wrote:
On Dec 30, 2:35 am, Gunner wrote:

(...)

Check out the videos...

http://www.fencepostpuller.net/index.html

As a side note..the few times Ive had to pull "plugs"..Ive simply used a
wire cable lanyard, looped around the plug and a boat winch on a stand
to simply suck them out of the ground.

Gunner

(...)
I'd use a webbing sling but I agree.
Karl

I've pulled 'healthy' posts and footings out of
the ground using a hydraulic jack and web strap.
It is amazing how elastic those web straps are
at 250% of their rated load....

I agree with you, Gunner that an aircraft cable
lanyard is probably the only way to fly.

Pulling un-rotted posts is relatively quick,
but it comprises a very small proportion of the
challenge.

Usually, I find that the post is mostly rotted
at (and below) grade so the challenge is to
pull that mess out of the ground efficiently.
I have not discovered the best way to do this so
I break up the footing with a chipping hammer
and pull the various bits of rotted post and
footing out of the hole by hand.

There has got to be a better way!

Very occasionally, the post will be so rotted that
I can lift it out of the footing in large pieces.
On those occasions, I undermine the footing with a
shovel, route my web strap through the square hole
and pop the footing out of the ground using the
jack.

I fantasize about using some powder actuated
masonry fasteners to attach 'stamp eye' end fittings
to the footer, then popping the mess out of the
ground en masse.

Anybody done that? I'm all ears.

--Winston