I'm looking for advice on the most effective drill or battery combo for driving ground rods into the soil. I frequently build timber steps and usually drill for 1/2" re-bar. Right now, I'm using an SDS hammer drill with a 5ah battery, but it's not delivering the power I need for this job. I'm based on the Central Coast of California, and while the ground is still relatively soft, I know it'll get firmer as the year goes on. Should I consider a more powerful cordless option, or would it be better to switch to corded or use an air compressor? Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated!
1 Answer
I’ve driven a lot of rods for installs, and honestly, a manual fence post driver is much quicker, especially unless you're dealing with hard ground. I just used one on some dense red clay and drove a post down about 90% in just 30 seconds. A solid option is this post driver: [Link](https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/speeco-post-driver-post-pounder-speeco-deluxe-s1611051tsc).
Thanks for sharing! Speed is key for me as I'm doing more of these projects. I'm typically just driving them about 30-40 inches deep.