this was hung a gate of 8 to 10 feet in length. Within living memory, concrete was a rare commodity in rural areas, as it had to be transported by horse and cart.

 

The reasons for not using creosote,
The European Union (EU) had concerns over the carcinogenic potential of creosote and coal tar creosote for some time. In 1994, to control the specification of the creosote in amateur products, they restricted the levels of one of the chemicals in amateur creosote products, benzo-alpha-pyrene.
Since then a further study led the EU to conclude that creosote has a greater potential to cause cancer than previously thought. As a precautionary measure to protect human health and the environment the EU prohibited the amateur use of creosote products and to restrict the use of creosote treated wood. Any risk of cancer to members of the public is likely to be extremely small.
There are no restrictions on owning creosote only on using it. The use of creosote by amateurs was banned in June 2003. The new law not only protects consumers but also strengthens the restrictions on the industrial and professional use of creosote through further restrictions on the specification of the creosote. Creosote products can still be used for wood treatment in industrial installations or by professionals for in-situ retreatment provided they contain less than 0.005% by mass benzo-alpha-pyrene and water extractable phenols at a concentration less than 3% by mass.
These products may only be placed on the market in packs of 20 litres or more and may not be sold to amateurs.
Already-treated timber can continue to be used in householders' gardens so long as frequent skin contact with the treated timber is avoided.