Salvaging 40 Steel T-Posts From a Retired Pasture Fence With a T-Post Puller: Clips Off First, Posts Sorted by Length, and a 346-Pound Load of 6-Footers

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase through these links, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

A worn-out pasture fence still holds good steel. With the wire down and a T-post puller, a 40-post line can come out in an afternoon. Sorted by length and condition, most of those posts go straight into the next garden fence, and knowing what each length weighs tells you whether the truck or trailer can take them in one trip.

How do you salvage T-posts from an old fence without bending them?

Remove every clip and wire tie first, then lift each post straight up with a T-post puller seated on firm ground. Rock nothing sideways. Sort posts by length, set aside any that are bent or missing anchor plates, and stack the keepers flat in tied groups of ten.

A Vermont NRCS fence construction specification shows what you're undoing. Steel posts are driven at least 15 inches deep unless the drawings say otherwise. Fencing is fastened to steel posts with two turns of 14-gauge galvanized wire or the post maker's wire clips.

The U.S. Department of Commerce Commercial Standard CS184-51 for steel fence posts, published through the National Bureau of Standards, gives the weights. Line post sections run a nominal 1.33 pounds per foot, anchor plates weigh at least 0.67 pound each, and standard line post lengths run from 5 to 8 feet in half-foot steps.

Post Weights by Length

Length	Each	Stack of 10
5 ft.	7.32 lb.	73 lb.
5-1/2 ft.	7.99 lb.	80 lb.
6 ft.	8.65 lb.	87 lb.
6-1/2 ft.	9.32 lb.	93 lb.
7 ft.	9.98 lb.	100 lb.
8 ft.	11.31 lb.	113 lb.

These are CS184-51 nominal weights, including anchor plate and paint. Forty 6-foot posts come to about 346 pounds, and posts made to other specs can differ, so weigh one on a bathroom scale before loading.

Keep or Scrap

• Keep: straight when sighted down the face, anchor plate tight, studs intact
• Keep for short jobs: posts with a slight bow that can serve as garden stakes or brace pins
• Scrap: kinked posts, posts rusted thin at the old ground line, or loose or missing anchor plates
• Scrap: mushroomed tops that won't take a driver cap

Materials and Tools

• T-post puller with a jaw that grips the post studs
• Fence pliers for twisting off clips and 14-gauge wire ties
• Leather gloves, safety glasses, and sturdy boots
• A bucket for clips and wire scraps
• Chalk or paint stick for marking lengths, and baling twine for tying stacks

Salvage Steps

1. Strip the wire first. Make sure all fence wire is off the line and rolled away, so nothing is under tension near the posts.
2. Pull the clips. Untwist clips and wire ties on every post with fence pliers and drop them in the bucket.
3. Seat the puller. Set its base on firm, level ground against the post and hook the jaw under the lowest stud it can reach.
4. Lift straight up. Work the handle in short, even strokes, re-gripping lower as the post rises.
5. Ease out the plate. Slow down for the last few inches, where the anchor plate drags through the soil.
6. Sight and sort. Look down each post's face for bends and check the anchor plate, then mark the length on the stud face.
7. Tie by length. Tie keepers in stacks of ten with twine at both ends.
8. Fill the holes. Step the soil closed at each hole so no one turns an ankle.

Pulling Safety

• Wear safety glasses, since clips and wire ends spring loose when cut or untwisted
• Keep your face out of the handle's travel in case the jaw slips
• Lift tied stacks with your legs, or carry them with two people past 80 pounds
• Check your vehicle's payload rating before stacking a full load

Barbed-wire teardown before the posts come out is covered in tearing out an old 4-strand barbed wire fence. Posts that only need to go back down are covered in pulling and resetting frost-heaved T-posts.

When the salvaged posts go back to work, clip spacing is covered in clipping welded wire to T-posts on a sloped fence. If the new fence needs a rabbit-tight bottom, pick the mesh from the hardware cloth mesh size and gauge guide.

FAQ

Can I straighten a bent T-post?

A slight bow can sometimes be leveraged back, but a sharp kink weakens the steel at the bend. Use bent posts for short stakes, not line posts.

Should I reuse the old clips?

Only if they still spring back tight. Wire clips that are stretched or rusted are worth replacing.