Fence Post Preservative Rods
Moisture-activated preservative rods inserted into posts to stop rot from the inside.
Pull a Broken Fence Post and Its Concrete Out of the Ground With a Strap and a 2x4
Technique: Pull a Post Footing With a Strap
The Problem
A wooden fence post rots at ground level and snaps, leaving a stub sitting in a concrete footing that can run two, three, four feet deep. The footing has to come out before a new post goes in, and the usual options are all bad: dig a crater around it and lift it by hand, break it up in place with a demolition hammer, or set the new post somewhere else and live with a fence that no longer lines up.
The Technique
The concrete doesn't need to be dug out or broken. It needs to be lifted, and a strap plus a long board gives you the leverage to do it.
- Loop a ratchet strap around the top of the concrete footing — around the collar of concrete at grade, not around the broken post stub, which will just tear off.
- Ratchet it tight so the strap bites into the concrete and can't slip up over it.
- Wrap the free end of the strap around the middle of an 8-foot 2x4.
- Stand the 2x4 up on edge, one end on the ground beside the hole, and lever the board upright.
The 2x4 pivoting on the ground is a lever several feet long working against a footing that only has to move a few inches to break free of the soil. A 48" anchor comes out this way with no digging.
Pro tip: Put the foot of the 2x4 on a scrap board or a flat stone rather than straight onto soil or lawn. The end takes the whole load concentrated on a small area, so on soft ground it sinks in and you lose most of the travel — and on grass it leaves a hole you then have to repair.
Safety note: A loaded strap that slips off the concrete releases all of that stored energy at once, with an 8-foot board attached to it. Check the strap is seated on the footing and not riding up before you put weight on the lever, keep your body out of the arc the board would swing through, and stand clear rather than straddling the hole.
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