Market Farming

[Sojourner <sojournr AT missouri.org>]

Rose & Fred Lieberman wrote:
> 
> Oh, well, I don't know if it's crazy to stand on a ladder and pound, but I
> can tell you my experience.
> 
> I held the tall green heavy "t" post while my husband wielded the mallet.
> (I was less than thrilled about this arrangement, but with my shoulders'
> penchant for locking up, he got the "wielding" job).
> 
> Well, the first hit, the vibrations travelled down the pole and hit my hands
> and travelled to my wrist.  I saw stars!

What you need to drive those fence posts is a fence post driver.  It
looks like a big piece of pipe, closed at the top end, with two handles
on either side.  You lift it over the top of the post, then you just
lift it up and let it drop onto the top of the post.  The post pretty
much drives itself (if the soil is moderately moist, anyway, probably
would be much harder in dry clay soil which is like concrete).

Some of them have "shock absorbers" on them; they cost about $15 more. 
Any farm supply place should carry them.  I've used them to set T-posts,
by myself, and I'm 5'2", 41 years old, female, out of shape, and have a
repetitive stress injury in one shoulder and a weak wrist from an old
break on the other side.

-- 
Holly ;-D
Contrary Peasant
sojournr AT missouri.org