Cutting through a sleeper embedded in soil - any ideas?

[sooty61]

I am having to install a couple of fence repair spurs on my garden fence, but there are railway sleepers embedded in the ground all the way next to the fence. I have cut through about half of it but it has taken over two hours. Does anyone have any tips? I have been using the following tools:

- Multi tool - a bit underwhelming
- Drilling holes - painfully slow
- Reciprocating saw - not really touching it
- SDS drill - not effective
- Pick axe - not doing much
- Circular saw - OK to get it started but useless for bottom half
- Club hammer and bolster - useless
- Club hammer and cold chisel - useless

[reggie747]

Why is the recipe saw not touching it ?
A fresh blade should p!ss that

[E-bmw]

reggie747 said:

Why is the recipe saw not touching it ?
A fresh blade should p!ss that

It should, I went through 2 full sized tree roots that were undermining the drive a few weeks ago, it took 15 mins at the most.

[sooty61]

reggie747 said:

Why is the recipe saw not touching it ?
A fresh blade should p!ss that

I am guessing it is because the wood is slightly damp. I will try a new blade

[wolfracesonic]

If they’re hardwood reclaimed sleepers, a carbide tipped reciprocating saw blade might work, Bosch do them in their expert range, tct blade. Try and clear as much of the soil and stones out the way as you can.

[LooneyTunes]

Recip or chainsaw should do it... but clear the soil away or the blades/chains will blunt quickly.

[JoshSm]

wolfracesonic said:

If they re hardwood reclaimed sleepers, a carbide tipped reciprocating saw blade might work,

If they're proper old karri or jarrah ones they can be hard work,so yes something carbide might help.

Still a fair amount of work for a little recip though.

[JoshSm]

On another note are they bolted down or something? Why not remove them to do the fence repair then cut them on a bench where you have access??

If they're just buried stick a pickaxe under one end and lift.

[sooty61]

JoshSm said:

On another note are they bolted down or something? Why not remove them to do the fence repair then cut them on a bench where you have access??

If they're just buried stick a pickaxe under one end and lift.

They are just well buried and there isn’t a lot of space around them to get a pick axe in. I will try the carbide blades tomorrow

[jrb43]

Definitely not thermite. That would be the wrong answer

[OutInTheShed]

If the sleepers are that tough, maybe accept that, adapt to it and bolt the fence posts to them with a galv bracket or summat?

OTOH, serious lasers are quite affordable now.

[Simpo Two]

The idea of trying to cut a railway sleeper with a multitool is quite comical.

Can't you just pull the whole sleeper out?

[biggiles]

If you have a chainsaw, a sacrificial chain should do that in no time.

[swanny71]

As above - a chainsaw with an old chain, but a plunge cut might be tricky in that position if you re not handy with a chainsaw.

Stitch drilling with a fat/long auger bit should work and be pretty quick.




This is concrete obviously but you get the idea

[sooty61]

Thanks for all the suggestions. I am picking up the new carbide blade and will also get one of those drill bits too

[andy43]

Plywood base on the soil, car jack and some bolts and brackets through the sleeper to wind it out of the ground?

[sherman]

sooty61 said:

Thanks for all the suggestions. I am picking up the new carbide blade and will also get one of those drill bits too

The drill bit in the sds should makd short work of it.
I used similar to drill holes in pine tree stumps

[scot_aln]

And the drill bit won't be spinning stones and soil back at you like the saws. That can hurt, a lot!

[Murph7355]

OutInTheShed said:

If the sleepers are that tough, maybe accept that, adapt to it and bolt the fence posts to them with a galv bracket or summat?

OTOH, serious lasers are quite affordable now.

This was my thinking... (not the layzuuurs).

[Purosangue]

swanny71 said:

As above - a chainsaw with an old chain, but a plunge cut might be tricky in that position if you re not handy with a chainsaw.

Stitch drilling with a fat/long auger bit should work and be pretty quick.




This is concrete obviously but you get the idea

why wouldn't you use a cut off saw for a job like that ?