The present invention relates to a puller for use in exerting an upwards driving force on multi-sized steel fence posts of the type having a T-cross section. The puller may be coupled with a driver for exerting a downwards driving force on the post. The puller-driver combination facilitates the insertion and extraction of T-posts from the ground.
T-posts are held by hand and may be driven into the ground using simple devices such as a sledge hammer. There are also slide hammers which hold the post in an interior cavity while driving the T-post into the ground. Driving the posts is relatively easy, pulling them out is a problem. Heavy equipment such as a backhoe and jacking devices are required as simply grasping the post and manually trying to pull it upwards can be extremely difficult if not impossible when the ground is dry and compacted.
The use of temporary fencing is increasingly common as cross fencing has been removed in many rural areas. For use in pasturing unfenced fields, such as corn stalks, temporary fencing may be installed around the perimeter of the field which is then removed before the next planting season. Temporary fencing is also used in pastures for flash pasturing for better use of the forage. These fences need to be removed and reinstalled for use in subdividing the pasture. T-posts are also used in construction fences, snow fences and the like. For all of these purposes there is a need for a fence post puller that is easy to use and that can be hand carried and hand operated.
In view of the above, it is an object of the present invention to provide a hand-held puller to extract a fence post from the ground or similar substrate. It is another object of the invention to provide a puller-driver combination that can be provided or assembled as one piece for use in driving and extracting fence posts. It is a further object to provide a fencing tool including a puller-driver combination and a driving tube.
The subject puller, puller-driver combination and fencing tool are for use with a range of commercially available T-posts having a T-cross section including a stem and a pair of wings with a plurality of spaced apart studs along a head of the stem. An embodiment of the puller includes a body with a geometric channel configured such that the T-post puller may be slipped over an end of a T-post to be pulled. The channel has first and second spaced apart stud engaging protrusions configured that in stud engaging position, a wing of the T-post is wedged against a shoulder of one of the protrusions while the other of the protrusions is positioned below a stud, preferably not the top stud on the post. A retractable member is provided in the body for engaging the stem of the T-post when the puller is in stud engaging position. The puller described above may be combined with a driver and a hollow spacer either as separate elements or integrated into a one-piece construction. The driver includes a cap with a closed end and internal screw threads for threaded engagement with a drive tube. The puller-driver combination with the hollow drive tube forms a fencing tool which may be used to drive T-posts into the ground and to pull them out with the drive tube acting as slide hammer on the T-post puller.
In the accompanying drawings, in which several of various possible embodiments of the invention are illustrated, corresponding reference characters refer to corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings in which:
Referring to the drawings more particularly by reference character and beginning with
With continuing reference to
Now referring to
While puller 7 is illustrated in assembly with driver 6 on spacer 5 either threaded thereon or integral therewith, puller 7 has utility standing alone. The assembly, however, has the advantage that the tool including both driver and puller may be easily hand carried by one of handles 17 with driver 6 threaded on drive tube 2. In addition, the combined weight of puller-driver combination 1 assists driver 6 in driving T-post 13 into the ground 16.
The distance the top stud 9 is from the top of the T-post varies from post to post as they are extruded and then cut to length. For that reason, spacer 5 is hollow and has a length such that puller 7 may be slipped over a distance that in stud engaging position the stud 9 engaged by puller 7 is not at the very top of the post. A representative puller-driver combination 1 has spacer 5 formed of a carbon steel pipe with a length of 4 inches and an internal diameter of 1½ inches. In the representative but non-limiting example, body 26 of puller 7 is 3 inches in diameter and 1 inch in thickness which generally corresponds to the spacing between studs 9 and like driver 6 is formed hardened steel. A representative drive tube 2 is formed of a 24 inch long piece of carbon steel pipe having an ID of 2.0 inches that is threaded on one end to match the threads of cap 25 with a steel disk welded at the opposite end for use as enlarged end 4.
In view of the above, it will be seen that the several objects of the invention are achieved and other advantageous results attained. As various changes could be made in the above constructions without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.
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