Removing concrete from ground stake

[Tim Mangan-Kansas]

I spent this afternoon digging up the ground stake for my 3" square pole. It is encased in concrete about 18" wide and 2' deep. I was in hopes that the concrete would break apart after several hits with the sledge hammer. After 50 to 100 hits the concrete looks just as pretty as it did before I started banging on it.

Does anyone know of a way to easily remove concrete from the ground stake so that I can re-use it?

Tim

[John Miller]

Just yesterday at a golf course site, I helped move a ground stake and the concrete did break with a few swings. But not by me....the guy who swung the sledge hammer was under 50. Might be the key..and wish I were joking.

But concrete varies...maybe you used good stuff.

John M

[Lewis]

Tim,

You may try a electric hammer drill or go to a tool rental and get a jack hammer.

Lewis

[CraigMo.]

Get your strong daughter and have her help you lift out of ground, then you roll it to your truck and then you find the strongest looking teen in your area and then you have a cow picking it up. then you roll it to you new hole and it works as good as it did before. Thats what I did. Sorry I could not help you with breaking it

[Emil Pampell-Tx]

Craig, that is exactly what I did, the hole had to be large to make that big piece of concrete fit the hole. I made it 2in larger. It was so solid, that I just filled it in with dirt, it seems to be very sturdy.

[CraigMo.]

Emil. Thats funny you did the same thing. Digging it out was hard too! And you wonder why your neigbors think your a crazy bird lover, Huh!

[Julio]

Ive broken some nice size chunks before make sure you use a nice long and heavy 14 pound sledge hammer, utilize the torque and force as best you can. Cut a deep groove first on the concrete and take a nice swing, it will break.

[Guest]

Needle gun or muriatic acid. (hydrochloric acid) Be damn careful. Stuff is dangerous. Also,i t will strip all the oxide from the metal so after your done you should paint it with a rust inhibitor. Needle gun would work great if you can get one. Rent one maybe. Check out your local body shop or marina. I have seen them used in both places.

[Guest]

If none of the above appeal to you, cut it off even with the ground and weld a couple of feet of pipe back on your pole.

[Tim Mangan-Kansas]

Thanks all for the replys.

Craig:
I don't think my 5' 110 lb. daughter who is eight months pregnant would be much help. I am afraid I would end up delivering the baby before we got the encased pole to the truck.

Emil:
"IF" I am able to get the ground stake to our new location, place it in a larger hole and fill in with dirt, would there be a problem with it staying completely vertical?

Tim

[CraigMo.]

Tim I know you asked Emil about pole being straight(vertical) in new hole. This is my 3rd season here and my Deluxe Gourd Rack is still straight up. I also carried from old location with cement still on ground stake and put in a new hole and just filled in with dirt and it is a sturdy and straight as before. Just use your level to make it straight. Just try to pack the dirt around it as much as you can. Also been trying to figure out a way for you to pull it with your vehicle to new location so you don't have to pick up again. I think you said it was not to far from old house. Could you use something like a plastic sled or just plywood and roll it on that then pull it to your new house? It propbably would ruin the sled or plywood but it might be worth it.

[Guest]

Tim, I use to have horses and cattle. We used gravel instead of back filling with dirt on all the corner post and braces. We had to dig the hole a few inches wider than you would if you are going back with dirt but when you use gravel it's like using cement. Fill the hole 1/2 full of gravel, make sure you have the pole level. Shake it some to settle the gravel. Then finish filling it up. Give it a little shake and your set. It also helps wooden post last longer with less contact with the dirt.

[parkerdes]

My first house was too close to the trees & my house. When we put it in, I didn't know about ground sleeves! I had my 230 lb son help me & we dug it up & moved it to my more open area. We dug a hole bigger than the concrete & I just added more concrete around it! It sure was hard digging it up & moving 80 lbs of concrete but it isn't going anywhere now with more weight!
Good luck with your project!!!

[Donnie Hurdt MN]

Tim, I know this wont help you much in your present situation, but the next time you pour cement around a ground stake fill the hole with larg rocks then pour in the cement. This makes a strong support fore the pole but when you have to move a pole,(like I did just last nite) just whack the cement a few times with a mall or sledgehammer and it will fall apart. the rocks weaken the cement enough to do this. It wasent too hard to got a bent Tri-Tel pole free this way.

[Emil Pampell-Tx]

Tim, I used a level when I was filling the hole with dirt, just like I did when I originally poured the concrete.

[Adam Romain]

Tim, why not buy a new ground stake and be done wth all the trouble?

Guess that's not possible and too easy, but that's what I would do. Actually, that's what I did! I moved over the winter and when leaving, I just cut the old sleeve as low as I could, covered with dirt, and you couldn't tell there was a system in my yard. At my new home, I use a new sleeve.

Hope the move goes easier than the concrete removal!

[Todd Wright]

The best way to remove concrete from a pole is to quit hitting the concrete. If you will hit the pole the vibration and sound waves will fracture the concrete and the concrete will fall off of the pole. An oldtimer taught this to me about 15 years ago and it sure will save you alot of sweat and swings of a sledge hammer. As the saying goes "work smarter not harder".

[DAVE]

If your Ground Stake is of some kind of plastic fill the inside of the stake with crushed ice and salt. Salt makes the ice colder and the plastic will shrink. So you should be able to gentlely pull it out with plires. It may take severial fillings of ice. Good luck

Dave

[DAVE]

If your Ground Stake is of some kind of plastic fill the inside of the stake with crushed ice and salt. Salt makes the ice colder and the plastic will shrink. So you should be able to gentlely pull it out with plires. It may take severial fillings of ice. Good luck

Dave

[RC Moser]

Depend on how heavy you housing is? My single house I just dig them up leave the concrete on them dig another hole, plop it in and tamp dirt around it, in a day or two retamp and in my soil as solid as it was before.
done this with my gourd rack also. Haven't had any problem will tilting even with 70 MPH wind storm or straigh line winds here in OKC!