Tie out stakes and chain gang

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Mosby
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Tie out stakes and chain gang

Post by Mosby » Fri Mar 25, 2022 6:50 pm

I am working on getting re-organized and going through my gear for summer training. Got my tie out stakes out and checked the cables etc., and couldn't find the hammer I previously used. I had a small Harbor Freight dead blow hammer which worked fine in soft soil but not sure it was the right tool for the job on hard ground. Saw a recent video and it looked like the guy was using a 8lb sledge.

What are you guys carrying in your truck for your tie out stakes and chain gang? 4lb hammer, 8lb sledge? Short handle or long?

I am going to go buy something to keep with my stakes and thought I would see what works for you guys. Thanks.

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Garrison
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Re: Tie out stakes and chain gang

Post by Garrison » Fri Mar 25, 2022 6:54 pm

4lb sledge from my concrete forming youth.
“Heaven goes by favor. If it went by merit, you would stay out and your dog would go in.”
- Mark Twain-

slistoe
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Re: Tie out stakes and chain gang

Post by slistoe » Fri Mar 25, 2022 8:56 pm

I use a 2 lb. club hammer. We have pretty hard ground here and the trouble I have is not getting the pegs pounded in, but rather pulling them back out.

fishvik
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Re: Tie out stakes and chain gang

Post by fishvik » Sat Mar 26, 2022 10:28 am

4lb short handled sledge for driving 3/4" x 18" stakes and a jack chain not cable, for main trunk and lateral lines with snap swivels. It can hold 2 adult GWP and 1 GSP.

weimdogman
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Re: Tie out stakes and chain gang

Post by weimdogman » Sat Mar 26, 2022 11:09 am

I bought some 1" galvanized pipe 24" long. Cut a angled spike on 1 end and put a threaded cap on the other. Passed a big washer over the pipe 24" chain with a snap ,drove stake 18" into the ground and had a great single dog tie out.Or so I thought,couldn't keep my dog from getting excited and pulling them out of the ground.

I realize if I had a couple stakes with a cable/chain in between them would help but I wonder is their a secret to chain gang setup?

RayGubernat
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Re: Tie out stakes and chain gang

Post by RayGubernat » Sat Mar 26, 2022 5:50 pm

I have two hammers that I carry.

One is a 2 # head on a 24(or so) long handle. It works OK, but requires a fair # of hits in hard soil. The other is a 4# forming hammer with about an 18" handle. It does a good job of driving stakes in any kind of soil, and is not too heavy to swing.

Pulling the stakes out is another story. I pound the stakes in all the way down because I have longtail dogs and they can and will injure their tails on the stake body. I generally have one dog that is an idiot on the stake, so pulling that one out is never a problem because it is already loose. The quieter dog(s) stakes can be a problem because they are in there deep. I smack the stake a few times in two different directions and that usually does it. Occasionally I have to go get my horse stakeout which has a 12" metal strap attached to the stake body. I use it like a crowbar to lever the stake out of the ground. Incidentally, I pounded a sharply pointed stakeinto a buried tree root once. That stake is still there. After that I ground off and rounded every stake so that I could never plant one into a tree root.

Many years ago, Harbor Freight sold a cheap fencepost puller that operated close to the ground and you used your foot to operate it. Like a dope, I didn't buy one. :cry: A fellow trialer had one and was able to suck a horse stake out of the ground with a couple pumps. Harbor Freight stopped selling them and I have never seen them anywhere else.

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RayGubernat
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Re: Tie out stakes and chain gang

Post by RayGubernat » Sat Mar 26, 2022 6:55 pm

weimdogman wrote:
Sat Mar 26, 2022 11:09 am
I bought some 1" galvanized pipe 24" long. Cut a angled spike on 1 end and put a threaded cap on the other. Passed a big washer over the pipe 24" chain with a snap ,drove stake 18" into the ground and had a great single dog tie out.Or so I thought,couldn't keep my dog from getting excited and pulling them out of the ground.

I realize if I had a couple stakes with a cable/chain in between them would help but I wonder is their a secret to chain gang setup?
Longer chain can help, but a dog that can get lots of air when they jump is tough. Had one that couldn't pull the stake all the way out of the ground, but made the error of staking him out too close to my car. When I got back the side of the car was all scratched up and the dog was MIA, He obviously jumpewd into the car and used it as a springboard. He came back about an hour later, towing the stake and chain, happy as a clam and immensely proud of himself. DOGS!!!!


RayG

RyanDoolittle
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Re: Tie out stakes and chain gang

Post by RyanDoolittle » Sat Mar 26, 2022 11:11 pm

I carry an 8lb sledge. Works great for pounding dog stakes or horse stakes into the ground. Couple taps on the left, couple taps on the right and they pull right out.

I have some 30 inch 5/8 steel stakes, dog chain is 3 feet with a large O ring at the end, I have never had a dog pull the stakes out of the ground. If I am worried ill pound the stake in quiet far but rarely do I do that.

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oldbeek
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Re: Tie out stakes and chain gang

Post by oldbeek » Sun Mar 27, 2022 3:09 pm

I use a short 4# sledge. I have a stainless steel post with 2 bearing retainer rings near the top for attachment of the water bowl right on top. Machinist friend makes them. Easy to drive and remove.

Mosby
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Re: Tie out stakes and chain gang

Post by Mosby » Sun Mar 27, 2022 7:16 pm

I found a long handle #4 lb hammer I'm going to buy and try. Bigger than what I've been using and should get the job done with fewer hits.

Thanks for the feedback and information.

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