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Old 06-28-2020, 06:55 PM
gtorich gtorich is offline
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Default Construction/Deck Builders

Started ripping out my deck today, ran into a little snag here...………..how does one go about pulling these 4X4 posts out of the ground...……..any ideas on how far they go down into the ground...……..im replacing the deck with a cement slab.

Yes, I know a machine could pull them out...…….but I have more time than money. lol

Thanks

Rich
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  #2  
Old 06-28-2020, 07:52 PM
1965gp 1965gp is offline
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I just went through this. I hit each with a sledgehammer and they seemed to break up easily. My concrete only went about 6” deep

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Old 06-28-2020, 07:57 PM
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indymanjoe indymanjoe is offline
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I have strapped them to a floor jack and/or my Lemans jack at times. Pulls them right out sometimes.

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Old 06-28-2020, 08:00 PM
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Bumper jack and a chain

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Old 06-28-2020, 08:34 PM
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I'm guessing code in WI is similar to here in CT, where the post/footing is supposed to be 42" below grade. Depending on who built that deck, pulling the posts could be relatively easy or an absolute nightmare. Worst case scenario, the posts are set in a giant lump of concrete buried 40+ inches down.

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Old 06-28-2020, 08:36 PM
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67drake 67drake is offline
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Well, around Wisconsin they should be 40” deep. That doesn’t mean they went that far as some try to cut corners.
The addition I just redid they had green treated 4x4 sunk 16” or so on top of concrete footings that went to around 36” deep

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  #7  
Old 06-28-2020, 08:51 PM
gtorich gtorich is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by goatless View Post
I'm guessing code in WI is similar to here in CT, where the post/footing is supposed to be 42" below grade. Depending on who built that deck, pulling the posts could be relatively easy or an absolute nightmare. Worst case scenario, the posts are set in a giant lump of concrete buried 40+ inches down.
LOL, usually the worst case scenario is always my first option. Not sure this would fly or not, but im gonna try pulling them up with a jack...……..BUT could I possibility dig down say a foot or so and just cut them off...…….im thinking im gonna need quite a bit of sand to raise the ground up, so even with 5-6 inches of concrete the posts should be quite a bit under.

Im gonna mess with this tomorrow, supposed to be in the upper 80"s I will wait until then just to make it all the more enjoyable. lol

Thanks

Rich

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Old 06-29-2020, 08:04 AM
69hardtop 69hardtop is offline
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I’ve had very good luck with an engine hoist/cherry picker

Wrap chain around post, or drill eyelet for long bolt to pass through. Pulls em right out (I did this for an old metal cyclone fence where the posts had about a large bucket of concrete holding them in the ground)

  #9  
Old 06-29-2020, 08:13 AM
Murf Murf is offline
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Have ya seen the videos of using a car, a chain & a spare tire/wheel? Looks promising. You should at least get an interesting video out of it. Seriously tho, it seems to work.
Cherry picker, if you’ve got one or a Hi Lift jack.

ETA. https://youtu.be/vcskAyeCE1A

Have fun!
Murf


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

  #10  
Old 06-29-2020, 04:25 PM
gtorich gtorich is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Murf View Post
Have ya seen the videos of using a car, a chain & a spare tire/wheel? Looks promising. You should at least get an interesting video out of it. Seriously tho, it seems to work.
Cherry picker, if you’ve got one or a Hi Lift jack.

ETA. https://youtu.be/vcskAyeCE1A

Have fun!
Murf


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
Murf, showed that vid to my wife, all I got was your not using my truck for that, lets try it with the Gto……….so we did it the hard way.

Wasn't too bad, got 5 of them out with the floor jack, of course the six one was rotten and broke off half way, so I had to dig down a foot, drilled a hole in it and yanked it out with a screwdriver.

Just wanted to say thanks for the help

Rich

  #11  
Old 06-29-2020, 04:45 PM
1965gp 1965gp is offline
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How deep were they? Where I live (Houston) you dig 40” you are either hitting oil or water.

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Old 06-29-2020, 06:16 PM
gtorich gtorich is offline
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Didnt get a chance to measure them, starting raining and i called it a day............at best 36 inches.

Another question for you guys, dont have a good pic as of now, but seems like i have a "ground cable" about 2 foot from the house...…...does this have to be moved or can I cement over that.

Rich

  #13  
Old 06-29-2020, 06:38 PM
1965gp 1965gp is offline
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I think you can cement over it. It’s only to ground the house in case it gets struck by lightning (I think). As long as it is buried I think you are good

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Old 06-29-2020, 07:37 PM
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I live about as far from you as anyone could go but to me the principle is all the same....

You are deconstructing your timber patio and pouring a concrete slab so why are you not simply knocking the old 4x4 posts down to ground level (cut them off even), and now starting to form up for a concrete slab? Just leave the old posts in the ground.

Seems to me you are giving yourself a lot of hard work all for no good reason.. Am I missing something here???

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Old 06-29-2020, 08:09 PM
gtorich gtorich is offline
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You know Heybuck, you bring up a fine point there...….I was worried about the posts moving up and hitting my cement...……..the temp ranges from 90 in the summer to anywhere near 10-30 below in the winter...……...not sure if this would make a difference one way or the other...………...maybe someone who does this for a living could chip in.

Cement up here seems to fall apart without anything underneath pushing up on it...…...I got all the posts out now...…...not that big of a deal.

Rich

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Old 06-30-2020, 03:49 AM
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So, do I understand that you are saying that the variance in ground temperature can literally force the stumps out (up) of the ground??

I've never heard of such a thing. Our ground temperature here never freezes so its nothing I've never encountered.

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  #17  
Old 06-30-2020, 04:55 PM
sdbob sdbob is online now
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Footings around here when we were building anything slab,garage, any bldg ,the frost line sometimes would go down to 36 inches. It's rare but can so we put are footings down 36. Never had a problem. Remember you are only going to do it once. My dad taught me that.

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Old 06-30-2020, 06:32 PM
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And I’ve seen what happens when guys cut corners and don’t go below the frostline

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  #19  
Old 07-01-2020, 10:54 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Heybuck View Post
So, do I understand that you are saying that the variance in ground temperature can literally force the stumps out (up) of the ground??

It's called frost heave- here's a link that explains it:


https://theconstructor.org/practical...vention/29754/

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Old 07-01-2020, 12:18 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gtorich View Post
Didnt get a chance to measure them, starting raining and i called it a day............at best 36 inches.

Another question for you guys, dont have a good pic as of now, but seems like i have a "ground cable" about 2 foot from the house...…...does this have to be moved or can I cement over that.

Rich
That’s a ground for your house’s electrical system. We had to add one on my former ‘50’s built house when we did an addition. My “new” (‘60’s built) house has one, too. (That was added on at some point.)

As I remember, it’s an 8 foot copper pipe hammered into the ground. You may be better off starting somewhere else with a new pipe.

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