How To Remove A Concrete Post Fast & Easy

Remove a fence post or concreted post fast and easy with half the time, work and dirt removal.
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[@lesfogerson1092]

Wow! Some of you are ruthless. If you have a better way or do it differently, say it kindly. I use a water wand around the concrete and yank it out with my cherry picker; it takes me minutes with no digging. Thanks for your videos David, I appreciate you.

[@mikemacdonald698]

I wish I had seen this COMMON SENSE method before I'd dug out 25 concrete posts the old way. I still have more posts to remove so I'll use this method. Thanks for waking me up!

[@matthewjackson805]

I wanted to take a minute to thank you for this video! Worked perfectly and turned a real difficult day into one that was really straightforward and (almost) easy. Started off fighting these things at ground level, but with this method...pop...fell over and lifted right out. Thank you!

[@LDSPrepper]

Awesome. I'm glad to hear I was able to help you and your back.

[@OneAngryLittleFucer]

Around here, here and here. Right here, here and here. Here I removed da dirt from here over here rite here.

[@philvillafane4007]

freakin hilarious

[@ryantettenburn940]

good one! lmao. no offense to the guy who uploaded the vid but very funny

[@briansmobile1]

I here ya man. I here ya.

[@GuyKirk]

LMFAO!!!OMG!!! i about pissed myself.... too funny.

[@gbaker9295]

You dig?

[@bigfoottoo2841]

I use an flat car jack and some chain. Lay a piece of plywood next to the post to support the jack. Set the jack as close to the post as possible. Wrap a chain around the post and the jack and start pumping the jack handle. Works great.

[@asommer518]

Outstanding! I had started to dig a hole around the post and then said there has to be a better way went to KZbin found your video and 15 minutes later I had to post out outstanding

[@Gl-my8fw]

Rent a jack for a day next time.. no dogging needed

[@dressageponi]

Thank you for your video. We used this technique to remove concert from a post hole where the post had rotted thru and broken off. It worked perfectly!

[@legofanatic9928]

Thank you! I was struggling to work out how to remove a metal swing set concreted in. Before watching this video I dug a huge area around the first pole and was ready to give up - the swing has been so sturdy I envisaged a huge concrete block. After watching the video I tried digging down just one side and the post started to move. It turned out it was just very rocky soil, and the concrete block was just a normal size. I then dismantled the swing above ground, leaving just the four poles. By the time I got to the last pole I just cut off the grass turf till the top of the concrete was exposed, wiggled the post loose and lifted it out - very easy!

[@dudester873]

This was some good info; however, just a tip: You should have taken video in stages _before_ and _during_ the post's removal; otherwise, it is not as easy to visualize the removal from your step narration and the final hole result.

[@jersal873]

Great video! Did just this today after watching your video and it made it SO MUCH EASIER! Thank you!

[@henriyadgari]

I am a novice at home repairs and admittedly not a very handy one at that, so one of the main things that I love about KZbin's How to Do Videos is that they show you HOW TO DO IT, I'm afraid your video lacked that very integral part, at least for me it did. I appreciate the care and the verbal explanation nevertheless!

[@missamo80]

You rock! This worked spectacularly well to pull out two concrete posts that I thought I'd have to jackhammer out. Nope. This technique, plus two tiedown straps and some muscle from my neighbour and the posts were out in about 10 minutes!

[@TheEchidnaKid]

Thank you mate! You are a bloody legend, saved me hours without the need to get ridiculous tools.

[@cldavis33]

After much trial and error, I discovered this exact technique. Wish I would have found the video first. But this is how you do it the easy way!

[@katrinaalcock9191]

Thank you good advice. However your video would have been more helpful visually ( for me) showing the fence post still in the ground then starting the removal from there

[@dalerekus]

I suspect that was left off because that first post did not come out all that easy . . . and the second post had a hole larger than it to make its removal really easy.

[@coolv03]

Da Re pretty simple to me. And a great way to remove them. Don't see why it wouldn't have worked the first time. Plus he probably figured the video would've been alot longer.

[@eyeheartsushi2212]

There's a reason for the amount of thumbs down on this video.

[@bryjoe2870]

That's because this is bs

[@rmwolfe]

It looks like he took a chainsaw and cut the post off first and then dug it up. I would’ve liked to of seen start to finish and I’m still looking for a video to show me how to get the concrete out of the ground! And yes I know how to dig.

[@Sinister2075]

Hello there. I just wanted to say thank you for making this video to share your technique. I used it today, and I had that post up out of the ground in no time flat! You save me a lot of pain and suffering.

[@stevencollings5807]

i find the easiest way removing a post is get somebody to do it for me 😂

[@Reub3]

20 bucks and a quick trip to home depot and that would be a no problamo with a day laborer lol

[@ellieprice3396]

No pretty smart; watch him dig that sucker out from the shade of a tree while sipping a cold one.

[@goten360]

Reub3. Yeah bro. Great idea. You DO know that some are tweakers who purposely take a long time so when you turn your back they can go steal your stuff? But some are nice and sincerely just needing to pay rent

[@SolomonSebrell]

lol, yep

[@chewiefilms3759]

Lol I'm having to to do it for my neighbor

[@frankwhite8235]

It was very innovative. Dont lusten to naysayers. The victory belongs to you who was out there in the trenches!!😎

[@rachelcosgrove2048]

THAT'S IT!!! That's how you do it! Boom!! Lol Oh man, I wish!! Most fence posts are anchored with A LOT more concrete in the ground. This technique will not work for the concreted fence posts I typically have to remove.

[@officersheriff5849]

LD Thank You for this video, worked like a charm...its about 100 degrees with the index but I have to install a new mailbox 4x4 for the new mail box. You are the man and I can not thank you enough.

[@JamesSmith-fk8pg]

This may be quick if your frost line is a foot or less, and if you have nice dry dirty. Doing this is a totally different thing when your frost line is 4 feet and you're in a new subdivision where the builders left nothing but clay. In those conditions, this takes 90 minutes of hard digging.

[@checkmatenate]

Yuppp I using my Bauer to Atari hammer to get through the clay.

[@CarlosBayne]

Damn it ... I watched this AFTER I started my dumb ass method. THANK YOU FOR SHOWING US YOUR WISE WAYS!!

[@jameskrys5286]

I got a rotten post out with your method. I screwed an eye bolt into the top wooden stump. I dug just on one side and it rained a lot yesterday. I dug just a little more today and used a 6 foot steel pipe to tip the old post forward. Once it was loose I put a 4 foot chain thru the eye bolt and using proper lifting technique lifted the concrete out of the hole. Thanks for this video.

[@sherrytucker7102]

I know this is an older vid, but I just wanted to say THANK YOU! DishTV had left an old satellite post RIGHT where I wanted to put in a flower bed and no matter WHAT I tried, it wouldn't budge. Digging a hole to one side and pushing it into the empty space was the ticket (that and a post hole digger!). Again, THANKS!

[@brianpetsel5253]

The advice is good and will make the post's concrete anchor much easier to get out. You could make it even easier, and remove even less dirt by using a post hole digger to dig a hole on one side of the post. The concrete will pop out just as easy. I leave the full post if I can. Then the post can be leverage to pull the concrete into the hole on the one side. If the post is already gone or broken off, your shovel method works just fine to pop out the concrete. Good Video.

[@bernieguerin4904]

Thanks for the great tip. This worked in hard Georgia clay. One tip. After you dig down on one side of concrete, you can use a chisel and break off the concrete from the wooden post. The wooden post will pop out once all of the concrete on one side of the post is gone. Once the wooden post is removed, you can easily chip out the remaining concrete.

[@bmoore3407]

Had to remove about 10 concrete post's. This technique worked Great! Very easy. Thanks.

[@slobdawgs]

mate this was actually so much more helpful than i first expected, thanks for the great tip.

[@ljturner2009]

Thank you I'm getting ready to rebuild my fence this will help a bunch

[@skewby2462]

I was working hard to remove post using the traditional "dig around" method. After watching this I removed two post in about 45min. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

[@JasonTylerRicci]

Simple yet effective. Removing mine this morning. Thanks for saving me time!

[@Jake-sl2xj]

Awesome tips!👍 just what I need to remove and straighten up my uneven posts.

[@schtuke]

Those are the slimmest footings for 4"x4" posts, I've ever seen. And, when the dirt is that soft, sandy, and free from rock, this is a practical solution, indeed.

[@billwilson1715]

that's a good idea. I would recommend putting your post in rock to start with. by putting rock in the hole, inserting your post and then putting rock around it, it's much easier to take out if you need to. it also will look like brand new 20 years later because you have drainage, where with cement you can have water collect and rot the post. if you stain it good, the post will last a very long time.

[@kennethrobbins7628]

Obviously he's not in Texas and that ain't Texas clay!

[@Wolf6151]

+Kenneth Robbins Amen, our clay soil makes any digging project an all day process.

[@Reub3]

You are absolutely correct.

[@Oodlenoots]

Yeah man I've got one that rotted from old age and it's got oak tree roots all around it. In Austin. With limestone around. I'm hoping a sledgehammer will help me in this endeavor!

[@Reub3]

I had pulled out a few just recently. I saturated the soil and came back the next morning with a stack of them 1 dollar cement blocks from home depot and a jack. It definitely helped pull out from the clay. Hope that helps a bit.

[@betomaldonado2933]

It took me and my brother 2 1/2 hours to remove the damn concrete

[@brianhitchcock2680]

Good tip. Years ago I righted a leaning privacy fence in a like manner. After the hurricane, it all leaned to one side. So removed dirt from the posts on the side that had to be rais ed

[@helloayanna]

Thank you for this video! I saw others that removed posts with trucks & wood posts (neither of which I have), but I DO have a shovel and strength! I was able to remove 5 posts in 30 minutes with this method.

[@LDSPrepper]

Glad it was helpful!

[@Wood-Renovations]

Middle school physics lesson on leverage 😒 thought I would learn something here

[@thedyslexic9936]

you can also dig all around the post but just down deep enough to wrap it with a chain and then a hi-lift jack to lift it out...and not weaken the bottom of the hole on one side where you now have looser soil no matter how much you try and tamp it.

[@RLSgardener]

That's how i do it.. but i though you had a way to do it fast and easy... it wont fast and easy lol I don't know if the post was rotten off but normally i leave the post long so i can wiggle it back and forth and lift it out of the hole. We just recently replaced 450' of fence and all the old stuff was in concrete so that was fun digging them all out. I guess short of having a tractor this is the fast and easy way lol. Thanks for sharing Richard.

[@erikkrumm9433]

I am replacing some that used timbers, they break off with almost no force. leaving nothing to grip...

[@BUDDYSNORES]

You have nice soil. Another tip is to soak it with water 1 or 2 days before.

[@MathewBrunetta]

I thought there was going to be something explaining how easy it was to lift out of the hole without breaking your back considering I have 37 of these to get

[@faleshagiannini9285]

This worked so well for us! Thank you for sharing!

[@muonwap]

Use a tire, wrap a chain around the bottom of the post. Set the tire against the post and run the chain over the tire attached to a truck. Pull slow and POP it goes.

[@xsbmrnr]

Good'un. We had 100km per hour winds here in Hamilton, Ont. two days ago which took out three sections of my fence. Just removed a concreted post using this method in less than fifteen minutes.

[@cannibale101]

Thank you 9 years later! Gonna get dressed and make some extra space for the garden ^^

[@mookloud2]

If the post is not rotten, you can drill a hole all the way thru the post, insert a large bolt with a chain attached to both sides of the bolt, then you use a 4x4 board to lever the post and concrete out of the ground. Will also need concrete blocks placed close to the edge of the concrete to use as a fulcrum. Zero digging involved. It works like a charm. The concreted post literally jumps out of the ground. Done it many times. It is actually fun. Larry342516 on this same posting is speaking of the same method. I have used an industrial strength bumper jack to do the same thing.

[@BlueOriginAire]

Your comment helps me tackle 31 posts which are strong, but weathered and the customer wants to see everything new. So, your idea makes sense. I will start bolt thru post with jack puller first. If that doesn't work, Dig and push where needed.

[@BlueOriginAire]

Did you lift up on the 4x4 ? Or push down ??

[@DavidGirle]

Works great, thanks. I suggest using a trenching shovel, remove even less dirt.

[@LDSPrepper]

Excellent recommendation. When I made the video I didn't own a trenching shovel but that would work well.

[@davewilliams9462]

LDSPrepper you

[@ArturoGarzaID]

I'm literally going to go and try this right now. I'll be back with results.

[@LSUTigerMom]

Genius! We have a post to remove and we'll try your method!

[@SwinginJohnson74]

So get a shovel and dig it out. Got it.

[@phillipclark9654]

Thanks, your video helped me get 3 cement posts out of the ground in 40 min.

[@marvin052010]

Bravo, well done, thanks for sharing

[@andrewcutler4353]

I like your style !! smarter not harder

[@exiledhobbit1441]

Ever try the tractor jack method? I', going to go try that today on my four "pergola shade" 4x4 patio posts. But the cement footprints are at least 1 sq ft each (12" x 12") That's a lot of cement. But a pergola top is pretty heavy so I understand large footings.

[@jeniferdiamond7723]

Ty, I'm getting ready to replace a fence post and this was a huge help

[@LDSPrepper]

Awesome, that's why I made the video. Best of success to you.

[@jeniferdiamond7723]

@@LDSPrepper Fence post done, I decided to make hole in a straight line out from cement anchor instead of a T shape. I then just knocked over the anchor and nudged it with the shovel, leaving the anchor in the hole and re-burrying it. Why bother breaking my back pulling it out? Lol. I was able to make a form from card board and pore new anchor in new post no problem.

[@frugalprepper]

Thanks! I have 4 of these to do soon.

[@EMDSD40T2]

That's a good method for removing posts. I used my pressure washer and washed the dirt away.

[@robertarnold8785]

worked like a charm for me thanks!!!

[@LosGatosFenceCompanySanJose]

Thats exactly how us fence contractors do it! All these devices, and jacks...dig dig a hole in front of the pier.

[@terrancedowning9098]

Exactly!!!

[@troyemmett3382]

Yep thats how you do it! I have been doing this for 30 years with...30 workers now but...hundreds and hundreds ans thousands of miles of fence some 100' at a time. Good job.

[@cindybrand4014]

Yes Sir folks this is how you do it do it!

[@cindybrand4014]

Like its some big revaluation....you need to make some videos! But this guy did it!

[@mikekernan5388]

I should have looked at this video before helping my son remove his old fence section! My back would have appreciated it.

[@tomie8347]

wow thank you, this will make my day much smoother

[@shelliem8043]

This was the perfect solution, thank you so much!

[@ChristineJonah88]

Thank you. I have an old clothes line post I put in the ground with concrete years ago. I want to remove it and found your video. I'll try that this weekend.

[@scottslotterbeck3796]

Mine was in 4' of concrete and 3' wide. Ridiculous. Had to rent a jackhammer.

[@barneyboy7771]

Where do you buy a shovel? I want to have a go at this.

[@0_-EL]

I have a concrete post which has been blown towards one side by the strong winds, what technique should I use to secure it back to its original position please?

[@somewhereusa9602]

Very awesome. Thank you for the tips. I appreciate that. (May have to move our mailbox post closer to the road). God Bless.

[@aevoss]

Please make a part 2, “how to lift the post hole footing out the hole? Sledge hammer to make smaller pieces?

[@awomansworld123]

Very nice tip, thanks for sharing

[@1crazynordlander]

I was kind of hoping it would involve dynamite. Good tip!

[@stevekovach2347]

AND BEER also a good tip

[@rosiegold8562]

Great video and advice! Just what I needed! Thank you!!

[@hmingmawia2131]

It would be really helpful for my tomorrow work..thanks

[@19Photographer76]

Great tip! I just let the bucket on my tractor pull them up:)) Now, best shovel I've seen in a long time.

[@mpd12121968]

Thanks for the idea. Worked well for me.

[@LDSPrepper]

+Manish Desai Awesome. I'm glad it helped.

[@rdog1121]

just use blocks on each side (after post was cut down close to base) about 2 feet away. Set a beam from blocks that were just set on the ground (perpendicular and over old post) and put a 2 ton house Jack on the beam. Then screw a 6 inch hook into old cute post and hook a chain in hook, then go around 2 ton house Jack and back to hook again. THEN.... just crank the jack until post pops.

[@smokingbluedream]

too much work faster to dig

[@celticmulato2609]

Can U also just leave the old rotted post of its broken in rhe ground and left a stuml and just dig a new post next to it IF you are reinstalling a new fence??? Amyone ? Also is pea gravel suffice instead of concrete??

[@redfred4384]

David: thank you for sharing. please continue to do so. for those who had tips invvolving a truck, tractor or other large equipment: maybe you did not notice that his vard is too small and too closed in for using gas hogs, not to mention the cost of even renting one. I also live on a 70'X125' fully chain linked yard, and I found his tip to be very realistic and helpful in my life. thanks again, and bless you David.

[@1uptospeed]

i can dig it prepper! thanks

[@joannevesely1088]

1uptospeed l

[@steverossiter8796]

This video was so much help. I have 6 to pull out.

[@andreasails4947]

Quite helpful. Thank you.

[@4x4dually]

Wow. That is brilliant. Dig it up! It is much faster to dig 4 inches around the top, install a chain, and use the tractor to pull them. LOL

[@TheSuperdodgy]

Yep because everyone has a tractor and chains in their shed

[@4x4dually]

TheSuperdodgy True. However, you can also pull them by digging around the top then putting a chain around it. Put a jack stand on both sides of the hole on boards so they don't sink. Put a couple 4x4's across the top of the hole. Put a bottle jack on them. Wrap the chains over the top and jack it out of the ground. I thought I was coming here to see some miraculous break-through.....and I get "use a shovel and dig a hole." LOL

[@bill45colt]

Jory Blagden im with Jory on this one...everyone knows you can dig with shovel, so why the video? Id do as Jory, put my tractor bucket up to post, apply chain and lift. Or if you don't have bucket, use the rear hitch and lift, and pull it up with that end. Or if you don't have a tractor, even more fun,,ask your buddy who does have one, to come pull a couple hundred posts on a sat afternoon, then you can both sit back and drink a cool one, never breaking a sweat. Diesel smells good anyway.

[@roundtheloopandback]

Jory Blagden to be fair in your average 20ft by 8ft garden here in the uk this method is perfect.

[@4x4dually]

Krystan Honour Yes. "LOL" is an acronym for "Laughing Out Load." Here in the US, it mean I was joking or being funny. I understand not everyone has a tractor or 20 acres to turn them around in.

[@JenniferHensel18]

How do you do this after it snowed and ground is frozen?

[@Inchonseoul]

All talks no action!

[@ABCLMN16]

Any tips on removing a long skinny metal post (set by the newspaper long ago and they will not come remove it) that is in gravel way down in? I'm having a heck of a time since the gravel is not easily dug out.

[@scottslotterbeck3796]

Easy. Drill through the old post, stick a 1/2 bolt, through the hole, rent or buy a tractor jack (Harbor Freight) get some chain😊, pull it straight up.

[@timbarry6746]

Where can you get rid of the cement posts then? My city didn't take them for me.

[@murphythedog1637]

The easiest way I found to remove fence post cement is to wrap on end of the chain around the fence post cement and hook the other end to the tow bar of your pickup truck, then just pull it out you still have to dig a little around the cement to get the chain around. I pulled one out yesterday that had double cement..

[@SuperOlivegrove]

What’s the shovel called please ?

[@ratherbecampin]

Great tip. Doing this in a couple of weeks to move a fence. How are the bees this year??

[@harpjason208]

Thanks you from 2019...👍👍

[@crazyreadr21]

Nice tip, keep them coming. One question though, where can I get some of that rock free dirt?

[@vampov]

It's all over utah

[@ericx4124]

This helped me a lot. Thank you.

[@LDSPrepper]

Glad it helped!

[@whitecloudgroovin2005]

simple and effective.

[@toddweller]

Excellent!

[@nikkiwyer9028]

How do u suggest we remove chainlink fence posts that are concreted in? Without bending them!! 👍

[@butterflybud1]

Good video, very helpful.

[@theamerican4609]

How about extracting cement four feet to the frost line in cold areas?

[@isshinryu11]

Honestly, I am going to try this tomorrow. Hope it works. Nice tip. Well it works a lot better than digging around it. Still a lot of work. If the post were above ground to get ahold on them, I might have used a hi jack. Still, good tip.

[@jayspencer498]

I tried hi jack. Post were rotted and broke off. I still had to dig pull that cement out of the ground

[@shithappens2479]

just fix a 4 by 4 off cut to your post and lift it out with your car jack . the resulting hole is ready to receive new post and concrete couldnt be easier

[@alanhiggins4537]

+Shit happens 24/7 best idea.

[@dalerekus]

Thank you for a really simple solution . . .

[@TheIndianscout]

What if the post is broke off near the ground?

[@myutube1960]

@@TheIndianscout Exactly, that's what I say. Only thing to do, would be to dig the concrete. And that's where he suggests doing it his way. I think is a good idea.

[@markhollingsworth1725]

And leaving the dirt on one side untouched gave you much more leverage when you pried the cement out.

[@JohnMSawyer]

When the ground around a fence post is so hard it's effectively like "soft concrete", methods of pulling out the post using jacks and simple levers, without first digging down, as LDSPrepper recommends, to the bottom of one side of the post may not work, since these kinds of tools can be ineffective in pulling out a post that's embedded to a typical depth of two feet or more, in dirt that's like concrete. Lots of videos showing successful post removal using jacks or levers, without first digging down along one side of the post, also show dark dirt around the post, and so it's probably relatively soft, either because the post is being pulled during the rainy season, or the ground is just naturally soft (or softer than some), or because the person doing the pulling soaked the ground ahead of time, and neglected to mention this. Around my house, the ground is pretty hard during most of the year, starting just about four inches below ground level, and gets harder the deeper you go, as I learned this summer when I started removing cedar fence posts here that weren't set (about 40 years ago) using actual concrete--just wood into the ground. I started by trying some of the usual methods (but without soaking the ground or digging first, to see if I could get away with it), using a high lift jack, a bottle jack, a hydraulic floor jack, etc., and none of these methods budged the first post that I tried them on--all that happened is the wood pieces I used as jacking points attached to the post, or as levers, just cracked. I finally had to loosen the post by soaking the ground, then digging along just one side of the post (that's the main point LDSPrepper is making in his video--you don't have to dig all the way around the post), stopping every now and then to soak the ground again as I dug down to another dry, hard layer of dirt. The ground was so hard that even after I'd dug down a foot, and loosened the dirt below this another few inches with still more water, the post still wouldn't move back and forth when I pushed and pulled on it, and it wouldn't budge when I tried the high lift jack again, any more than it had before I started digging--I had to keep digging down and soaking the ground all the way to the bottom of the post before I could wiggle it loose. I think that this post could have stayed in the ground, perfectly upright, for many more years even with the first foot around it dug away.

[@ReverendHogwash]

Yep just tried the lever and the post didnt budge - the 8" 1/2 lag bolt started to bend! Digging will be required! UG!!!