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Fence post driver buying guide

Updated: 21 October 2026

You are about to buy a fence post driver because the title says heavy duty and any fence post, and the post in the shed may be a T-stake or a 4x4. A fence post driver buying guide starts with the opening and the kilogrammes you will lift, not with the adjective. The six listings in our [pile driver comparison](/hub/flooring-tools-and-accessories/pile-driver) were checked on amazon.co.uk on 19 October 2026. Peter F. compared those listings and public UK sources, and did not drive a post. A qualifying purchase can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you. The millimetre check is on [what size post driver do I need](/hub/flooring-tools-and-accessories/pile-driver/sub/pile-driver-post-size).

You are about to buy a fence post driver because the title says heavy duty and any fence post, and the post in the shed may be a T-stake or a 4x4.

Our top picks

Yarlung Yarlung 17 lb post pounder

Best overall

Yarlung Yarlung 17 lb post pounder
9.4/10about £36.99
View offer
PYYB PYYB 2.7 in post pounder

Best value

PYYB PYYB 2.7 in post pounder
9.2/10about £36.99
View offer
Sptchapn Sptchapn post rammer

Alternative

Sptchapn Sptchapn post rammer
8.2/10about £39.92
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Measure the post before the title
  2. 2.Read the item weight, not only the bullet
  3. 3.Manual tube or a petrol listing
  4. 4.Rules that are not on the product photo

Measure the post before the title

The first filter is whether the post can enter the tube, including wings and corners. Yarlung and PYYB both state a 2.7 inch interior. Yarlung also prints 6.8 cm. A UK reviewer on the PYYB tube said a 4x4 will not enter it. iHYTOON states 2.9 inches inside. One UK reviewer says a 3 inch post will not fit. Sptchapn states 3.2 inches, the widest round bore printed in this set, and that figure is still a claim on the page. A square post needs a square holder, and none of these six listings includes one. If the widest point is larger than the printed opening, the driver will not start.

Read the item weight, not only the bullet

The second filter is the mass you will lift, and the bullet often disagrees with the item-weight line. Yarlung’s bullets say 17 lb and the technical line says 7.88 kg. The card uses 7.88 kg and does not average them. That is the heavy manual in this set. PYYB agrees at 3.5 kg. Sptchapn’s item weight is 2.76 kg beside a bullet of 2.5 kg and 5.51 lb. iHYTOON’s item weight is 3.24 kg beside a bullet of 2.5 kg and 5.5 lb. If the two figures disagree, plan to lift the heavier one. The page that chooses among these manuals is best fence post driver.
Yarlung Yarlung 17 lb post pounder

Testsieger

Yarlung Yarlung 17 lb post pounder
9.4/10about £36.99
View offer

Manual tube or a petrol listing

A short run of stakes that fit the bore is a manual job. The four tubes cost about £36.99, about £36.99, about £39.92 and about £41.85. The Generic listing at about £156.72 states sockets of 2.17 inches and 2.76 inches, then a technical block of 1 g and power source ac. Do not buy that block. The Gdetnysty listing at about £429.99 states 14.3 kg, two sockets with no diameters, and 120 volts beside gas powered. Neither states a petrol-to-oil ratio or a review line. A mixing bottle is not a ratio. Husqvarna’s UK page gives 50:1 for its hedge trimmers unless the manual differs. Portek prints 25:1 for its own driver. Those ratios belong to those machines. The class fork is on manual or petrol post driver.

Rules that are not on the product photo

The tool does not grant permission for the fence. In England, the Planning Portal and the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015, Schedule 2, Part 2, Class A, generally put a new fence past permitted development above 1 metre next to a highway used by vehicles, or above 2 metres elsewhere, and not in the curtilage of a listed building. Those figures are England’s. Do not apply them in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland. Search before you drive. HSG47 is the Health and Safety Executive guide for buried services. LSBUD covers member networks, not every pipe. None of these listings prints a hand-arm or noise figure. A short lift, a helmet and gloves are the practical controls.

Common questions

What should I measure before I buy a post driver?
Measure the widest point of the post, including the wings on a T-stake or the corner of a square, and compare it with the printed bore or socket. Then read the item weight beside the bullet weight. In this set the manual bores are 2.7, 2.9 and 3.2 inches, and the heavy manual is the Yarlung tube at 7.88 kg. If the post will not enter, a lower price does not help.
Is a heavy-duty title the same as a heavy tube?
No. Three of the four manuals have item weights around 2.8 kg to 3.5 kg, and reviews often call those light. Yarlung is the listing whose technical weight is 7.88 kg, next to a 17 lb bullet. Use the kilogramme line when the two figures disagree, and plan to lift that mass onto every post.
Do the two weight lines on one page mean I should average them?
No. Where they sit in the same region, as with Yarlung’s 17 lb and 7.88 kg, use the item-weight line and do not invent a third figure. Where they clash, as with iHYTOON’s 2.5 kg bullet and 3.24 kg item weight, assume you may have to lift the heavier number until you put the tube on a scale.
Do I need planning permission for the tool?
Permission, where it applies, is about the fence, not the driver. In England a new fence is generally past permitted development above 1 metre beside a highway used by vehicles, or above 2 metres elsewhere, and listed buildings are a separate limit. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are not covered by those England figures. The driver still needs a clear line and a services check.
What should I refuse to believe on the petrol pages?
Refuse a fuel ratio that the listing does not print, a noise or vibration number that is not there, the 1 g and ac lines on the about £156.72 page, and the 120 volt line on the about £429.99 page. Also refuse to treat a missing review line as a score of zero from angry buyers. The record is absent. Hire specifications for a Honda-class driver belong to that hire machine, not to these two ASINs.

Related pages

How to use a fence post driver

Pile driver

Best fence post driver: Yarlung for a 2.7 inch bore

Manual or petrol post driver for a short fitting run

What size post driver do I need for T-posts or a 4x4

Sources

Public UK sources and amazon.co.uk listings, checked on 19 October 2026. Shelf prices, bores and weights are the figures in the display file.

  1. Planning Portal fences, gates and garden walls (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  2. GPDO 2015 Schedule 2 Part 2 Class A (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  3. HSE hand-arm vibration regulations (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  4. HSE noise at work regulations (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  5. HSE HSG47 avoiding danger from underground services (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  6. LSBUD line search before you dig (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  7. Conservation Handbooks post driver (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  8. Husqvarna UK two-stroke mix for a hedge trimmer (retrieved 19 October 2026)