ECN Forum Forums General Topics of the Trade General Discussion Area Things you wish were made

For all of you wishing for a ground rod driver:

It is simply amazing what comes up if you "google" terms like 'ground rod drover,' "post pounder,' or 'pile driver.' Or, 'fence post driver.'

There are a number of folks selling compressor-driven or hydraulic-driven drivers. Think 'modified jackhammer,'
Another guy sells a variation of the hand-held post driver that claims to let you also use it to remove rods.
One clever firm has drill points that you place on the rod- supposedly, you then are able to 'drill' the rod into the ground.
The final one- one that has some appeal to me- is a collet arrangement for your jackhammer. This contraption slips over the rod, sits near ground level, and lets you use a jackhammer to drive the rod. No need to climb the ladder- and no rod whipping around.


NOW- if anyone has tried any of these things- speak up!

I have drove ground rods into some really hard clay. The kind where some bruno looking fella comes over with a huge sledge and nails it dead on and the rod never moved...

The DeWalt rotary hammer (the big one) with a FORGED steel rod driver (The cast iron one kind of sucks and I have broke em, the forged is awesom) seams to drive it pretty well, sometimes goes kind of slow, but unless you get a deep drilling rig out there:-)

We use a #60 jackhammer and it finished the job today but I have driven as many as 5 times to get all the way down. Rod

Guys:
FYI, the Klein Chicago Grip worked well.
Thanks for the hints; we used the plate with the hole; but the favorite was the Grip (with a web sling; on a Lull AT forklift

Yanked about 140+/- with another 75-100 to go.

FYI; we used a Bosch Rotary HD w/adaptor; B&D Macho 2 & 3; Bosch 20lb air hammer; and the fence guys big honkin air hammer gizmo.

John