Hey everyone! I just moved into a house from the 50s, and I've got these two big steel clothesline poles that are cemented right in the middle of my lawn. With spring here, I want to remove them and try to regrow grass over that area.
Initially, I thought about just cutting the poles off with an angle grinder and leaving the concrete in place. But the concrete is raised above the grass level, which would make it noticeable and could even damage my lawn mower.
I saw some options online for using a farm jack along with a chain or a specific attachment to get some grip, but my 3 Ton Jack isn't doing much to help. It seems like the poles are stuck deeper than I anticipated.
Should I dig deeper to loosen them up? Or should I just stick to my plan of cutting them off? I'd love to hear any advice on how to tackle these pesky poles! Thanks!
3 Answers
It sounds like digging lower might be the way to go! Sometimes, it’s more about the friction against the ground than the weight. Once you dig deeper, try wiggling the poles to see if they budge. If they don’t, you might have to break some of the concrete and just cut the pole below ground level.
Definitely don’t underestimate the power of water! I had a similar issue, and running a hose into the hole helped loosen things up a lot. Just let it sit for a bit, and you might find the pole comes out easier. If you have a pressure washer, that can speed things up even more!
Yeah, those old installations can be a real pain! I'd recommend hitting the concrete around the base with a sledgehammer to break a bit off, then cut the pole flush with the ground. You won't see it, and it saves you from digging up the heavy concrete too. Plus, you can always fill any leftover hole with soil after!
Thanks for the tip! I’ll definitely give that a try. I might borrow my neighbor’s pressure washer to make it easier.