Fence: Part 3 - Post Stakes

I spent the weekend after the fourth of July installing the fence post stakes. I rented an electric seventy pound jack hammer for the two days and was able to do fourteen stakes on Saturday and the final twelve on Sunday. I had already purchased the driver kit, and it fit the jackhammer (I'd neglected to bring it with me when I rented the jack hammer).

The process wasn't too hard.

1.  String the fence line.

2.  Measure where the fence post stake is going to be.

3.  Use a sledge hammer to start the stake.

4.  Lift the jack hammer two feet into the air and into the stake sleeve (make sure the spacer is already in the stake sleeve).

5.  Jack hammer the stake into the ground. Stop and check your post level every one to two inches. Make adjustments to the rotation and plumbness as necessary.

The videos on the Ozco Building Products website were definitely helpful. But there's a learning curve. The first two stakes went in easy (less than five minutes a piece). The third and fourth stakes were much harder, but a lot of that was likely due to tree roots. Those two stakes ended up being a little wonky and I'll have to tune those posts for plumbness and alignment differently.  

Here I am jack hammering the corner stake in. This was the second stake. 

I used a large clamp to twist the stake sleeve into alignment. 

I installed a post on this stake so I could string the fence line again.

Here's a photo of some of the tools I used.

1. The jack hammer came with it's own hand truck. SO NICE!
2. Large clamp to use as a wrench.
3. Sledge hammer and sacrificial 4x4 for setting the stake.
4. Post level (an absolute must have). It rubber-bands to the post or stake for hands-free operation.
5. Jack hammer spacer for easy stake sleeve insertion.
6. Tape measure.
7. String.
8. Toy trumpet.
9. Don't pay attention to the hacksaw. I didn't use it for anything.

Using the sledge hammer to set the stake. 

Jack hammering the stake in. 

I'm doing a return on the fence to receive a large gate. I had to remove the retaining wall blocks to install the stake. I'll rebuild the retaining wall when the post is installed.

I added two stakes at the end of the driveway. They're not connected to the fence but will instead serve as a location for the address numbers. 

I'm going to install a double swing gate at this location. I'm going to have returns on the fence to stiffen the posts, too. This is where the garbage cans will live.

Panorama of the fence line. 

 I also decided to install the stakes along the section of "fence" behind the shed. The little "fence" is in pretty bad shape. I used my digging bar to lift/pry the fence out of the way (it just sits on the ground).

After returning the jack hammer, I picked up the posts that I'll be using. Pressure treated 4x4's are so HEAVY!