Pole Barn Post Handler

Pole Barn Post Handler BUILDINGS Livestock John Lamb recently sent FARM SHOW photos of a pole barn post handler he built It attaches to the round bale spear frame on his loader tractor and is designed to pick up 6 by 6 or 6 by 4-in wooden posts and stand them up straight in pre-dug holes      “I used it last fall with my Ford 3000 50 hp loader tractor to build a 64-ft long 28-ft wide by 14-ft high machine shed on my farm I came up with the idea because I couldn’t find anyone to help me I was able to set 20-ft posts and plumb them by myself ” says Lamb     A 12-ft length of 6-in channel iron serves as the post handler’s main frame Lamb welded 4-in channel iron and angle iron together to make a pair of “saddles” at the top and bottom of the frame that are used to contain the post A long steel pin goes through both saddles to secure the post     One end of the channel iron attaches to the bale spear frame Lamb removed the center spear then inserted a 3/4 by 10-in bolt through the spear sleeve and installed a washer and nut on the back side He also inserted a 3/4-in pin through the angle iron and secured it with a hairpin     The post is first placed on a pair of sawhorses Lamb drives up to the post and lowers the post handler down until both saddles straddle the post Then he inserts a pair of 3/4-in pins through the saddles and secures them with hairpins He also tightens a pair of 5/8-in threaded rods which have welded-on handles into the side of the post to keep it from sliding down when standing it up     Once the post is loaded he drives the tractor to the post hole and lowers the post into it Then he removes the 3/4-in pins from the saddles and retracts the 5/8-in bolts back far enough to clear the post so the post can slowly slide down onto the pad He then adjusts the post to the left or right by using a pair of 1/2-in bolts that run through the bottom saddle He also uses the loader’s hydraulics to adjust the post backward and forward until it’s plumbed straight     The two sets of holes in the saddles are there so he can load either 6 by 6 or 6 by 4-in post     “It worked even better than I expected ” says Lamb “I already had the angle iron and bolts and spent less than $100 to build it I also made a 1 1/2 by 1 1/2-in angle iron to keep a 4 by 6-in post centered in the top saddle when the post’s narrow side is turned out ”     Contact: FARM SHOW Followup John Lamb 131 2nd Ave S E Beach City Ohio 44608 ph 330 844-2222; jndlamb@hotmail com

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