This is a good way to do it.  The hole and the water can  get you down a 
couple of feet right from the start.   If you are going to use the 
bronze acorn clamps  to  connect the wire to the rods, you  might want 
to slip them on first and  hold them somewhere out of the way with some 
tape.  If you really bugger up the top of the rod while hammering it in, 
and it  really mushrooms out, you might not   be able to slip the clamp 
onto the rod without   doing some filing or grinding.  Of course if you 
are going to use a clamp that doesn't have to slip over the top of the 
rod,just hammer away.

73, Steve  KW3A

On 5/26/2015 6:34 AM, Mike Duke, K5XU wrote:
> Mark, here is one way that I have seen it done.
>
> Dig a small hole, at least a foot deep, and fill it with water.
>
> After the ground softens, stand the rod in the hole, and push it down
> as far as you can. Initially, that will not be very far.
>
> Now, pull the rod out, add more water to the spot where you pushed it
> down, and push the rod down again.
>
> Keep doing this until you have gone as far down as you can. Then, still
> keeping things as wet as possible, bring out the sledge hammer.
>
> Depending on your soil conditions, I have seen people push an 8 foot
> rod at least 5 feet into the ground that way.
>