Removing rebar from the ground?
 

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!

Removing rebar from the ground?
 

"Toller" wrote in message
...
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.

Tie a prussik around the bars, hook the other end on the jack and pull them out.

http://www.brmrg.net/knots/prussik.html

Bob

Removing rebar from the ground?
 

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!




Wrap a chain around the bar. Pull the chain up with a jack, or wrap the
chain over an old steel wheel and tie it to a bumper or trailer hitch or
come-along.

Bob

Removing rebar from the ground?
 

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'd try the pulling as others suggested (my suggestion would have been
the same except they beat me to it) and if it works, good, but if it
didn't or was particularly difficult, given the cost of rebar I'd just
take the torch and cut 'em off...

If you have one or access, what I use as a puller for such things
including fence posts, etc., is either bucket or the 3-pt depending on
access or how much actual lift needed...

Removing rebar from the ground?
 

likewly rusted cut off with torch or sazall.........

pulling will bend it making reuse difficult

Removing rebar from the ground?
 

"Toller" wrote in message
...
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!

Cut them off. Why take them out?

Removing rebar from the ground?
 

wrote in message
oups.com...
likewly rusted cut off with torch or sazall.........

pulling will bend it making reuse difficult

If they don't come out with the jack, I will have at them with a sawzall.
It will still leave a stub, but that won't be too hard to pound down.

Unfortunately my 18 year old son leaves for school tomorrow. I should have
planned ahead.

Removing rebar from the ground?
 

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.

Removing rebar from the ground?
 

Use a 4"-5" angle grinder with a grinding wheel. I have a 5" 8 amp
angle grinder that would cut each one flush with the rock in less than
a minute per bar. Just cut a groove on 180 degrees or more and bend it
over. Similar to felling a tree. No chain, no jack, no pulling.
Once it's off, grind off any sharp edges and move to the next.

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!

Removing rebar from the ground?
 

"Toller" wrote in message
...
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!

Ahh, this one is easy. I do this all the time.
Simply take a long pipe wrench, attach about shin high to save your back.
Lift (pull up) on the end of the handle as you make one turn around with the
wrench. They simply pull out. I've pulled 5/8" bar, imbedded over 10
years, 6 feet into the earth with not even a strain. YOU DON'T NEED A
JACK!!! Giving it a turn is the answer, and, of course having a good grip
makes it easy. It should come up almost 6 inches to a foot per turn even in
the toughest of clays.

Ivan Vegvary

Removing rebar from the ground?
 

"Ivan Vegvary" wrote in message
news:jSOJg.39482$NF3.27080@trnddc05...

"Toller" wrote in message
...
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!

Ahh, this one is easy. I do this all the time.
Simply take a long pipe wrench, attach about shin high to save your back.
Lift (pull up) on the end of the handle as you make one turn around with
the wrench. They simply pull out. I've pulled 5/8" bar, imbedded over 10
years, 6 feet into the earth with not even a strain. YOU DON'T NEED A
JACK!!! Giving it a turn is the answer, and, of course having a good
grip makes it easy. It should come up almost 6 inches to a foot per turn
even in the toughest of clays.

Ivan Vegvary
If you are right, then bless you!

Removing rebar from the ground?
 

How about vice grips with a comealong from a 4x4 between 2 55-gallon drums?

Nick

Removing rebar from the ground?
 

Tom Kendrick wrote:
Use a 4"-5" angle grinder with a grinding wheel. I have a 5" 8 amp
angle grinder that would cut each one flush with the rock in less than
a minute per bar. Just cut a groove on 180 degrees or more and bend it
over. Similar to felling a tree. No chain, no jack, no pulling.
Once it's off, grind off any sharp edges and move to the next.

i will add to that by saying buy some cutting wheels for your angle
grinder. they make extermely thin wheels (available in specialty
stores--not big box stores. maybe even an auto parts store) that are s
used for stainless--cut rebar like butter.

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!

Removing rebar from the ground?
 

A fencepost puller with chain on it, it should pop right out.

Removing rebar from the ground?
 

"m Ransley" wrote in message
...
A fencepost puller with chain on it, it should pop right out.

If I had a fencepost puller, I wouldn't be asking.

Removing rebar from the ground?
 

Rent one or buy it they are cheap,

Removing rebar from the ground?
 

We use rebar for staking our pavillions down when we go camping...
the trick to pulling them out is to first tap them tangengential to
the hole.... This makes the hole just a bit wider, which allows for
some room to stop it gripping. Then you pull directly inline with the
hole. Any "sideways" pulling will make it very difficult.
We usually leave the rope on the stake to make it easier.

We pull 1" rebar pounded 3' (we call them "pennsic penetrators",
after the name of the camping event) in the ground out by hand
this way. Of course, the ground there is heavy clay, so your shale might
make a difference.

Have you considered that there might be a concrete plug at the base of
the rebar? good luck in any case!

--
May no harm befall you,
flip
Ich habe keine Ahnung was das bedeutet, oder vielleicht doch?
In my email replace SeeEmmYou.EeeDeeYou with CMU.EDU

Removing rebar from the ground?
 

I have seen those cutoff wheels in action. Very nice.
OTOH, rebar is not a very high grade steel, so almost any grinding
wheel that has a bevelled edge (rather than the square edge it comes
with when new) can get the job done. I do more slag removal and edge
preparation for welding than I do making cuts.

marson wrote:
i will add to that by saying buy some cutting wheels for your angle
grinder. they make extermely thin wheels (available in specialty
stores--not big box stores. maybe even an auto parts store) that are s
used for stainless--cut rebar like butter.

Removing rebar from the ground?
 

wrote in message
...
How about vice grips with a comealong from a 4x4 between 2 55-gallon
drums?

Nick


Good idea. I've been using a 2 ton hoist for this kind of operation and ruin
it where I had to do some major cutting and welding to put the hoist back in
service. The pulling tensile strength of rebar or tree roots is unbelievably
high.

Removing rebar from the ground?
 

"Toller" wrote in message
...

wrote in message
oups.com...
likewly rusted cut off with torch or sazall.........

pulling will bend it making reuse difficult

If they don't come out with the jack, I will have at them with a sawzall.
It will still leave a stub, but that won't be too hard to pound down.

Unfortunately my 18 year old son leaves for school tomorrow. I should
have planned ahead.


Another idea: You could use a long pipe wrench and try to spin the rebar
around. If the rebar spins freely then you know you could pull it out with a
little effort. If it doesn't spin try to force it and break it below the
ground.

Removing rebar from the ground?
 

"IBM5081" wrote in message
ups.com...
I have seen those cutoff wheels in action. Very nice.
OTOH, rebar is not a very high grade steel, so almost any grinding
wheel that has a bevelled edge (rather than the square edge it comes
with when new) can get the job done. I do more slag removal and edge
preparation for welding than I do making cuts.

marson wrote:
i will add to that by saying buy some cutting wheels for your angle
grinder. they make extermely thin wheels (available in specialty
stores--not big box stores. maybe even an auto parts store) that are s
used for stainless--cut rebar like butter.


In that case, I prefer to use my 36" bolt cutter - faster and save my
cutting wheels for some other projects and I don't have to drag my
electrical cord or air hose around. If the rebar is over 5/8" I use my
portable band saw.

Removing rebar from the ground?
 

On 1 Sep 2006 05:09:41 -0700, "marson" wrote:


Tom Kendrick wrote:
Use a 4"-5" angle grinder with a grinding wheel. I have a 5" 8 amp
angle grinder that would cut each one flush with the rock in less than
a minute per bar. Just cut a groove on 180 degrees or more and bend it
over. Similar to felling a tree. No chain, no jack, no pulling.
Once it's off, grind off any sharp edges and move to the next.

i will add to that by saying buy some cutting wheels for your angle
grinder. they make extermely thin wheels (available in specialty
stores--not big box stores. maybe even an auto parts store) that are s
used for stainless--cut rebar like butter.

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!




Drop a short length of black-pipe over the end,
and bend them into a hook, then put a rope around them
in a timber hitch, run the rope over a sawhorse, then
under a sandbag and yank them out with a truck.

The sawhorse is to make the rope pull UP, the
sandbag is to pull the rebar to a stop when
it comes out of the ground like
a kinetic-energy weapon and tries to vaporize
the truck.

But if the rebar won't come out, why not just
drill the replacement timbers to match?

Removing rebar from the ground?
 

On Fri, 1 Sep 2006 19:18:44 -0700, "# Fred #"
wrote:


wrote in message
...
How about vice grips with a comealong from a 4x4 between 2 55-gallon
drums?

Nick


Good idea. I've been using a 2 ton hoist for this kind of operation and ruin
it where I had to do some major cutting and welding to put the hoist back in
service. The pulling tensile strength of rebar or tree roots is unbelievably
high.

I don't think he intends to stretch the rebar longer, just break it
away from what's holding it.