You can remove a fence post in various ways, and the method you use will depend on what is available to you. Fence posts can get very annoying, especially when you are trying to park your car. You can remove that annoyance easily, and one of the ways you can do it is by using a tool from your garage: the car jack.
The technique that requires removing the fence post this way is quite specific. And that is what we'll be guiding you with this article on how to remove fence post with car jack. Let’s dive in!
Jump To Contents
- Tools You'll Need to Remove Fence Post with Car Jack
- 7 Steps to Remove Fence Post with Car Jack
- Step 1 – Chop Some of The Fence Post If It Is Too Tall
- Step 2 – Set The Base for The Car Jack
- Step 3 – Position The Car Jack Next to The Fence Post
- Step 4 – Use a Wooden Block As A Spacer, And Attach Another Wooden Block
- Step 5 – Weaken The Soil And Detach Any Extra Boards
- Step 6 – Pull The Lever of The Jack to Lift The Fence Post Out
- Step 7 – Fill The Hole
- Final Verdict
Tools You'll Need to Remove Fence Post with Car Jack
If you don’t have the right set of tools with you, removing a fence post with a car jack can get a bit challenging. Having them is essential to do this job. Even if you don’t have one of the listed items, you may not be able to remove the fence post at all.
1. Car Jack
This is the most obvious one, but you need a good-quality car jack so that the removal job will be much easier.
We would say floor jacks would be excellent for this particular job, but you may attempt to do this with any other jacks that you have.
2. High-Quality Tools
Some sturdy tools will help you a long way throughout this process. Therefore, ensure that you have tough tools such as a hammer, power drill, and screwdriver with you. If you want to go the extra mile, then you could also get a solid saw.
3. 5/8” Bolt Or High-Strength Screws
When longer bolts are used for this purpose, they tend to break during the removal. It's best if you use some sturdy 5/8" bolts. This is compatible with all sizes of car jacks.
4. Wooden Blocks
Wooden blocks must be attached to the fence post when lifting it out of the ground with your jack. The previous sentence may sound unclear to you, but it'll make more sense once you have read the steps below.
7 Steps to Remove Fence Post with Car Jack
Car owners often face issues with parking or opening their doors because of a fence post obstructing the space. A car jack can be used to remove this annoying obstruction from your way in quite a simple manner. Get yourself the essential tools that we have mentioned above so that we can get into the details.
Step 1 – Chop Some of The Fence Post If It Is Too Tall
If the fence post that you want to remove is too tall, then you need to chop a portion of it. You can use a saw to cut it down. It is much easier to work with a slightly shorter fence post.
Step 2 – Set The Base for The Car Jack
Take flat and sturdy wooden planks, and place them right next to the fence post to set up a base for the car jack. You should make this to ensure that the surface you’re placing the jack on is flat and sturdy.
Step 3 – Position The Car Jack Next to The Fence Post
Position your car jack on the base you made next to the fence post that you are going to be removing.
When you do this, you should engage the locking mechanism of the jack so that when a load is exerted on it, it doesn't move.
Step 4 – Use a Wooden Block As A Spacer, And Attach Another Wooden Block
Take a scrap wooden block, and place it on the head of the jack where the load lifted is placed. Make someone hold the spacer in place or balance on the head of the jack.
Next, on top of the spacer, you will have to attach a wooden block with the fence post using screws or bolts.
As we have said before, you can use a power drill to install the screws, or if you don’t have one, you may use a hammer. Drill in as many screws as you need; just ensure that the wooden block is fixed in place.
Step 5 – Weaken The Soil And Detach Any Extra Boards
Sometimes it can be very hard to remove the fencepost because its anchoring is too strong. To weaken that, you can add a lot of water to the soil over it and remove some of the topsoils to reduce the upward force needed to remove it.
Your fence post may have other boards to it, so you want to detach it before you crank up your car jack.
Step 6 – Pull The Lever of The Jack to Lift The Fence Post Out
Ensure that the jack, spacer, and the attached wooden block are properly aligned. Then, depending on which jack you are using, you have to start lifting it.
For a floor jack, you will start to pull the lever, so the jack is lifted and exerts a large upward pressure on the block attached to the fence post. This upward force will cause the fence post to come out of the ground slowly.
Continue jacking up the fence post until it is loose enough for you to pull it out of the ground. Get someone to hold the fence post once it has become loose, and pull it out of the hole.
Step 7 – Fill The Hole
You will be left with a relatively deep hole in the ground after removing the fence post with a car jack. Take some soil, and fill the hole, so your parking space doesn't look bad, or you don't accidentally get your foot stuck there!
Final Verdict
Fence posts are annoying for sure, but now that you know the easy technique on how to remove fence post with car jack, you will soon be free from the inconveniences it causes. The method described above applies to removing metal fence posts with a car jack.
However, if you were hoping this is also a guideline for removing concrete fence posts with a car jack, then we're disappointed to say it's not. Because concrete has a much stronger anchoring, this calls for another method to be removed.
We hope we were able to provide some help with this article, so now you can open your car door without bumping it with a fence post.
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