Hydraulic post drivers for skid steers. How they work, what the impact energy numbers mean, which posts they'll drive without auger pre-drilling, and where they fall short in Canadian ground conditions.
A hydraulic post driver attachment turns your skid steer into a post-pounding machine. The attachment mounts to your quick-attach plate, grabs the post in a driving cup, and hammers it straight down using a hydraulically driven drop hammer. No manhandling. No two-person crew swinging a manual driver for six hours. One operator, one machine, posts in the ground at a pace that makes manual driving look like archaeology.
The appeal is obvious. Fence contractors running long prairie lines — kilometres of ag fence across Saskatchewan or Manitoba — have been running skid steer post drivers for years. A machine that can sink 200+ posts a day changes the economics of a job. A crew driving posts by hand might do 60–80 in a full day if the ground cooperates. The machine doesn't get tired.
Most skid steer post drivers use a single-acting hydraulic hammer: a heavy steel hammer weight (the "ram") lifts via hydraulic pressure, then drops under gravity when the valve releases. The impact energy comes from the mass of the ram and the height of the drop, not purely from hydraulic pressure. This matters when you're comparing models — a heavier ram dropped from greater height hits harder even if the GPM requirement is similar.
The driving cup at the bottom of the attachment captures the post head. Cups are typically 3" to 6" diameter, and most manufacturers include a set of interchangeable cups to handle different post types — T-posts, round wood posts, square wood posts, and pipe posts each need a specific cup profile. Driving a T-post without the right cup will mushroom the post head.
Some models add hydraulic side tilt — 15 degrees left and right — so you can drive a post on sloped ground without repositioning the machine. On hilly pasture in BC's Fraser Valley or along the edge of a coulee in southern Alberta, that tilt range saves significant time.
Post driver impact energy is rated in foot-pounds (ft-lb). This is the measure of energy delivered per blow. More is more — but context matters.
A 500 ft-lb driver handles T-posts, light round wood posts (4" diameter), and steel pipe up to 2" diameter in normal soil conditions. It's adequate for residential privacy fence work and light agricultural fencing in loam or sandy soil.
A 750–1,000 ft-lb driver is the working range for most commercial fence contractors. The eTerra PDX-1000 (1,000 ft-lb, 13–21 GPM, 1,186–1,656 lbs) and Premier PD750 (750 ft-lb, 10–16 GPM) sit in this category. They handle 6" round wood corner posts, square tube steel, and T-posts in heavier clay and drier prairie soils without needing pilot holes.
At 1,500 ft-lb and up, you're driving H-piles, large wood posts (8" diameter), and anchor posts in hard caliche or partially frozen ground. These are bigger machines — 1,500+ lbs, requiring 20+ GPM — and they're overkill for routine fence work.
| Model | Impact Energy | GPM Required | Weight | Post Size Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Premier PD500 | 500 ft-lb | 10–16 GPM | ~400 lbs | Up to 4" round, T-posts |
| Premier PD750 | 750 ft-lb | 10–16 GPM | ~550 lbs | Up to 5" round, T-posts, pipe |
| Premier PD1000 | 1,000 ft-lb | 12–18 GPM | ~700 lbs | Up to 6" round, steel corner posts |
| eTerra PDX-1000 | 1,000 ft-lb | 13–21 GPM | 1,186–1,656 lbs | Up to 6" round, square tube; 15° tilt |
| Skid Pro Post Driver | ~800 ft-lb | 11–18 GPM | ~600 lbs | T-posts to 5" round wood |
Here's the part fence contractors in Alberta and Saskatchewan already know but newcomers learn the hard way: a hydraulic post driver does not break frozen ground. It drives into frozen ground if the ground is only marginally frozen — say, a light surface frost with unfrozen soil below — but once the frost line drops below 6 inches, the driver hammers the post and the post doesn't move.
Prairie ground freezes deep. By January in Medicine Hat or Swift Current, you're looking at 3–4 feet of frost. No post driver touches that without pre-drilling. You need an auger — a hydraulic auger attachment on the same machine — to drill a pilot hole first, then the driver seats the post. That two-step workflow (auger, then driver) is standard for winter fence repair and emergency panel work in the Prairie provinces.
In November and late March, when the ground is partially frozen or thawing unevenly, the driver sometimes works without pre-drilling depending on depth and post type. T-posts in partially frozen ground will drive to 18–24 inches in that shoulder season. Round wood posts resist more because the larger cross-section demands more displacement force.
T-posts are the fastest to drive and the most common for agricultural wire fencing. Standard T-posts run 1.25 lbs per foot; a 6-foot post weighs 7.5 lbs. The anchor plate at the base keeps them from pulling up. A 500 ft-lb driver handles T-posts in most Prairie soil conditions — the anchor plate does create resistance when it reaches depth, but not enough to require a heavier driver in normal soil. Drive T-posts to the anchor plate.
Cedar and treated pine posts dominate Canadian ag and residential fence work. For round wood, the driving cup must fit snugly around the post head to prevent splitting. Driving a dry 4" cedar post with a loose cup will split the top after 5–10 blows. Most manufacturers sell cup sets — a 4" cup, a 5" cup, and a 6" cup as a kit. Buy the kit.
Square tube posts (2"x2", 2.5"x2.5") are common for commercial chain link and panel fencing. They drive cleanly with a flat-bottom driving cup. The eTerra PDX-1000's 4140 steel construction is specifically chosen for this — steel-on-steel hammer contact means the driver head material matters. Lower-grade steel drivers mushroom on repeated square tube contact.
Heavy corner posts — 6"x6" treated square or 6–8" round — are the hardest to drive. They need the most impact energy and the most hydraulic flow to cycle the ram fast enough to keep a production pace. Corner posts also need to go deeper: 3.5–4 feet for a 6" corner post. In Prairie hardpan or clay, this is where a 750 ft-lb driver starts to feel underpowered and a 1,000 ft-lb unit pays off.
Post drivers are modest on hydraulic demand compared to tillers or mulchers. Most models run on 10–18 GPM — well within what any standard-flow skid steer delivers. The bigger concern is machine weight and rated operating capacity (ROC).
A Premier PD1000 weighs around 700 lbs. Combined with the attachment arms and any counterweight, you're adding 800–1,000 lbs to the front of your machine. On a Bobcat S590 (7,000 lb machine, 2,690 lb ROC), that's manageable. On a smaller machine like a Bobcat S450 (5,500 lb, 1,650 lb ROC), the heavier post drivers start to affect stability, particularly when the arms are extended to reach a post while maintaining ground contact.
Track loaders handle post driver work well in soft or wet conditions — the track footprint gives better stability than wheeled skid steers when the machine is leaned against a post during driving. In BC's wet coastal conditions, a Kubota SVL series CTL or a Cat 239D with tracks is the better platform than a wheeled machine in November mud.
New hydraulic post driver attachments land in the $4,500–$9,500 CAD range depending on size and features. A Premier PD750 is typically $4,500–$5,500 CAD through Canadian dealers. The eTerra PDX-1000, with its heavier construction and tilt feature, runs $7,500–$9,500 CAD. Larger 1,500 ft-lb units push past $12,000 CAD.
Used market is thinner than other attachment categories — post drivers see hard use and the wear shows. Check the hammer guide rails (should be straight, no slop), the cup mounting system (any cracks near the welds?), and the hydraulic hose condition. A used unit with worn guide rails will drive crooked posts. Not acceptable on a fence job.
Rental is available through most large equipment rental houses (Sunbelt, Herc, Battlefield Equipment Rental in Ontario and Alberta) in the $250–$400 CAD per day range. For a one-time fence project, rental pencils out cleanly. For a contractor doing multiple fence jobs per season, buying pays off by the second or third project.
Running kilometres of ag fence across the Prairies is where the post driver attachment proves its value most clearly. A long pasture fence on a 640-acre quarter section in Manitoba might need 400–600 posts. Two people with a skid steer post driver can complete that in a day. The same job by hand takes a week.
Terrain matters on the Prairies. Flat sections drive fast and easy — the machine drives straight, the posts go in at consistent depth, the job moves. Coulees, sloped terrain, and areas near dugouts change the game. Side tilt becomes essential on any slope greater than about 10 degrees. Without tilt, you're repositioning the entire machine for every post on a hillside.
Prairie gumbo — that heavy, sticky clay soil that dominates much of Saskatchewan and Manitoba — is a challenge for post drivers because it has high resistance when dry and high adhesion when wet. In dry gumbo, impact energy is king; a 500 ft-lb driver stalls out on 6" posts. In wet gumbo, posts don't want to release from the driving cup — the suction holds. A quick tip: keep a piece of wood or a T-post chunk to tap the cup release when gumbo suctions the cup to the post head.
Gravel and rock — present in parts of Alberta's foothills and throughout BC — are a different problem. A post driver cannot penetrate rock. It bounces. For rocky ground, an auger with a rock-rated carbide bit drills the hole, then you drop the post and backfill. No amount of impact energy substitutes for the correct tool in rock. Know your site before you commit to a driver-only workflow.
Premier Attachments (premierattach.com) offers the PD500 through PD1500 series. Canadian distribution through implement dealers in Alberta and Saskatchewan — call ahead to confirm stock. Their mini skid steer mount (PD500MT) fits Bobcat MT series machines if you're working in tight quarters.
eTerra Equipment (eterra-usa.com PDX-1000) ships to Canada. The PDX-1000's 4140 chromoly steel construction and hydraulic tilt make it one of the more capable mid-size drivers available, though at a premium price.
Skid Pro (skidpro.com) makes a straightforward post driver in the 11–18 GPM range. Simpler design, good value. Available direct or through dealers.
Used units appear on Kijiji regularly in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Ontario — search "hydraulic post driver skid steer" and filter by province. Most used units sold by contractors who upgraded; condition ranges widely. Budget $1,500–$3,500 CAD for a used functional unit.
Need to pre-drill before driving posts? Browse the skid steer auger catalog for verified product pages on real models sold through Canadian dealers.