That's The Sound Of The Men

[billroper]

daisy_knotwise and I spent some substantial time this evening trying to remove the post for our old mailbox that was broken by a snowplow this winter.

Unfortunately, I sank it in concrete.

We have shoveled. We have pried. We have attacked the concrete with a newly acquired masonry hammer and chisel. And we broke the blade on a shovel.

The broken post still stands.

Comments

[hrrunka]

Sunk in concrete? Oh dear. Concrete, once sunk...

A friend once visited a house that had been owned by an eminent early 20th century amateur astronomer. The (allegedly 15 foot deep) concrete base for a telescope was still there. It'll probably still be there long after the house has fallen down.

Dynamite's probably not an option, so I guess your best bet would be to dig the concrete out. ;)

[madfilkentist]

Would it make sense to chop the post down to the base and bury the rest?

[lonotter.livejournal.com]

I concur - cut the post off at the concrete and be done.

[kizoku42.livejournal.com]

I like the leave it buried option. Alternatively, I once rented an electric jackhammer to take apart a concrete front porch. Worked a treat.

[billroper]

Electric jackhammer is next on the list. *sigh*

I can't leave it buried, because I need to sink a new post there for the replacement mailbox.

[billroper]

It's a metal post and I need to put a new post and mailbox in that spot, so -- sadly -- this is not an option.

[gorgeousgary]

I wonder if something like this will help: http://www.homedepot.com/p/ECOBUST-Concrete-Cutting-and-Rock-Breaking-Non-Combustive-Demolition-Agent-Type-2-11-lb-50F-77F-EB211/203335351.

[deborah_c]

I think the dynamite option sounds much more fun, though...

[msminlr.livejournal.com]

If that works as-advertised, it would make prying-out the fragments much easier.

[bedlamhouse]

Metal post is a little tougher, but try this:

1) Get a good solid metal rod (rebar), a metal drill bit the same diameter or slightly larger, some chain, and a hydraulic jack (don't need a big fancy one).

Drill a hole through the post and run the rebar through. Do this as close to the ground as you can get.

Set the jack on solid ground outside the radius of the concrete.

Wrap the chain around the post under the rod and then attach it to the top of the hydraulic jack (this will probably be the tricky part - I've got a hole in the top of my jack that a rod can feed through).

Jack it up.