[Christo]

Hi all.

Hope you all had a good day. Quick question for you.
I want to put in a row of new fence posts/stakes along one side of my plot to train
some fruit trees and berries etc I'm planning on buying some 7ft stakes which I imagine
I would need to drive 2ft into the ground.
My question is......How on earth do you start hammering a 7ft pole into the ground when I
am substantially shorter than 7ft myself....
I'd appreciate any useful hints and tips.

Thanks all.

C

[rainie]

Dig a bit of a hole first, place pointy end in hole, if still unable to swing the hammer onto top of post, stand on something safe, or ask someone taller to start post off.

[snowdrops]

You can hire a post driver. gurgle tool hire. Or make a friend of a really really tall person

[Christo]

Simple ideas. They're always the best. So, tomorrow I'm off into town to make friends with a really really tall person. 

[Trillium]

I have 8 ft stakes I need to drive into the ground each year on my rotation. I drag out the ladder and send my OH up with the sledge hammer 

[savbo]

drivalls help at this sort of height

Or dig and tamp in. John's book has a good description and it's worked for my 8' fruit stakes...

[arugula]

We have used 8 foot posts here on a number of occasions. Driving them in involves OH up a set of step ladders, swinging the 16 lb mell (maul) whilst I stand on the ground holding the post as vertical as possible. If you use a post driver, I reckon you'd still need to use a ladder.

[smud6ie]

If you use a post driver, I reckon you'd still need to use a ladder.

Only to get the driveall over the post,once its on the post its quite easy to reach the handles to lift and pull down,if fact one can get more power pulling down.

We put in hundreds of posts a year and always use a 6ft crowbar to make a vertical  pilot hole first ,working the bar around so the top is wider, then fill with water and drive..they fly in the ground this way but watch out for the jet of muddy water that always gets one in the eye.

I you don't want to drive the posts then lengths of suitable size drainage pipe for sockets can be stoned or concreted in.If using concrete its best to push a drainage hole through the bottom before the concrete has gone off so the post don't rot.
Once you have your row of sockets drop the posts in an ram with chippings to firm,the size of pipe will need to be large enough to get packing in.
With the rubbish posts available today stoning them in sockets should ensure a long life!

The picture here,the post isn't stoned in  as its tight enough to suit what its being used for and sometimes needs to be removed for access.
smud6ie

[joyfull]

having used post drivers when I was a college for doing fencing I think they are brilliant - the trick is to do it in pairs and get the taller person of the pair to start it off until you can reach up high enough 

[savbo]

I also vote for using a crowbar (as in straight thing, not a wrecking bar which is also called a crowbar)  to make a pilot hole - easy to get over a foot of hole started...also satifying slurping gurgling sound if soil is wet down below

[Axe]

you could use a fencepost hammer/rammer.

http://www.toolbox.co.uk/silverline-749248-post-13713-61769?utm_source=GoogleBase&utm_medium=GB&utm_campaign=GoogleBase

[joyfull]

as far as I am aware the fence post rammer/hammer is the same as the fence post driver 

[arugula]

We put in hundreds of posts a year and always use a 6ft crowbar to make a vertical  pilot hole first ,working the bar around so the top is wider, then fill with water and drive..they fly in the ground this way but watch out for the jet of muddy water that always gets one in the eye.

These are good instructions for a large project or huge space.

[smud6ie]

as far as I am aware the fence post rammer/hammer is the same as the fence post driver  

Me too!!
http://www.drivall.com/fencingtools/fencingpostdriver.htm

[Christo]

So many ideas. Briliant. Thanks. I particularly like the crowbar in the ground idea. Can I ask why you fill it with water first?

Thanks all.