Help! Laundry black and blues...

[Minisorella]

Anyone got some top tips for getting a spike into good old Sussex clay to hold my new rotary washing line?
This is as far as I've got in the past hour or so, with the spike about two-thirds of the way in. The wood gave up first and I followed suit.
Heeeeeelp!

 

[Ardachaidh]

You need a pinch bar. It's a long, maybe 5', heavy bar with one pointed end and the other might be chisel shaped. I have one I've used for making holes preparatory to putting in a fence post. You thump it into the ground and gradually it creates a sort of pilot hole which you can expand by moving it round the hole in a circle, if required. Usually you find stones in the way, which you can sometime shift to the side of your hole with the bar, but other times it's more like a boulder or bedrock in which case you have to try elsewhere. But unless you know someone like a farmer or fencer then that's not going to be a solution. Another way is to dig a hole and concrete it in.

If your spike has a strong flat base, like a fence post spike, you can insert a short length of fence post or whatever will go in (as big as possible) and thump that. Hitting the timber lengthwise it won't split so easily. Or get a piece of 3x3 or 4x4 or bigger and use it the same as you've been doing - assuming there's not a rock in the way. You could pour some water in to try to soften the ground a bit.

 

[Wully]

Soak the ground with some water a few times keep doing it until soil or clay becomes more giving.

 

[Minisorella]

Thank you both! I'll try the water trick first because I can't budge it now to get it out! I used the old hole from the previous spike, which was slightly narrower, thinking that would act as a pilot hole and make the job easier I think I'll need to ask around the neighbours later to see if anyone's got a better piece of wood or a bigger lump hammer or something... or bigger muscles come to that

 

[rugbyken]

if it’s that solid 2/3 of the way in probably good enough otherwise if it won’t come out needs a jackhammer to vibrate it down ,

 

[Minisorella]

Trouble is, it's in the lawn, so if I don't get it level it'll be a pest with the lawnmower. I might end up having to cut a circle round it, so the grass doesn't grow so close. I'll add jackhammer to the list of things to ask the neighbours!

I've given the area a good 20 litre soaking and found a bit of cherry wood in the shed, so I'll give it another go when it's had a chance to soak in.

 

[saxonborg]

If you can insert a short length of scaffold tube then you will get a much better hit on it and the scaffold tube wont collapse. I did something similar some years ago but i hammered the support into the ground just a small amount then pulled it out to clear the clay and repeated the process until I was close to the required depth and then wacked it in the last couple of inches.

 

[edina]

Bung em in the tumble dryer

 

[jeffmossy]

Did you double check the old post had not been concreted in below the lawn ? maybe this is what you have come up against

 

[Minisorella]

Hi Jeff. Good thought but no, it definitely wasn't concreted in... I remember my husband thumping it into place with a piece of wood and the lump hammer when we bought the last one. The spike I took out had rusted badly at the top but it came out with the bottom bit intact. This new spike is bigger but isn't so pointed sadly, which is why I thought it best to use the old hole. If nothing else works, I think I'll concentrate on trying to get it out again and have a re-think.

 

[Ardachaidh]

Did you double check the old post had not been concreted in below the lawn ? maybe this is what you have come up against

Yes, I mentioned a large stone but concrete could be the problem and if that's the case it won't go any further in. It might be best to try and get it out and see if you can probe with something like an expendable length of 1/2" copper water pipe. If there's something really hard down there you'll hear it as you probe. If someone's got a large bar, scaffolding tube or even a long handled spade you might be able to ease it up by using a block of wood as a fulcrum near to the spike and trying to get an end under one of the fins, if that's possible. Otherwise it's a case of digging it out.

 

[edina]

Jennie, we used one like this (there are lots of similar design) that screws into the ground - lot easier

GROUND SOCKET

 

[Stonedaddy]

Jenny just put a line up much better for drying. If thats not possible just pop over and borrow your nieghbourghs when they are not in.
.... Tom ....

 

[Molly 3]

Their is a hammer attachment for JCB that should do it .no problem

 

[jeffmossy]

This should do the trick for you Jenny

 

[RoaminRog]

...... or you could give ‘Blaster’ Bates a ring. Not much gets in his way!

 

[jagmanx]

Hi Jenny,
There must be easier ways of breaking up wood for the BBQ

 

[Minisorella]

Thought I'd just pop back to finish the tale of the stubborn spike!

Try as I might, I couldn't get the spike to come out again, so couldn't start again with a better guide hole... it was a case of bash it right down or hacksaw it off at ground level and buy a different spike. Annie gave me a lovely sturdy block of 2x4, which lasted through several days of intermittent bashing and got the spike down another 3 inches or so before splitting its sides laughing. Then I found an old 4x4 post at the back of the shed that used to hold a bird house and today set about that with all the strength I could muster. Finally! Spike is now down at ground level, I've got some lovely blisters on my palms from the lump hammer, plus I've got a perfect golf-cup sized dent in the lawn where I wobbled and missed the wood completely - don't laugh, it was only once

Now if it would just stop raining, I could put some washing out

 

[yorkslass]

Must be the rain that's helped soften the ground.

 

[Minisorella]

... or the working out I've been doing at the gym - not!