XtremepowerUS Gas-Powered Fence T-Post Driver Engine Gasoline Pile CARB w/ Case

Tool does good job although was shipped dry on the hammer. Asked customer support what fluid should be there, and they assured me it was shipped ready and would only need fluid at maintenance service. After reading reviews, I am not the only one with this concern. Mine is now broken after 100 posts, and still don't know if it should have hydraulic, transmission, oil, lower unit oil, or grease.

I utilized this tool to install 65 T-posts in hard clay-like soil. Despite some skeptical reviews, I encountered no issues with the machine. The only drawbacks were that the pins in the case fell out immediately, there was no included oil for the hammer, and the instructions did not specify the type of oil to use. Apart from these minor issues, the machine performed excellently. I managed to set all the posts on my own in less than a day, starting with a manual post setter and completing the task with the gas-powered one. The machine is somewhat heavy, so if you're not tall and physically fit, I recommend using something to stand on and having an assistant.

This week, I installed 1100 T-posts and drove a few 2 3/8 pipe posts using this machine, and it performed flawlessly. It starts very easily, and I only used 3 gallons out of the 5 gallons of fuel I mixed. It's definitely worth the money. I gave it 4 stars because the collets tend to crack and break, and some screws fell out that should have had Loctite.

I haven't driven my first post yet, but after reading the manual that comes with it, there is no mention that the piston side of the gear train comes shipped without oil. There is no oil in the sight glass, and it is shipped dry due to postal regulations. After studying the parts diagram, I noticed a connecting rod that links to the hammer, similar to the rod on an auto engine, requiring lubrication to avoid failure. I removed the sight glass and added motor oil to this area. It doesn't take much. I put the sight glass back on and stood it back up, realizing I had too much oil. I had to drain some out (made a mess) and put the sight glass back in until the oil level was visible above the red dot on the sight glass. The gear side was well lubricated with grease from the factory. The 20:1 oil mixture might seem like a lot, but that's how I mixed it according to the instructions for the first few hours. It should smoke enough to keep the mosquitoes at bay while I am driving fence posts! After priming, it started right up with less than 10 pulls on the rope.

The pounder did not come with hydraulic fluid, which is essential for using the machine. The instructions are unclear about several aspects of usage and initial startup, such as the required fluid. It's necessary to have a platform to stand on when using the pounder. My workers utilized the back tailgate of a side-by-side mule to reach the top of the post. After completing all the pre-filling of fluids, the pounder performed its job exceptionally well. It starts easily after the initial startup. However, caution is needed with the case as the very small pins holding the lid may come out. Overall, it's a good machine but requires two people and something to stand on to reach the pounder when on a T-post.