Releasing a steel rod from concrete.

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dave_r_1

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A customer of mine has a yard with a steel fence around it, with a double-gate, one side has a regular latch that opens fine, and the other side (to make the opening twice as wide) is currently fixed in place by a steel rod that goes into a hole in concrete, which was clearly made for you to be able to lift it up and out of the hole and then swing the gate open.

However, right now, from years and years of not being used, it doesn't move by hand (the rod neither rotates or can be lifted up. I want/need to get the rod free in a non-destructive manner, the rod itself is about 1/2" in diameter, with about a 3" handle (the rod just bent at a 90 degree angle for this).

I'm currently considering hammering not particularly hard with maybe a dead-blow hammer or a soft-faced hammer on the handle to get the rod to rotate, and/or use a jack under the handle to lift the rod up.

Any other suggestions?
 
Have you tried soaking with a good penetrating oil (WD-40 is not a penetrating oil) to loosen up the rust and crud, tap with the hammer and apply moderate twisting force. You might have to re-apply several times over a day or two.
 
Maybe it would work to pour some vinegar down along side the rod. That will work on rust. Give it a several hours
and try again with the hammer to rotate. I hesitate to recommend muriatic acid but that might work as a last resort since
it dissolves iron and eats at concrete, nasty stuff....
 
I had the same type of gate latch on my fence but in the winter the rod would freeze in the hole after a thaw. Always had to use a hammer to get it free. The next summer I solved the problem by setting up the same latch but have it hooking an eye bolt instead of going in the concreat has been working great and no more freeze ups or rust problems. If it were me I would use a good size hammer to get it loose or if you will be changing how it holds the gate just saw it off at the ground
 
Loosen the nuts on the eye bolts and get the tension out of the system, and I think you will have better luck. I believe we were all thinking you had a rod stuck in a tube in the ground. Thanks for the pics, that changes things. You still might need some penetrating oil on the friction surfaces.
 
Just thinking out loud here....
First I'd cut those eye bolts off and unbolt the other brackets so I could get the gates open. Then do one or more of the following (no particular order):

Drill a hole in the concrete right next to the rod and load it up with penetrant
Soak the hole good with a penetrant. Keep adding penetrant every so often
Use a big pipe wrench on it close to the ground
Clamp some kind of split collar on it, clamp some pieces of scrap 2x4 on edge under the collar and use two big pry bars under the 2x4s to pry upwards.
If pry bars don't work get a couple of jacks, (hydraulic, bumper, scissors, ports power, whatever) to replace the prybars
Leave the jacks in tension overnight and see if it pops overnight
Still use the jacks and wrap some dry ice around the rod
Still stuck? Cut it off

Once I got it out I'd put a pipe sleeve in the ground or redrill the hole so there is a ¼" of slop or so after the repair.
 
Yeah, I could probably get some pics today. The hole in the concrete isn't lined with anything (such as a tube) and is only slightly larger than the rod.

I'll hit it with some penetrating oil and then breaking it free with a pipe wrench (which is a much better idea than using a BFH, as I don't want to bend/damage the rod as it's all painted the same color with the same patina).
 
When iron rusts, the rust created occupies more volume than the iron it replaces. It is also possible that fine sand has worked into the space between the the rod and the hole.

A pipe wrench on 1/2" rod will more than likely just chew it up. A split collar which will clamp onto the rod will be less likely to mess up the paint. A "breaker bar" could be welded to one side of the collar to give you the torque needed to break the rod free or you can use a pipe wrench or Vise Grips on the collar.

Soak the rod/socket liberally with some penetrant. Twisting gently back and forth will eventually bust up the rust and grind it to a fine dust. The combination of twisting and an upward pull should break it free.
 
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