Shaver post driver

[lilmac]

www. postdriver.com shows a post driver (PD8) that will fit my mid range tractor. I mainly need to drive T post as I have had both shoulders opperated on I cant handle the hand driver any longer. Does anyone have any first hand knowledge (or even second hand) on the reliabilaty of this implement.
Thank you in advance,
Mac

 

[dun]

The only problem besides price that I've seen with the tractor mounted ones is that it takes 2 people to drive a post. I use a pneumatic hand held deal that works slick. Same problem as yours both shoulders being foobarred.

dun

 

[lilmac]

Thanks you Dun for your feedback. The hand held pneumatic I found is a rohrer at
http://www.rohrermfg.com/postdrivers.cfm
Give me some coments on yours ie; is it heavy, or akward, how much does it hammer the arms, and how well does it work.
Mac

 

[dun]

The hardest part is lifting it off of the post after it's in the ground. No hammering of the arms. Even in our questionable soil, if you can drive a post with a manual one the rohrer Will do it in about the same time, but much less wear and tear on the body.
I have a gaspowered compressor that I run it from with a 50 ft hose. I either carry it to the job site in the bucket of the tractor or the back of the mule. Park in the middle of a string of where the posts will go and start at one and and keep going till I run out of house. Reposition the compressor and do it all over. Seems like it ways around 20 lbs or so. I wouldn;t be without it. Now if I was a young buck I'ld do it the other way, problem is that's probably part of the reason my back and shoulders are so screwed up.
Something that's handy about it is being able to park the compressor away from the work if I'm in a creekbed or bottom of a holler.


dun

 

[perda04]

I rented a Rohre 99e one weekend. The design is poor. The entire outside housing moves. The on/off valve is part of this housing and you have to hold it or it stops moving. The rest of their line is similar.

http://www.rohrermfg.com/postdrivers.cfm

The Rhino drivers have a throttle valve inline with the hose so you could control the drive without being close to it. It operates similar to a jack hammer with a internal hammer moving instead of the external case.

I bought a pd55 but there are smaller units if you don't plan on driving 3" pipe.

http://www.rhinotool.com/index.html

Compare the videos at the 2 web sites.

 

[dun]

I rented a Rohre 99e one weekend. The design is poor. The entire outside housing moves. The on/off valve is part of this housing and you have to hold it or it stops moving. The rest of their line is similar.

http://www.rohrermfg.com/postdrivers.cfm

The Rhino drivers have a throttle valve inline with the hose so you could control the drive without being close to it. It operates similar to a jack hammer with a internal hammer moving instead of the external case.

I bought a pd55 but there are smaller units if you don't plan on driving 3" pipe.

http://www.rhinotool.com/index.html

Compare the videos at the 2 web sites.

There must have been something screwy with the one you used if you had to hold to valve on. I've used ours for years and never had a problem. The housing movgin is kind of disconcerting at first but no big deal. Never tried the rhino so can;t comment on it.

dun

 

[lilmac]

TTCLM thanks for the word.
As stated, I blew out both shoulders so hand drives is out of the question. As for the somewhat dangerous practace of beating them into the ground with the front end loader it takes two people, I don't want to hold the post, and my wife says that she was borned a night, but not lastnight. And in this hard clay I fear to many of them would bend.
But thanks anyway. I think I will buy the pneumo.
Mac

 

[perda04]

The one I rented could have been defective. It is hard to believe they were selling one that worked so poorly. I kept lots of oil in it but still after 8 hours it stopped moving altogether.

There is a stop at the top of the travel that releases the air and lets the housing fall. Unless I held onto the throttle, it would stay in the released position and never build pressure again. Disappointing tool.

 

[johndeerefarmer]

What do those pneumatic drivers sell for?

 

[dun]

What do those pneumatic drivers sell for?

According to hte link that was posted $450.00 for the Rohrer
http://www.rohrermfg.com/postdrivers.cfm

 

[lilmac]

I went for it. Came the other day. So far it works great. No problems. Like everything else, time will be the judge. Working alone it is a real labor saver. After the post is started I can grab the next one while the driver finishes the post off by itself.
Mac

 

[johndeerefarmer]

how big of an air compressor does it take? What does a gas powered air compressor cost of the size needed to run this driver?

Thanks

 

[lilmac]

JDF, the size of the air compresser is minimal, 2.2 cubic feet at 70-90 PSI, a small one at that. I don't know the price of gas op. I have a small elect. with gennerator on a trailer and it works great.
Mac