I purchased a wooden playset from someone who wanted it out of their back yard, and now it falls to me to move this beast. The 4x4 posts are cemented into the ground, and I would like to know the quickest, least back-breaking way to remove them.
I have access to things like shovels, drills, ratcheting wrenches, seldgehammers, etc. I do not have hydraulic machinery, or tractors, or anything like that. I am open to renting something like a Hilti hammer-drill if that’s a good option. I generally want to move this thing without having to cut it up, but I will use a reciprocating saw to cut it at ground level if I need to.
The easiest way is with an engine hoist and chain but you could substitute a bumper jack. Wrap the chain snug around the post a couple turns then put a nut and bolt through two links to hold it. Hook the chain to the lift or jack and start jacking.
It’s so easy my 3 year old wanted to try it and could.
rent a demolition hammer, electric plug-in with a chisel point, like a small light weight jack hammer. dig around slightly and break the concrete anchors away. if you try to dig out and lift with the anchors attached you might stress and break the wood.
you could saw at ground level and then dig the anchors out for your part if the deal but then you would have to use it short or do lots of carpentry to restore the height.
To be honest I am not sure the need for cementing it into the ground. It can’t be for stability…this thing probably weighs close to half a ton, it isn’t going anywhere. Cutting it off at ground level seems like a pretty nice option, it’s just a matter of cutting everything at about the same height.
Just dig it out, concrete and all. The concrete around the posts in the ground should only a few inches thick. You’ll just have to dig a bit bigger hole when you place it at your site.
When we pulled out the posts for the old fence in our yard, we ran into the problem of rotted wood below the grade, and we often would just tear the post out only, leaving the cement in the ground. We had to dig around the cement to get it all out. Big job!
cement anchors keep the posts from rotting, even treated posts will deteriorate in dirt.
stability is more an issue. 4x4 posts get driven into the ground with the use of the set, this loosens the surrounding dirt and then you have loose posts. the concrete anchors besides adding mass spread the force and you don’t have the posts working loose in the ground.
Seriously, that is going to be a lot of work in someone else’s yard. You’re either going to have a lot of elbow grease involved or you’re going to have to rent some serious equipment to get it done.
I just bought 10ft 4x4 pressure treated posts at Home Depot for about $15 each. So compare how much the rental/elbow grease is worth to you.
If I were you I would just uncouple the rest of the play structure - go home and put nice brand new posts in the ground and attach the rest of the hardware to it.
Seriously. Why are you even contemplating anything else. Let the seller deal with his fixtures (posts). You will have to put new ones in for your yard anyway.
Second, either I am misunderstanding the way most of these play sets are constructed, or a lot of people are doing a lot of “at risk” installs. I have several neighbors whose sets just sit on the ground, without cement. I am wary about using cement for the simple reason that I plan on installing this under a tree, and I am not sure how I am going to get past the roots if I have to cement it.
Also, I have seen those cement bricks specifically made for “floating deck” instalaltions and the like, could they be used here? I thkn they are called “dek-block.”
Why attack the concrete when you could dig the nice soft soil? Just get a pressure-washer, and tear up the soil around the posts. Lift. Then re-bury them concrete and all in your own yard. You could dig holes and put another wider layer of concrete around them if it’s important to you, but I doubt it’s necessary.
Agreed, this is the way to go IF the homeowner agrees. You said you would remove the play set and that means the entire set, sub-surface posts and all. If it was me then sure, cut it off low enough not to interfere with my lawn mower and that’s good enough. That may not be good enough in this case and the home owner gets to make the call.
Homeowner has said he wants the big wooden thing gone, and is OK if I leave the footings. Foolish or not, he has agreed to dig up the footings himself at a later time.
I am NOT about to try to add the weight of the conrete to everything else I am going to haul away from the site.
Does it have swings? Kids can generate a lot of torque on a swing. Maybe not enough to tip it over, but enough to get the whole playset rocking. And once kids see that it rocks, it’ll become a challenge to them to tip it over.
PT posts will deteriorate in concrete as well. That’s why they sit posts on the footings on decks, using some galvanized hardware to keep them in place, not set them in the footings.
Because each footing probably weighs a few hundred pounds?
Are you sure your neighbors just have them sitting flat on the ground, and aren’t using some kind of anchors? I’ve seen both auger types and wide metal stakes. They’re a hell of a lot easier than setting posts in concrete.
