DRIVING HELICAL PILES WITH AN IMPACT WRENCH

Today we show Brian how to install helical piles by with a cordless 1” impact wrench. 🍻
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[@TORAH-613]

Thats all nice and stuff. But thats not gonna with any upload force. Like wind. You didnt even put a pin or bolt in those extensions.

[@BottleCaps]

That's why I like the west coast of Canada you can build slab-on-grade you don't have to go down 10' below the frost line

[@packetattack7437]

Question for you, I built a house with slab on grade on the East Coast. 10 years later I had to spend $15k-$20k on excavation because of a leaking copper pipe IN the slab! My next house I had built on expansive soil with a crawl space and the basement above that to avoid this in the future.

[@BottleCaps]

@@packetattack7437 I would never run my Plumbing inside the concrete

[@whales302]

I thought these weren't suppose to be put that close to the foundation as you might hit the weeping tile?

[@user-xf1qs6bi7i]

If you dont bolt those extensions together then they're not 100% frost free. Just saying

[@sajbrown]

Can you use these pile screws for a big deck 3 feet off the ground, or should you only use them for a small deck thats close to the ground?

[@killerpascal]

Cool video and very clever, but I do have a concern. Those helical piles were designed to be driven with hand force. Using a high powered motor induces far higher torque than the manufacturers intended. I wonder if you could potentially morph the helical flanges or even break the welds by over torqueing this way...should probably confirm the max driving torque with the manufacturer and make sure your power tool doesnt exceed that just to be sure.

[@woodbullyltd]

The manufacturer now sells adapters for this method

[@killerpascal]

@@woodbullyltd Hah! Ahead of the curve. I wonder if your video inspired them at all. Hopefully the adaptors mount on the inside and outside of the tube to prevent rounding out.

[@daleharrison6514]

@@woodbullyltdwhere can I find the adapter?

[@Robert-ju5mw]

I have a Hilti hammer drill and a Dewalt. Is there a specific bit I can use to drive the Helical piles into the ground?

[@woodbullyltd]

Has to be a ratchet hammer drill won’t work

[@Adamantium08]

Do you have to get someone to check if any pipes or anything could be in the way of where you’re inserting these?

[@woodbullyltd]

We have locates done before hand to be safe

[@jayr9839]

I've used this product once for building a low level deck. Is there any way to know for sure that you've reached the correct torque specs or do you just go by feeling?

[@woodbullyltd]

You can use a high torque wrench to check. But I gauge it by this drill’s ability to continue

[@a-carpenter9229]

It seemed like there were voids in the soil when you were driving with that last extension. If it was carrying a heavy weight would you need to keep adding extensions until a specific torque was reached?

[@Robin-xe4yz]

@@a-carpenter9229 yeah, I think so. it was in a really good dense spot and then punched through into a softer void. that pile will settle I think

[@elvischau7440]

wow... excellent 👍👍👍

[@ramblinjamman]

BEAUTIFUL solution!! Thank you for that insight, Wood Bully! :D

[@woodbullyltd]

🍻

[@robertduddy8471]

Have you ever tried using a pneumatic impact wrench? Browsing cheaper options than that Milwaukee. Also what’s the max height you ideally have the top poking up from the ground? Putting together an estimate for a wetland boardwalk that has some soggy areas and standing water sometimes a foot deep. If it needs to stay pretty close to the ground know of any Beefier helical piles you’d recommend that can support a taller top side and can still be driven by hand instead of mini ex

[@woodbullyltd]

They recommend 6” off the ground. And yes a buddy of mine used a generator, compressor and pneumatic wrench set up. The tool is cheaper but the set up isn’t.

[@robertduddy8471]

Thanks, yeah got a genny but no compressor but all my battery tools are metabo hpt and unfortunately they only make a half inch one... doing 60 or so piles i figure id be running thru them especially in this soil type Mattan soil, pretty much mucky crud first 2-4 feet and then silty loam and clay rest of the way down to bedrock 50-70 feet below. Probably going to be bringing in some engineering help after a talk with the client to confirm they are down for the journey because working in soil like this is a bit out of my depth (no pun intended ;) . all my boardwalks have been through much more stable seasonal wetlands in colorado in the past using diamond piers or in a few soggier spots big wood friction piles while working on trail crews.

[@ftr098123]

Do you need the 1” impact wrench for these or would a 3/4” suffice ? Doesn’t look like the 1” struggled at all.

[@woodbullyltd]

A 3/4 might work. But sometimes we get into some hard ground

[@ftr098123]

@@woodbullyltd thank you for the reply. I’ll send it with the 3/4 and finish it by hand if I need to.

[@lotusjlr]

nice video, iam wondering if a 3/4 xgt makita 40v would be enough to drive those pilex in the ground. what do you thing

[@woodbullyltd]

I know the 1/2 won’t. But I have not tried the 3/4” we use a 1”

[@lotusjlr]

Thanks for the reply, i guess I’ll just go and spend the money and buy the big gun hehe

[@nyxg]

You would need the adapter then, he is using the 1inch drive so he can stick the drive shaft directly in the pile

[@lotusjlr]

I wonder in term of power, if the 40v 3/4 drive would be enough to screw them in. I can make a adapter to fit

[@jerryronke6434]

Have you ran into many code issues, or do you just use them on decks below 30”? Also are they steel or aluminum?

[@woodbullyltd]

Steel. And I only use them on decks under 24” but you can get the engineer reports from them when needed

[@jerryronke6434]

Great option for low level decks, thanks for sharing!

[@MeMe-ng7lp]

What adaptor are you using? An inch is too big and 3/4 is too small.

[@woodbullyltd]

A shaven 1” or a custom one is what I have now

[@pamelinc]

Beware hitting the French drain pipe....

[@woodbullyltd]

Ya

[@TylerRR36]

What adapter do you use in your impact. I bought the same setup and it won’t fit in the Pylex

[@woodbullyltd]

You need to make something custom. The easiest way to either use a 3/4” or shave a 1” down to 7/8” the one I use I had custom made

[@emtskiboe]

@@woodbullyltd they sell it now.

[@OneSpruce]

May I know, how do you make sure the pile remains vertical when you drill it down ?

[@patrickmckowen2999]

I would start it into the ground and use a 2ft level to check, than just continue eyeing it a couple more times.

[@icarussquirell1143]

​@@patrickmckowen2999you take 4' rebar and you hammer it into the ground first, on your mark. Then you slip the helical shaft over it, since the shaft is hollow. The rebar acts as a guide for the pile

[@Robin-xe4yz]

@@icarussquirell1143 brilliant thanks

[@tacticalskiffs8134]

Which raises the question of how you get the rebar in straight. The problem with these, putting them in with 2x is there are lots of axial loads, and can wander. His tool put them in relatively straight, and the saddles are fairly loose.

[@BottleCaps]

Why was I watching you on Facebook?

[@woodbullyltd]

Seems to be the platform that likes me

[@marcmakes1725]

uplift? those extension, as installed, don't have much uplift protection. What's the method if you need uplift rating also?

[@woodbullyltd]

Self tapper

[@newzos1]

Very good question, i have the same issue, what if the pylex is all the way in to the ground in case of a ground level deck , then you won’t see anything to screw through. I love to use those method for my deck projects but this is my problem. Uplift protection

[@fuzzy7373]

What socket do you use? I use a 1”Fx 3/4”M but it rounds the top of the post

[@woodbullyltd]

Pylex makes them now.

[@jacquestube]

Does anybody know where I can buy that tool? I got a bunch of the screws working on a solar field but I don't have a tool to drive them in

[@sharkcuterie6910]

Would you use this screws for a pergola?

[@woodbullyltd]

Sure

[@marcoenross4303]

Nice tutorial. Now I want to do the same near MTL area. What pieces of tool is mandatory to fit everything together. The piles + that piece of tool + impact drill model ?

[@woodbullyltd]

Milwaukee 1” impact The bit is a 1” female to 1” male that I shaved down to 7/8” male with a grinder

[@ryangriffin9848]

Did you have to use a adapter for the 1” to the size of the top of the pylex? If so what size?

[@woodbullyltd]

I just use a 1” that I shaved to 7/8”

[@jeffreystringer]

piles are 7/8" - you can use 1" -> 3/4" adaptor. That works, too

[@philvisser2868]

How much does one of these piles cost?

[@woodbullyltd]

$35

[@ryankaul8620]

Looks like winnipeg spring

[@darengibney7357]

Where you are drilling would be exactly where the footing Weezer wold be. Hope you didn't hit it going down 8'.

[@krunal7558]

If its ultralow deck why not just use tuffblocks

[@woodbullyltd]

You could.

[@FromTheHood2TheWoods]

Cause tuffblocks don’t look professional

[@michaeldallariva637]

Have you heard of any issues with the joints on the extensions coming apart from frost heaving?

[@woodbullyltd]

I have not. But you can put a couple self tappers in to be safe

[@michaeldallariva637]

So I was just in contact with Pylex. According to them since 2006, they have sold over 160000 extensions and haven’t heard of a single case where the extensions have come apart at the joint. Regardless of how many were added to the pile. I’m gonna be building my water access off-grid cabin this summer on the Montreal River. Due to access I’ve decided to use these for my 12x16 foot cabin and will also be going 8 feet down. Something someone else on KZbin has done for that size cabin. 3 beams with 5 piles per beam. I’ll keep you posted how they are doing next spring. Thanks for the response.

[@Robin-xe4yz]

@@michaeldallariva637 hey bud how'd they work out for the cabin's footings?

[@michaeldallariva637]

@@Robin-xe4yz sorry about the late reply. Kinda forgot about my comment lol. I’ll be heading up May long weekend. That will be the moment of truth this spring to see how they faired over winter. I went 8 feet down. Managed to screw in 15 by hand last fall. Lots of work. Not nearly as bad as I figured they’d be though.

[@marcocharette2009]

At that distance from the foundation you’re in the French drain !!!!!!!

[@evictioncarpentry2628]

Older houses won't have that on the exterior and those are usually right up against the footings on the foundation.