# How To Remove Old Ground Rod?



## veme (Dec 2, 2005)

Help! :help: 
I am having a hard time removing 2 old ground rods from where I used to have electric fence. I want to mow the area & don't think I can drive them any deeper into the ground.
One is solid copper that my father-in-law (may he rest in peace :angel: ) drove 4 ft. into the ground 15 years ago. 
The other is an old pipe - I'm not sure how deep it is. 
Any advice or suggestions? 
Don't want to call on a man if I don't have too.  Whatever I do it will have to be "old lady style".
Thanks!
veme


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## woodspirit (Aug 3, 2005)

Get an old bumper jack and attach a chain to it and the grounding rod. Then just use the jack to lift it out.


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## boxwoods (Oct 6, 2003)

you could also try a pipe wrench and a piece of wood. Lay the wrench flat on ground and tighten on rod. use block of wood under wrench as a lever.


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## Tater'sPa (Jun 27, 2002)

woodspirit said:


> Get an old bumper jack and attach a chain to it and the grounding rod. Then just use the jack to lift it out.


That'll work or if there is enough of the rod above the ground use a large pipe wrench with a hydraulic bottle jack under it. The pipe wrench will lock around the pipe and not slip like a chain usually does.
This works well on T-post too, especially when they are in a tight spot and ya can't get the tractor to them.


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## Tater'sPa (Jun 27, 2002)

boxwoods said:


> you could also try a pipe wrench and a piece of wood. Lay the wrench flat on ground and tighten on rod. use block of wood under wrench as a lever.


 :nerd: Great minds think alike eh Boxxy


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## bumpus (Jul 30, 2003)

.
If you just want to cut the grass, you could just dig down around the rods and cut them off below ground level a few inches.

Put the dirt back in the hole, plant some grass seed, and start cutting.

bumpus
.


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## Bear (Jan 25, 2005)

If the bumper jack doesn't work (which it should); dig down about 6 inches making the hole large enough around that you can get in there with a hacksaw and cut them off. If you have an electric saw, such as a sawzall, the hole doesn't need to be so large and you can zip them off in a jiffy!


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## MorrisonCorner (Jul 27, 2004)

Oh heck.. pile a couple of rocks on top and mow around it!

Failing that... plant a bush there. Pop a tree in the ground. Put a flowerbed there.


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## Karenrbw (Aug 17, 2004)

Scrap copper - $3.50 a pound. Use a handyman jack to wrench it out of the ground and put it in the scrap pile for the cash.


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## fordy (Sep 13, 2003)

......................IF , the bumperjack idea doesn't extract the rods , obtain as large a pipe wrench as possible and attach to the rod . Now , for additional leverage you can slip a 2 foot section of pipe (cheater) over the the handle of the pipe wrench and TWIST the rod , IF possible while in the ground . IF , there is NO give , dig down 6 inches or so and run water around the pipe\rod and allow to soak in and continue for several days if necessary . Sooner or later you'll break the Adhesion betwixt rod and Dirt and then you'll beable too TWIST and eventually extract the rod from mother earth . fordy...


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## clovis (May 13, 2002)

I don't know about ground rods 15 years ago, but most of the new ground rods are copper COATED, not solid copper.
I would either cut them off with a hack saw, or use the water method.
Another option is to get a blow torch and a big hammer. Dig down a ways, and heat the rod, especially if it is steel, to red hot. Then bend the rod over by hitting it pretty hard with the hammer and allow it to cool. This will be a good place to use as a jacking point.
Some of the other options might be better, but this would work.
clove


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## Oilpatch197 (Apr 18, 2004)

> I don't know about ground rods 15 years ago, but most of the new ground rods are copper COATED, not solid copper.


If they were solid copper you would have a heck of a time pounding them into the ground, they would probably mushroom up, copper is a very soft metal.


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## turtlehead (Jul 22, 2005)

woodspirit said:


> Get an old bumper jack and attach a chain to it and the grounding rod. Then just use the jack to lift it out.


I'm having a hard time visualizing this. How would someone attach a chain to the grounding rod? :shrug:


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## centexguy (Nov 26, 2004)

If you dont need the rod, wet the ground real good then beat it down with a big hammer.


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## Richard6br (Nov 30, 2005)

I wouldn't think that they would be a problem at all, especially the one that is only 4' deep. None the less, I have taken several out very easly just by digging around them and tapping side to side on the rod with a sledge hammer. That was enough to loosen them up and they pulled right out. Usually the top is already mushroomed out enough to have a bumper jack rigged with a small chain to hold on to the rod.


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## tiogacounty (Oct 27, 2005)

As a long time electrician, I can only say most of you are creating a lot of work for no good reason. If it's in the way of the lawnmower and it's too hard to drive it in further, dig a shallow hole and cut it off. Personally, I would use a sawzall with a fine metal blade. It shouldn't take more than a few minutes. Btw, it's only copper coated, copper is too soft to drive in rocky soil. In cases where I could not cut the rod (due to an electrical inspector watching) I have also bent them over fairly easily. Dig down, slip a piece of pipe over the rod (as a lever) and pull it over.


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## bugstabber (May 12, 2002)

I pulled one out of the ground a few years ago. I did have enough to grab onto, and just started wiggling it and pulling.


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## TNHermit (Jul 14, 2005)

Drill a 1/4 inch hole in the top. Put a 3" 1/4in bolt in it. Wrap a log chain around underneath the bolt. hook the other end to your bumper and drive off. If your bumper comes off its deeper than four foot


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## Clifford (Aug 14, 2004)

Use a chain on the front einch of your snow plow, a chain on your tractor loader, or a chain on a bumper jack as stated earlier...

...or just get a BFR :flame: (Big Rock) and pound it into the ground...


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## seedspreader (Oct 18, 2004)

Karenrbw said:


> Scrap copper - $3.50 a pound. Use a handyman jack to wrench it out of the ground and put it in the scrap pile for the cash.


WOW, where are you selling your scrap copper?


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## veme (Dec 2, 2005)

Thanks everyone for all the good ideas!
I'm not sure which one I'll try. 

I can't "mow around it" because they are too close to the barn & in the way of the door where trucks have to pull up to get hay (I'm changing the location *inside *the barn where square bales are stacked for sale).

No way I can drive it in & I don't have any more than a propane torch to cut it off. 
Maybe the tighten wrench will work...
Thanks again  
veme


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## suitcase_sally (Mar 20, 2006)

turtlehead said:


> I'm having a hard time visualizing this. How would someone attach a chain to the grounding rod? :shrug:


Just wind the chain around the rod a few times and then use something to pull up on it. We pull fence posts using the front loader like this. wrap the chain around the fence posts. The chain has a hook on each end that we hook onto the edge of the front loader bucket. Voila! Out they come!


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## Qwispea (Jul 6, 2005)

If you can't pull it out..just grab your sledgehammer and drive it deeper.


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