hanging a chain 6 inches off the bottom of the coupler allows the operator to keep the post perfectly straight by keeping the gap the same like using a plumbob . also you can use it to set the depth you set the post , much safer and very accurate.
I don't want to bash this product because it is very well built and it saves a TON of work but I will say this: this attachment is not quite a one man machine if you are going for a perfectly straight post. Also, if you are going for precision placement, say along a fence line, which is what I do, you will spend a lot of time in getting the point exactly where you need it because not all posts, especially 4", are heavy enough to pull the jaw all the way down with the spring that is on the claw. If you are just roughing it in, you can easily do it solo. If you want precision placement and a straight drive, you NEED someone placing the post and helping you keep it straight. Next, I love the added weight kit. I can't remember what it adds for weight and striking force but it helps a lot with 8" posts and rail road ties which this attachment handles no problem. The downside to it is you can't just take the weight off as it is granular steel that's inserted inside the main weight. You could see the issue you might have while driving smaller posts as it pounds them way farther in per strike. The only reason that's a problem is because of the geometry of how the loader itself moves as it's raised and lifted. For example, the skidsteer I have is a CAT 236B. As the loader comes down, the bottom opening of the pounder moves away from the machine so you have to move with it. If you're driving the smaller posts in softer material, that post might move 2 feet in one strike. If your loader comes down 2 feet and out 6 inches (for example. I don't know exactly how far it moves but you get the point) your post is then crooked and has already created a hole which is impossible to changed unless you pull the post and start a new one. I'm not trying to bash this attachment. It has paid for itself since I've owned it and saved me a lot of time and wear and tear on my body. I'm simply trying to give some pros and cons for anyone considering purchasing one.
2010balla I own a SM40 tilt and you are 100% correct. I see people say all the time it's a one man solution but they don't know what they're talking about. I have owned Danuser post drivers for 30 years and not one can be operated by a single user. That said, I don't know anything about the new 9000 but I assume it's the same.
I just went and watched a video of the 9000. Is it not the same style as far as how you set the pounder on a post or pipe etc? It looks like it takes away the float feature which is kind of a handy feature, especially if its hard ground and you want to put down pressure and put the weight of the machine on the post as well. Does the 9000 not work that way? It doesn't appear to.
I agree with you. We tried one out, but it couldn't even warm up our rigs for the work we do. That said, I do see the benefits for stockmen that need to skip posts in on an old fence line, or build the occasional new stretch.
Simple solution, get a friend like me who loves being the skid steer guy while you can position the post and guide him where to move the post driver to. I know I am not the only one who enjoys this work.
We own one of these and these are best when you use the 6x6 treat like the ones you have there and we try to stay plum every ten hits sometimes the plate in the side gets in the way , we install 7 feet fences a rot iron fence fabric with a tension wire in the bottom but we install about 1200 feet with a 20 foot gate and 2 smaller gates for back exits , these are usually done in plain areas where's all you see is Casey gas stations
Just in case it saves a live. Our tilt cylinder pin vibrated out an hour into driving. No hard hat would have saved me when the 1500 pounds of driver pivoted around on the arms. Line of fire is line of fire, there is a risk if your there try not to take it to lightly.
Posts installed this way tend to be lopsided. It is a great labor saver, no doubt. But the equipment is very expensive to own or rent. Working at this rate, you'd need to rent it for WEEKS to put in a long fence. I use a Woods auger that I own on a 45-hp tractor that I own. My posts line up well and are as plumb as possible. They look good to the eye. I use crushed rock (crusher run), a length of rebar , and a tamper to pack the posts in. This method requires a strong back and arms, but the posts do move along, and you can use the fill dirt to even out dips in the ground (very useful in real-life situations).
We actually do about 70 posts in 6 hour day so in weekend pretty easy to do 20 acre field and they are set well no packing and or issues and that is very nice. The tops of 5-6 inch post are not wrecked at all the hammer doesnt damage them at all and they are straight, we have two person team and works great to keep them plumb which is nice. The augers we have had on the farm dont work well due to our clay, the clay is very heavy and makes us pull them up and spin them to empty them of clay to continue to drill and then when we set the posts with augers it takes longer to pack the clay well around them, the hammer is much better deal for us and the fences have stayed great now through numerous winters now.
must be nice to have soil that allows for that. I know what soil is typically like in the Midwest its like potting soil compared to what im used to. Here in my part of California none of those things work well. Auger with a rock bit to break the rock works pretty good but it tends to move around.
Actually we are in clay loam soil and its pretty hard, makes a gray gumbo that slicks tires and makes it hard to work in . At of of Minnesota in the south is great black soils but as you getting into the north of our state you hit hard iron ground with heavy compact clay. This machine handles it well, I just finished a pig pen and made it hammer through 3 feet of frost and the tool takes longer to get them in but it got the 5 inch treated 8 ft posts 4 feet into the ground. Here is the link on the making the pig pen. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-lZqDkU_806U.html
also here we used it for road side pounding too, and in spring after thaw it works even better after a rains but mid summer it works hard but gets them in too. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-ixQSoLpEg5I.html
Youd think they would have gps positioning and self levelling and a 10 post magazine loading mechanism in this day and age. Or are my ideas just back from the future'
cleatrampler try using steel drill stem instead of wood posts in the rock. We are doing that around our area and it works great. It's strong, penetrates the rock and it doesn't rot. Especially if you have a mobile welder. Will save you a ton of time and effort.
I want to thank you for this advice. I built a homemade well pounder years ago and got hold of some drill stem as you mentioned and it went in easy! Regular T posts bend when you try and drive them in and the spade end shears off. I wish I had more steel drill stem to use here it is great! Thanks again for great advice!
not sure if it comes with hard points on a shaft them. We rented it but it powers great through clay and hard soil here as long as use wood thicker then 3inches, those smaller posts tend to crack if you hit very hard clay=)
ReefDVMs Thanks, I’ll check with them. It’s good to see some videos from another Minnesotan... especially the waterers given the nature of our winters!
Those are basically the same machine concept and I am sure they work great, but cant easily rent them to place in pickup drive home with and quick attach to any skid nor do I have the 10K for new lol
I bought one this spring, customer service is lacking , I have an expensive piece of scrap iron ! It drives post as advertised but not going to lie if you desire a straight fence this hasn’t worked for us. Maybe 20 post out of 700 come out plumb . Not for the professional IMO
Joe, We use this machine to put in steel I beam posts for solar fields and guardrail. We need a back up machine if you still have it and want to recoup some of your cash. call seven one four two four zero twenteight elleven.
This was my thought... also at least close to a smooth line on the post tops. Hell, that’s the first thing people see.. the continuity of the post tops, then look down the fence line. It just doesn’t seem precise enough for this old commercial chain link guy
It is kind of a waste of wood posts to line the entire fence with them out in Kansas we only use wood post for our three corner post then the rest are steel posts for barbwire fence.
