lubricant for pulling a post

[FredWanaker]

have a unique situation. 30 year old 4x4 redwood post in a vinyl sleeve in a retaining wall. We pulled 9 out today using a pair of jacks but one is binding and broke, Right now I have drilled a 2 9/16" hole into the center about 14" down and have about that much more to go. I thought I would try a long screw in it again now that I am in harder wood. It pulled twice when we tried it earlier today from the sawed off remains of the post - these are 1/2" x 12" to 16" screws that go thru a chain we pull by when a post breaks off at the ground. This one is particularly stubborn. We normally bend the sleeve open a little on each side and soak the area with silicone spray that runs down between the post and sleeve. I am wondering if any other lubricants might work better without swelling the post any. Such as a thick soap and water solution (afraid that might swell the post), light weight oil etc. Basically something I could put in tonight and tomorrow morning several times, let it soak down the post and maybe help lower the friction. Lubricants that are thick won't soak between the vinyl sleeve and post. Has to be something thin enough to find its way to the bottom of the post. Right now from the top of the post is about 28" to the bottom inside the sleeve. Once I bust the pieces out around what I have drilled then about a 12" - 14" piece will remain in the sleeve that has to be removed, but right now it is easier to soak from the top then after that piece is out unless we fill the sleeve with lots of lubricant (which will be a real mess if the screw pulls again. Any ideas?

 

[wssix99]

Ice. Freeze it and shrink the wood! If you score some dry ice, the job will go even faster and you won't have to worry about the water swelling the wood as the ice melts. (Although, I suppose you could put the ice down the hole in bags.)

 

[matt_i]

Use a GRK-RSS screw, it cuts threads rather than wedging the wood fibers apart. I have seen 12" long versions. Most powerful screw into wood that I know of.

Also I might get an XL sawzall blade and attempt to cut an X shape in the remainder. With those kerfs you could at least collapse the OD of the post slightly to gain clearance by prying.

If you had RU Glyde tire lubricant I would try that. Absent that pure dish soap or mazola corn oil.

An out-of-the box idea would be to use a standard holesaw that just fits the center hole, slice it in half down to the backplane with a thin abrasive disk in an angle grinder. Then choose a hex bolt and coupling nut to expand the holesaw halves like a bear trap until they bite the wood ID. You'd have to radius the hexes so they will turn smoothly at the end without binding. Lastly another hex bolt down thru the center of the holesaw so you could start pulling with more force.

Last idea would be a homemade "chisel" something like a crowbar with the curl cut off and the tip bent straight with oxyacet heat, or "sharpen" a single angle on a piece of 3/4" rebar or keystock with the same cutoff wheel. Simple rough brute-force sledge hammer work to carve a single kerf out of one of the sides all the way to the bottom. Then collapse the C-shape to gain clearance, which will release the post.

 

[Ole Slewfoot]

How about fire?

 

[NUTTSGT]

Hmmm, the vinyl goes too correct ?

Maybe a couple of plunge cuts with a chainsaw and older chain ?

 

[bassJAM]

So your plan is to chisel/cut out the remaining square after you've drilled the hole, then you're just left with a plug at the bottom?

If there isn't any wet lubes in there yet I wonder if you could drop some graphite lube and tap it down the sides? You might have to be careful with how much wet lubricant you dropped down there since you mention filling the whole sleeve up, aside from the wood soaking it up too much could cause hydraulic suction and make the job worse, like pulling a post out of a muddy water filled hole.

I don't think ice is the answer either, if the wood is wet freezing it could have the opposite effect and cause it to expand.

 

[nh_yota]

A box of termites?

 

[bigmike989]

How about bread (ya, white bread) and using the blind bearing method: Remove a Pilot Bearing with Bread

 

[bigmike989]

Ignore, I see you are not at the bottom.

 

[CN Spots]

Drive a piece of flat iron in-between the plastic and the concrete to try and pop it free. Repeat on the other 3 sides.

 

[FredWanaker]

the post too tight to drive anything between it and the sleeve which is embedded in a retaining way. The total depth is about 30". Of that about 20 are bored. Two 2 ton auto jacks lifting a 1" steel bar thru the post yesterday just bent the bar into a Vee. Using another steel bar just bent the bar into a Vee. To straighten the bars too 1000lbs on a 12 ton press. That is what the gauge read. 9 other posts came out fine. I tried again today with a long screw after using a 12" sawzall to kerf 12" of the bore. The 12" screw torqued to about 75 lbs so it was in the post really well. It pulled out without the post budging. The large Forstner style cutting bits both wore out so I've picked another up. We will see how it goes today.

I like the idea of a box of instant termites. That would work well. I think it is too late for lubricants now. Will have to bore to the bottom and split into pieces.

 

[welder4956]

Keep drilling to the bottom with the hole saw, then split the sides with a chisel and pry bar. If the hole saw is not long enough, get a spade bit long enough to reach bottom and keep drilling holes till there is nowhere left to drill, then bust it out with a pry bar.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/DIABLO-1-in-x-16-in-SPEEDemon-Spade-Bit-DSP3060/312953377

 

[couch67]

good ol spit?

 

[nadogail]

Keep drilling to the bottom with the hole saw, then split the sides with a chisel and pry bar. If the hole saw is not long enough, get a spade bit long enough to reach bottom and keep drilling holes till there is nowhere left to drill, then bust it out with a pry bar.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/DIABLO-1-in-x-16-in-SPEEDemon-Spade-Bit-DSP3060/312953377

Hollow it out and collapse it on itself; that has to be classic.

 

[welder4956]

Hollow it out and collapse it on itself; that has to be classic.

I call it the brute force method.

 

[NUTTSGT]

Dump some charcoal briquettes in it and burn it out.

 

[steaks&anvils]

Crazy suggestion.

What if you use a post hole auger? get a 3in one and twist it into the hole you drilled, then pull that up? It should have a lot of "grab" on the wood?

 

[welder4956]

Dump some charcoal briquettes in it and burn it out.

I like it - use fire!

 

[Dumber than lumber]

The mess the OP describes sounds like some of the situations in which I find myself.
If I only had some dynamite.
But on that "use fire" idea - if you have a propane torch with a longer neck could you just ignite the wood and then keep it going with a blower to force air (oxygen) down the hole?

 

[FredWanaker]

too damp after 30 years in the wall and ground to burn it. Been there on another one 20 years ago. I did get it out yesterday morning. Drilled a 2 9/16 hole as deep as the cutter would cut which left a piece about 11" in the wall. Used a 1"+ square aluminum tubing I sharpened to drive down into the area left above the 2 9/16" hole and split off pieces. Drilled a series of 3/4" holes thru the 11" piece until it was like swss cheese then used a 16" long 1/2" screw into a knot that had stalled the larger cutter. Then used two Torin jacks and a steel bar and chain to pull it. This time the screw did not pull out. Real PITA.

I discovered that my neighbor's roots (she just had the big trees about 30' away removed) had lifted her sidewalk a little, and that caused the water to puddle there and run under the wall at a joint near where the post was. The moisture cracked the wall and left the post swollen. Thank the Lord we don't have cold winters here or that wall (although the fence is in it, it is the neighbor's wall) or the freezing would make that part of the wall rubble. WHAT I NEED NOW is I bought some Quickrete quick setting patching cement that is supposed to fix things like this. The SDS and instructions are somewhat nebulous whether I need a bonding agent to fix this: