On Fri, 01 Sep 2006 01:35:45 GMT, "Toller" wrote:

I have to replace some low retaining walls. The wood is easy because its
all rotted away, but I can't get the rebar that held them out. The ground
is shale, and doesn't want to give them up.

Any magical solutions? I thought of an auto jack, but don't see how to grip
the bars.
Driving them in rather than reusing them is a solution, but driving them a
foot into shale is a real chore!

I had my apple tree staked with 4 foot pieces of rebar, 3 feet of
which was in the ground. When it was time to take them out, I bent
the rebar and rotated it a lot and tugged at the same time. Wear
gloves. Once you get the first inch, it gets easier. I wondered what
was holding the bars in after I rotated them a lot.

Even if you only have 180^, I think this will work. I couldn't rotate
fully become it hit the ground.

How many do you have. I only had two a year.