By signcraft
Posted on Wednesday, February 21st, 2018
Digging post holes can be a hassle—especially if you’re in an area where the ground freezes in winter. Even in warmer climates, digging holes can be sweaty, tedious work.
Several years ago, Doug Bergstrom of Xtreme Grafix, St. Albans, Vermont, discovered a post anchor system called Oz-Posts, which are galvanized steel post anchors that you drive into the ground—without digging a hole.
Since you drive the Oz-Post into the ground, they’re much more stable than a dug hole. You don’t have to backfill and pack dirt around the post. They’re also removable—you can pry them right out of the ground and reposition the post. If they hit a rock on the way in, they usually deflect and you can continue driving them in.
You drive the tapered 3-ft.-long anchor into the ground using an electric jackhammer with a special fitting on it. Then you insert a post into the Oz-Post and screw or bolt through it to secure the post. They come in 4×4, 6×6, 8×8 and 10×10 post sizes, for round or square posts. Doug uses Oz-Posts to install signs with faces up to 4-by-8-ft.
“I can drive an Oz-Post right into frozen ground, too,” says Doug. “Here in Vermont, it’s not uncommon to have two feet of frozen dirt to dig through in midwinter. It’s like digging through two feet of concrete.
“In frozen dirt, it can take four hours to dig two holes. Even in midwinter, I can install a sign using Oz-Posts in 20 or 25 minutes. I’ve been using them for six years—they save a lot of time and work great. The only time I don’t use them is if the sign has a large surface area and is in a high wind area, or if the posts are over 8 feet above grade.”
