Patent ID: 7950470

Claim:
A post driver suitable for attachment to a lift arm of a mechanized device, wherein said lift arm may be at least raised and lowered by said mechanized device under operator control, thereby driving a fence post into the ground when the fence post is within said post driver during its lowering, said post driver comprising: (a) a mounting plate, said mounting plate at least for attachment to an under side of the lift arm; (b) a rigid linear containment structure having a central cavity at least large enough to accommodate an end of the fence post therein, said containment structure having an upper terminus and a lower terminus, said upper terminus of said containment structure being secured to said mounting plate and said lower terminus having an orifice therein, said orifice (i) providing access to said central cavity of said containment structure, and, (ii) being sized at least large enough to receive the end of the fence post into said central cavity; (c) a roller latch assembly in mechanical communication with said mounting plate, said roller latch at least for providing a resilient biasing force urging said roller against the fence post when the fence post is positioned within said central cavity, wherein (i) said biasing force is opposed by an inner wall of said containment structure, and (ii) said biasing force is sufficient to hold the fence post above the ground within said containment structure against a vertical force of gravity but insufficient to hold the fence post within the containment structure when the containment structure is lifted off of the fence post after the fence post has been at least partially inserted into the ground.