Ground rod installation tool

A tool for installing a rod into the ground comprising:

• a handle having a bore opening at one end of the handle for receiving the rod;
• a hammer head secured to said handle adjacent an opposite end of said handle;
• a weight carried by said tool adjacent said opposite end of said handle and said hammer head such that, upon disposition of the tool over an end of the rod and reception of the end of the rod within said bore, the tool may be raised and lowered along the rod to hammer the rod in the ground;
• means for removably mounting said weight on said tool whereby, upon removal of the weight, the tool may be swung as a sledge hammer to further drive the rod into the ground, said weight having an aperture for receiving the rod whereby, upon removal of the weight from the tool and placement on the rod with the rod end received in the aperture, the weight can be impacted by the hammer head when the tool is used as a sledge hammer;
• the handle has a longitudinal axis, the weight having length and width dimensions in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the handle with the length dimension being greater than the width dimension, said weight being removably secured to said tool on a side of said head remote from said handle;
• and
• said weight having opposite end faces, said aperture extending generally parallel to the length of said weight and opening through one of said end faces.