Iron posts last a long time.
An iron fence post is set in concrete before fencing is attached to it. The concrete can be several inches wide on each side of the post and 24 to 36 inches deep. The weight of the concrete and post combined can make removal of the post seem impossible. When an iron fence has served its purpose or has simply rusted out, the old posts are removed before the new fence posts are installed. Cutting the old fence posts off at ground level and leaving the concrete base in the ground isn't recommended. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Dig a 6-inch-deep and 6-inch-wide trench around the concrete base of the iron post.
2. Hook a garden hose to a water source and turn it on. Fill the trench with water using the garden hose. Allow the water to soak into the soil.
3. Dig down into the wet soil until you reach dry soil again. If the digging is easy then keep digging, but if it gets hard then fill the trench with water again. Dig down until you can move the fence post back and forth in the hole. The concrete base should be able to freely move around in the hole. If you can't lift the iron post and concrete base up out of the ground with the help of an assistant, use a chain and a pickup truck to pull it out.
4. Wrap a 20-foot-long chain around the middle of the concrete base and hook the hook-end back to the chain.
5. Wrap the other end of the chain around a ball hitch on the bumper of a pickup truck and hook the hook-end back to the chain.
6. Put the truck in a low gear and drive forward until the iron post has been removed from the hole.
Tags: concrete base, iron post, back chain, base ground, chain around