Stuck with an unwanted basketball pole
 

During a bad windstorm six months ago, the wind actually snapped off a
pole by my driveway, onto which was mounted a basketball hoop and
backboard.

I figured that, come spring, I'd just hacksaw the remaining stump of a
pole (about four feet above the ground) and be done. No such luck. The
pole is 1/8-inch thick hardened steel, and worse, it's filled all the
way up with cement. Besides hacksawing, I've tried:

1. Digging around the cement, in hopes of loosening the thing and
pulling it out. But even though the cement is only about 10 inches in
diameter at the surface, the more I dig, the wider the cement base seems
to spread. And goodness only knows how deep it goes. I can see myself
tearing up 15 or 20 square feet of lawn just to find the true perimeter
of the cement base, then winding up having three or four feet of cement
under the ground - way too heavy to tip or pull out.

2. Renting a reciprocating saw from Home Depot. This wasn't any better,
and in fact was pretty scary. The saw did not appear to like going
through concrete. I was able to cut off a small portion at the top
where there was no cement, but even that took two minutes at least to
cut through. When I tried cutting through the base, the saw vibrated so
much I thought my arms would fall off and I was afraid the blade would
break off and injure me. At one point, I was able to cut about a
quarter inch into the pole, a cut that was about two inches long at
most. Again though, I was afraid the rented saw (or worse, its user)
would sustain serious damage.

The only other solutions to this I've heard or read involve pulling the
pole out with a tow truck (not practical, given the amount of cement
that is still tightly buried), using a Dremel or other hand grinder to
cut through the pole (don't think so, given how even a killer saw
couldn't handle it), or renting a backhoe (too expensive, and too much
like killing a fly with an elephant gun).

Mine can't be that unusual a situation. What have other people done to
successfully remove a basketball pole, especially when faced with
circumstances like I describe?

abcdef wrote:
During a bad windstorm six months ago, the wind actually snapped off
a
pole by my driveway, onto which was mounted a basketball hoop and
backboard.

I figured that, come spring, I'd just hacksaw the remaining stump of
a
pole (about four feet above the ground) and be done. No such luck.
The
pole is 1/8-inch thick hardened steel, and worse, it's filled all the

way up with cement. Besides hacksawing, I've tried:

1. Digging around the cement, in hopes of loosening the thing and
pulling it out. But even though the cement is only about 10 inches
in
diameter at the surface, the more I dig, the wider the cement base
seems
to spread. And goodness only knows how deep it goes. I can see
myself
tearing up 15 or 20 square feet of lawn just to find the true
perimeter
of the cement base, then winding up having three or four feet of
cement
under the ground - way too heavy to tip or pull out.

2. Renting a reciprocating saw from Home Depot. This wasn't any
better,
and in fact was pretty scary. The saw did not appear to like going
through concrete. I was able to cut off a small portion at the top
where there was no cement, but even that took two minutes at least to

cut through. When I tried cutting through the base, the saw vibrated
so
much I thought my arms would fall off and I was afraid the blade
would
break off and injure me. At one point, I was able to cut about a
quarter inch into the pole, a cut that was about two inches long at
most. Again though, I was afraid the rented saw (or worse, its user)

would sustain serious damage.

The only other solutions to this I've heard or read involve pulling
the
pole out with a tow truck (not practical, given the amount of cement
that is still tightly buried), using a Dremel or other hand grinder
to
cut through the pole (don't think so, given how even a killer saw
couldn't handle it), or renting a backhoe (too expensive, and too
much
like killing a fly with an elephant gun).

Mine can't be that unusual a situation. What have other people done
to
successfully remove a basketball pole, especially when faced with
circumstances like I describe?

1. Dig down far enough so there will be no danger of ever hitting it
with anything.
2. Beg, buy, borrow, rent an acetylene torch. Torch the metal portion
off at the cut line then hit the concrete with a hammer.

Harry K

"abcdef" wrote in message
...
During a bad windstorm six months ago, the wind actually snapped off a
pole by my driveway, onto which was mounted a basketball hoop and
backboard.

I figured that, come spring, I'd just hacksaw the remaining stump of a
pole (about four feet above the ground) and be done. No such luck. The
pole is 1/8-inch thick hardened steel, and worse, it's filled all the
way up with cement. Besides hacksawing, I've tried:

1. Digging around the cement, in hopes of loosening the thing and
pulling it out. But even though the cement is only about 10 inches in
diameter at the surface, the more I dig, the wider the cement base seems
to spread. And goodness only knows how deep it goes. I can see myself
tearing up 15 or 20 square feet of lawn just to find the true perimeter
of the cement base, then winding up having three or four feet of cement
under the ground - way too heavy to tip or pull out.

2. Renting a reciprocating saw from Home Depot. This wasn't any better,
and in fact was pretty scary. The saw did not appear to like going
through concrete. I was able to cut off a small portion at the top
where there was no cement, but even that took two minutes at least to
cut through. When I tried cutting through the base, the saw vibrated so
much I thought my arms would fall off and I was afraid the blade would
break off and injure me. At one point, I was able to cut about a
quarter inch into the pole, a cut that was about two inches long at
most. Again though, I was afraid the rented saw (or worse, its user)
would sustain serious damage.

The only other solutions to this I've heard or read involve pulling the
pole out with a tow truck (not practical, given the amount of cement
that is still tightly buried), using a Dremel or other hand grinder to
cut through the pole (don't think so, given how even a killer saw
couldn't handle it), or renting a backhoe (too expensive, and too much
like killing a fly with an elephant gun).

Mine can't be that unusual a situation. What have other people done to
successfully remove a basketball pole, especially when faced with
circumstances like I describe?

This is Turtle.

This is no problem at all. Go down to a local rent all store and rent you a Gas
Powered Concrete Power saw with a 14 to 16 inch blade and just cut metal ,
Concrete, and all off at one time. I rent them a lot when cutting through
concrete walls and brick walls for my HVAC business. The Saw is just a Chain saw
for cutting wood for fires but they put a concrete cutting blade on it to cut
metal and concrete all at one time. It should not take but one blade to cut a
10" concrete and metal post.

Now one thing here. If you cut in about 3'' in all the way around. You can pull
on it with a truck and it will snap off. Also stay back with truck and stay out
of the way.

TURTLE

On Sat, 23 Apr 2005 00:45:51 GMT, someone wrote:

2. Renting a reciprocating saw from Home Depot. This wasn't any better,
and in fact was pretty scary. The saw did not appear to like going
through concrete.

No, no, no. You do NOT need to cut all the way through the concrete
with the rental saw. Just cut the metal all around (you might also
try an abrasive blade in a circular saw, or a big pipe cutter first),
then hit it with a sledge hammer and the concrete part should snap off
now that it has no support.

If for some amazing reason this is a fortified installation with rebar
inside the concrete, then get the big gas powered saw.with the blade
that will cut both concrete and steel. But its not likely the
concrete is reinforced.


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