Homemade Hydraulic Post Driver For Compact Tractor

In our on going mission to be fully self sufficient it is time to get fencing done and start keeping animals. I just cant bring myself to buy something that i can make myself so i set about making this post driver and it works great!

[@AlfOfAllTrades]

Add a bit of pipe that fits around the post on the underside of the striker plate, that will keep the post in place, and inflict minimal damage to it in the pounding process. Keep us...uh, posted.

[@twotone3070]

If no pipe is available, just a square of plates welded on, although it does limit the size of post, straining posts being larger. I was thinking just run the stick welder across the plate to form ridges.

[@stetee4238]

if you make the bit of pipe on a slip on its own plate which you can slide onto the striker plate you can make new plates for each type of post you need in the future without having to remake striker plate each time

[@leonardsimmers9158]

@@stetee4238 also, in addition to the attached pipe striker plate. If he welds say 2" x 4-6" solid round to the centre of the bottom of the impact weight, and on the top of the striker plate. That will centralise the impact strike zone. As the plates are at present! The strike zone is more spread out.

[@danw1030]

Posted....nice😁

[@sonofsupernova3455]

Man makes big hammer. Man makes people happy. Thank you hammer man.

[@barryansell5981]

I am a retired mechanical engineer. I must congratulate you on this achievement of what you have manufactured from scratch to fully functioning completion. It is simple but efficient well done I say

[@darrenparker8359]

Make a good log splitter with right attachment.

[@KrisHarbour]

Yeah 👍 small plate with two holes to bolt on with an axe head welded to it. Very quickly a log splitter

[@jamiieos]

I thought the same

[@darrenparker8359]

@@KrisHarbour And maybe some kinda shield so the log dont fly at ya

[@mom2breanna]

Kris, I don't think there is anything you can not do. I love the weekend because there is always a video from you. Best wishes to you and Dot. 🙂🇺🇸

[@bobross5580]

You deserve every bit of praise you get from your audience! I am in awe of your reasoning skills and make it happen attitude along with being able to do everything!!!! Everything.

[@mmonr]

Kris, you are one amazing man! All that confidence wrapped up in a reserved quiet spirit. And can construct a harp that sounds angelic. Enjoy the life that you both are building together. You are living a lot of us old timers’ Dream.

[@williamapple7705]

Seeing you so giddy is great

[@e1ucas]

Absolutely brilliant, Kris. Amazing.

[@joharmon2148]

Another great build by Kris.

[@xmtowntyx]

Great build. Very simple and it beats breaking your back!

[@offgridinthepacificnorthwe3210]

You never cease to amaze me with your ingenuity.

[@chiplane3976]

Fantastic backyard engineering! Loved this video!

[@maxheslop2890]

very clever. love watching your ingenuity at work

[@user-rl5wn6uw5q]

I'm a 49 yo woman from Australia, and you are inspiring. I've learnt so much from your Videos. Thank you.

[@kameljoe21]

Kris do not add any type of grip to the bottom of the plate.. it will just shatter the top and cause it to rot faster. I build fence as a living. Your design is pretty nice. A bit complex for me yet should do the trick for your needs. Couple of mods I would make to make it easy for you. Move you lock pin about 6 inches above your line post. You do not need the weight way above for setting the post. Mark with white paint your post height and stick to that height where the base sits flush with the ground. Do not adjust post height to be perfectly level across the top. Sorry these will be in inches.. If you have a 4 foot fence height then set post about 51 inches from ground, this allows for enough meat on the post to staple the fence too.. Add 3 inches for 3 foot fence and so on. Make a proper corner. This is done with 8 foot post set to 51 inches and then mark 1/3 of the way down to set either a steel or wood cross brace about the same length as the corner post. 8 foot to 7 foot is just fine. Wire this together.. There are a number of videos that explain this.. Some are wrong while most are right. Line post should be set about 1 rod apart or 16.5 feet. You can use a v shape walking measuring stick to mark out post. Build all of your 3 post corner h braces and 2 post and any other brace first. If you are using sheep fence ( wire fence ) then get a roll of barb less double strand to make your fence line. wrap the wire around the base of the corner post and stretch it to the next brace and use a come along and wire holder tool to stretch the wire out.. Then sight it in.. Shake the wire by lifting it up and down to move it off the grass and it should line up in a nice straight line.. Then hold up a line post and the person sighing it in will tell you where to move it to be pretty darn close straight ... then lay the post on the wire after you have shaken and moved it in line. Longer stretches you will need to sight it in more times. Shorter ones you may be able to pick up the whole wire from end to end and sight it in. Then when you install your post keep them about 1 inch or so away from the wire and set in place.. You post pounder will set normal post as well, you may not need all spiked ones unless you have already bought them all.

[@lesleyharris525]

Hi,yes he's got the posts already.Thanks for such clear instructions.

[@kameljoe21]

I would also like to point out that full strokes are not always needed. To set the post a half a dozen small strikes and some adjustments will line up the post then a few larger strikes and grow the strikes as you set the post. Doing this allows you to make adjustment as you need them. This also prevents the post from being driven at an angle. One can eye ball the levelness of the post.. trying to make each post level with a level is a lot of extra work. Not all post are going to be true while some will have curves on them. Trying to force the post will lead to busting some. At a cost of 15 dollars a post and breaking a few in every mile of fences adds up. The posts will flex during each stoke. This is why you do not want to encase the post in to something, Doing so can lead to a shattered, split or even broken post... I have put in a lot of post and 100s of miles of fence.

[@Fromard]

Kris that is brilliant. I'm always blown away by your abilities and what you've created.

[@JustAnotherMaker]

Using that for the first time must have been soooo satisfying. Great work.

[@kenleach2516]

You truly can make anything, awesome Kris and Dot.

[@Gi-Home]

Great job, impressed by your creativity and engineering.

[@bobbalbirnie2478]

Kris, I think your problems with porosity is from not cleaning the metal well enough prior to welding. The sparks you see coming off the welding pool are an indication of dirty metal which is a no no when tig welding. You must make it just as clean as when doing stainless, a wire wheel and a wipe with acetone should make it right for you in future. Cheers and love your channel, always get the happy on when I see your new posts. Take care, Bob Just a suggestion as well that might increase the downward impact of the hammer would be the addition of a trip assembly to allow the hammer to lock over a catch on the slide when the lever is fully cocked and then to release when the hydraulic cylinder returns the lever to the neutral position. This would increase the hammer falling speed by removing the hydraulic cylinder resistance on the hammer slide. A small section of pipe just larger than the diameter of the posts welded to your bottom plate would keep the post from moving around during the placement and insertion. Looking good! Bob

[@willnicholson7169]

Absolutely incredible! From scrap to a tool that will last a lifetime and save your back. One day I’ll make something like that.

[@d.j.robinson9424]

Genius mate. Love this video. Can't wait to see the fence stretching. 💚👍

[@jessjulian9458]

That is the coolest thing I've ever seen. Now I am convinced that you can do anything.

[@davidrickards]

Kris I am amazed at how gifted and talented you are. I love the excitement you show when it does turn out good!

[@betsymarchand9700]

Kris, you're Amazing! I've been following you since you started the round house. You're so talented, and humble and nice! You and Dot are such great people. Best wishes in everything you do and God Bless you both!

[@pcmiller2710]

Man brother...you never cease to impress with your engineering skills.....BRAVO!

[@andybrown6179]

Absolutely amazing!!! You make living in a field look easy my friend 🤟🏼

[@jerrytucker9004]

Great Post Driver that you built! Excellent video.

[@cliveramsbotty6077]

mate i loved watching that thing come together, amazing work. cheers

[@sarahdeason493]

Another fabulous fabrication . Watching you install the first post was amazing & I had a Giant Smile throughout. Your post pounder is truly beautiful ❣❣👍👍

[@marygordon3032]

You can make things look great Kris! 👏👍👍👍💯💯💯

[@gladegordon3624]

Fantastic work! The small Kubota took my eye as I too love building stuff to add to my own (loader, digger, grader etc.). Great to see someone else shares the passion. Love to see what you're doing and thanks so much for sharing!

[@grantikos]

Brilliant! I was about to look online for a post rammer but you've inspired me to build my own. Thanks mate!

[@11jdstein]

Wow, very creative and self-reliant!

[@704406bbl]

Well done sir. I'm all for the man, or woman who has the creativity and/or need to get out there and build something they need or want. You may not have the biggest or fanciest shop or equipment but by Jim you made it happen! You're an inspiration to others.

[@Silvan_Widrig]

Amazing Kris! I am afraid your kind are becoming more and more rare in this world

[@Evpat2000]

I love that you can use your roof as a platform to work from.

[@elainebusch9382]

wow ..amazed and eager to see your beautiful property filled with lovely animals. just WOW

[@138spoon]

Magnificent bit of kit. With all that heavy rigging can't help but feel I'd want a hard hat on or something especially operating it so close when doing a lot of posts. All the best.

[@goonluv]

wow that is fantastic saved you a fortune making it your self well impressed

[@rustleinthebushes6065]

Kris , I've been a mechanical engineer for 18 years and I must say this is verrry impressive considering you don't even have a machine shop. Also little tip why you suffered porosity in weld " crank up your argon to about 8 litre per minute " also " take the coating off the steel using scotch bright or emery cloth "

[@ionstorm66]

Also sounds the generator is sagging as you start the bead. Start about 1/2" forward of where you want, then back drag to the start and weld over your strike point. Also in the tight spots a good trick is to bend the end of the electrode right at the stinger. Then you can rotate the stinger and the rod to get all kinds of crazy angles to reach.

[@rustleinthebushes6065]

Only just realised the power loss from generator. That's due to the upslope on the tig welder drawing too much. Lower the amps on your up slope slightly also. You should be able to achieve the bead after at around 60-80 amp

[@joshuadunn882]

On the back of Russell's comment about the porosity maybe take a second or 2 with your argon pre and post flow. It might help. Great build by the way. Very, very impressive indeed. I don't need one, have a machine to drive one or have the land to use one but......I want one

[@bobsmith9329]

Argon with arc welding? You must be some engineer.

[@rustleinthebushes6065]

@@bobsmith9329 funny guy you are. He is TIG welding . Do you even know different types of welding

[@cannabiscreative7474]

I have been watching your videos since the outdoor solar shower. My favorite videos are the hydro series, but this is one of the coolest metal fab projects I have seen on KZbin. As for the porosity on your tig welds, you have to clean the mill scale back at least 1"(2.54 cm) from the edges of the weld zone on both sides of the joint. Also shortening your tungsten stick out and putting up a simple wind break (tarp, or piece of plywood) will help when welding outside.

[@SiviVolk2]

Waiting a whole week for new Kris Harbour video and when it comes out it really makes an afternoon :)

[@kenmarapese9085]

Very nice, your driver made quick work of that post.

[@chrishare3981]

i have used a few different post knockers and that is a well designed and well made job.

[@Bunefoo401]

I’m watching out of order. Not much for mechanical/engineering/electrical, but saw your fence post video and had to see how you made this. Amazing as always

[@mrknoch]

I can't believe you're not an engineer. What you are is amazing! You inspire us, sir. Keep up the good work.

[@asustainablejunglewayoflife]

Fantastic! Nice. Looks great Kris.

[@richardgooding498]

Great job. I have to say that I didn't know what you were building in the beginning of the video. That works great

[@mkramerrf]

I thought the same thing about the spikes on the plate to hold the post when I was watchin . . . Looks Good ! LIVIN life like this . . . Your doin your part for sure . . . Love them vibes . . . Its clear what a person needs and dosen't need when you watch this . Your a smart doood and you don't need me to tell you that but I felt like sayin .

[@Santos-oc2no]

it is awesome your work, i can't believe how indepedent you are and creative

[@mugwortexpresshomestead1878]

Great work man! Yeah for sure you can make other attachments with that same set up... log splitter idea is a good one!

[@the-nomad]

Nice bit of work! That will make fencing a lot easier!

[@lancedaniels]

Thanks for posting and sharing. Amazing tool!

[@mrstratau6513]

Nice pile driver. I always enjoy your videos.

[@berniebibo5445]

Kris, you are a brilliant young man who I am sure you will succeed in your aim to become self sufficient.

[@fasttrucker55]

Excellent excellent . I have spent many days diging holes. For posts .Great idea

[@colbypearce7478]

Awesome!! You continue to impress and amaze.

[@sionyevans]

Jesus bud.!!!-never fail to impress Chris..your one industrious fellow Chris..nothing but RESPECT and GRATITUDE to you..for sharing your processes and thoughts from inception of your honest journeying

[@waughthogwaugh3078]

Now that is bloody well done! Bit of great fun engineering right there.

[@alanyoung7655]

Hello really enjoyed watching you build this....I built myself 1 too in 2012 to enable me to do my own fencing.... you have great skills... well done ....and all the best for the future 👍

[@lyles637]

Awesome idea/job Kris!

[@deemstyle]

Kris the engineering and effort on this are absolutely fantastic! I throughly enjoyed watching. Please forgive the brief safety concern: I noticed in your test drive that the ram hits the slam plate just about at eye level. If a chunk of that concrete, dirt, whatever got between the two- there's a good chance the debris could shoot out into your eyes. I noticed you were looking for hearing protection during the video, but perhaps safety glasses too. Ok, enough of that... just sayin'. Awesome rig- massive high five!

[@KrisHarbour]

Agreed 👍 I was up the top and just wanted to get the vid done. But your right both of them are needed to run it safely

[@rocofab]

@@KrisHarbour A light rubber/tarp apron built around the slam plate like a curtain can help stop debris pinging out like a projectile and also a little bit glued onto the slam plate can slightly deaden sound.

[@Stevie_G]

Yup its eye level - I cringed every time it came down - glad to see you're going to wear protection. For the odd post on the farm here we just use the front bucket (if you have the float option) but for that many posts...... As always awesome resourcefulness sir- .....Nova Scotia, Canada

[@Banjo-lm2wl]

Brilliant work kris well done Australia.

[@irishman287]

Another mission accomplished good job.

[@ruthietube]

Another good video, as always impressed by your work, thanks for sharing, 😁

[@rollemswift2683]

Well Done Chris didn't expect anything less from you, that machine would have cost a packet to have bought it. Great vid always worth waiting for. Cheers buddy.

[@gillessophie6158]

So great job. Impressed. Greetings from France

[@cherryturner9143]

Always look forward to your videos wish u did more of them.

[@neiljamieson3298]

Absolutely brilliant,ur a clever guy .well done

[@wolfkartoffelkonig871]

Hello Kris! We are living in the north of Sweden and would like to build something similar. As you, we are self sufficient and our goal is to be FULLY self-sufficient. We appreciate your job and are looking forward to new clips. Best wishes from the North of Sweden

[@filthy-hobbit]

Excellent work Kris. Proper Job! You will have to make a measuring stick next as a guide to how deep to ram the posts home and the guild can be marked out with the wire spacing too when it's time to nail the fencing wire to the post.

[@nathanhendry9845]

Great videos loving your work! Great versatle skills and talents!

[@gintim8]

Good episode. Nice paint job.

[@jonathansweet1112]

Well done, to have actually made something that you have never used before is a great achievement. Looking forward to seeing this being used.

[@Illuminatmatrix]

check his latest video; its getting used again ;)

[@chrisseats]

That works like a champ! Great engineering!

[@morgenmuffel5747]

Great job as always, Kris

[@williammcilrath9828]

Kris you are a very intelligant man very good job brother BILL

[@ellsappelle9929]

Lovely job Kris!

[@MsSephrena]

Truly Amazing what you've accomplished - Thanks for sharing....

[@TheAlienJones]

Wow Kris, I must say. I quite pleased with that.

[@Ge-Fat]

i think its the same lots on all videos that dislike this, either they are bots or just not watching... WELL DONE KRIS! FRIKKIN WELL DONE!

[@MsBugativeyron]

Very good video Ive been looking for someone to finally show a build. Thank you for sharing 👍🇮🇪

[@MsBugativeyron]

Could you share the hydraulic cylinder spec please?

[@aaronkephart1954]

@@MsBugativeyron find out??

[@finscreenname]

I thought you were going to make a post hole digger but made that. I'm impressed.

[@jjt1093]

Well Damn! thats a great idea and well built

[@jamesbloomfield2741]

Nicely done there!

[@PapaBearOutdoorAdventures]

Just brilliant, I'm speechless 😮

[@chrisfryer3118]

We used to use a thick steel plate (with locating rim) as a cap, when driving in plastic pipe cores with an unbucketed back actor (flat mounting plate) on a JCB. With wet ground, usually took one push from a good operator.

[@horstszibulski19]

What the hell of a machine...reminds somewhat of a guiolltine, but more useful... :-D A simple cut-off of some pipe, welded to the underside of the follower like a collar for the post should work... Great build, I doesn't expect that much power...it's leverage, man! :-D Thx for the vid!

[@Tubroos_Bz]

Very nice bit of work there...

[@gavinhill4121]

Seriously impressed Chris

[@777MrJoe]

Masterful job!

[@RicSeabergsUseful-Information]

Just amazing Kris way to go!

[@mortenpoulsen8688]

Good job! Great build

[@VS60RS6]

You sir are an inspiration!!! You could use the aluminium from a cut open can for spacers maybe?? Keep up the awesome work! 👌👏🏼

[@sarahaasbeek1045]

so entertaining to watch, incredible what men hands can do. And yes I was happy to see that it work't but also that you were going to protect your ears. Very impotant, I look at you with my nurse eyes also ;-). You must go to bed so pleased and fulfilled. I made a home with my friend with cob in 2017, little bit strow and a bit off donkey shit, It work't well for the fist layer. And doing that kind off labor was aposolutly the best thing I've ever done. Made me so happy. So keep safe and have fun!

[@sburge1989]

I pounded about 80 of these in by hand a few years ago. I have to say I would have preferred this method! I was doing it into very wet clay with one of those steel post bumpers and they did go in easy. Strained it with a ratchet strap and banged in some bracing. Over the years a few have heaved up with drought in the summer and frost in the winter but they go back down if you hit them hard!

[@thefoodhobbyists7352]

Jees im gonna try get me some of your DIY drive. Another inspirational bit of never before seen genius. Literally every other week your bringing new things I haven't seen before and on the intervening weeks showing your progress. This reminds me of the game fable where you are always levelling up! I'm looking forward to the inevitable moon lander around 2025?

[@johnibbertson2960]

good job kris AND dot hard work but pays off.