Fence Posts

[TractorJeff]

Our house was built in the mid-70's.
At some point in its life a fence was built along the road. When we moved here 18 years ago, my buddy and I used treated landscaping posts to "temporarily" replace the really bad fence posts. Well the time has come to replace them all! My initial thought was to drill post holes and use sand to hold them in. Talking to the neighbor he suggested pea gravel. I really don't want to spud bar in the holes and drive posts in.
Any thoughts on what to do?

 

[couch67]

Might be a dumb question but would you miss the fence if it wasnt there?

 

[BillK]

I really don't want to spud bar in the holes and drive posts in.

Not sure what you mean by this ???? You are going to have to drill the holes no matter what you put in around the posts. I have only done a couple of fences with wood poles but we put a few inches of gravel in the bottom and then just filled the rest with dirt.

 

[TractorJeff]

Like farm fence, you take a bar, make a hole and drive the post in with a maul.
Don't want to do that.
Nor do I think backfilling drilled holes with dirt is a good idea.

 

[BillK]

Nor do I think backfilling drilled holes with dirt is a good idea.

The last ones we did have been in the ground for 25 years with no sign of going anywhere. Of course that was when you could still get decent Ground Contact rated PT lumber. The 4x4 mailbox post in front of my house is done that way and has been there for at least 20 years, maybe longer. Why is dirt any different than sand or gravel ? The hole is still probably going to fill up with water after a while anyway. If anything the dirt will pack tighter and keep the water out. Sand or gravel will let it in.

 

[Stuart in MN]

I put in some cedar fence posts 30 years ago, just stuck in holes in the ground with the dirt packed back around them. The post that the gate is fastened to just rotted off at ground level a couple months ago, the rest are still holding strong. I'd say that was pretty good performance.

 

[bp460]

I prefer to set pressure treated posts in 3/4" gravel with fines. I only use concrete on gate posts.

-Brad

 

[Miss the Pontiacs]

I put in some cedar fence posts 30 years ago, just stuck in holes in the ground with the dirt packed back around them. The post that the gate is fastened to just rotted off at ground level a couple months ago, the rest are still holding strong. I'd say that was pretty good performance.

We have one side of fence on our yard with cedar posts going on 35+ years. The other sides were redone with the new garage in the last 2 years. My neighbour with the common original fence is doing the work and I am supplying materials. So it is up to him when it gets changed out. Hopefully before it gives its last gasp!

 

[Bert_]

What's the purpose of the fence? I don't waste my time with green treated fence posts. The creosote treated ones last so much longer.

 

[Legion Prime]

You want the pea gravel at the bottom of the hole for drainage, not to fill the whole post hole up.

 

[theoldwizard1]

I prefer to set pressure treated posts in 3/4" gravel with fines. I only use concrete on gate posts.

For the win !

The gravel helps water drain away quicker and reduces the chance of rot.

You would not even need concrete on the gate posts if they were 6x6 and set 5' in the ground !

 

[theoldwizard1]

30+ yo wood fence. 4x4 PT in concrete. Still "solid as a rock" !

 

[nadogail]

I am partial to steel posts that I have made from repurposed pallet rack load beams, set in concrete after giving them a good paint job.

 

[mcbane]

30+ yo wood fence. 4x4 PT in concrete. Still "solid as a rock" !

That was the old PT. After it was discovered that the PT chemicals killed termites, ants and other pests, we got the new PT. The new PT is only good for corroding nails, bolts, and fastener plates quickly.


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[ddurrett896]

Chain link fence posts with OZ fence brackets.

 

[Hubmonkey]

For the win !

The gravel helps water drain away quicker and reduces the chance of rot.

Unless you have clay based soil then you just create a bucket the water can stand in and accelerate the rot.

Hub

 

[Kaizen]

I just installed 20something stockade fence panels last year. At the corners I used concrete only. All other posts I used just the dirt and sand I dug out of the holes. I got a digging bar with a three inch tamper on the end. Tamped every foot of fill. I bought the harbor freight gas auger that got down about three feet. Widened the hole on two sides with a shovel and used post hole diggers for another foot. Had to pull in post as neighbor wanted to take down a tree and got lazy so used foam to do that one. It’s expensive but works great. Sell at Home Depot


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[strutaeng]

My house has a concrete runner with missing square holes, then 1 set of abandoned concrete filled square holes then the current cedar posts set in concrete. Looks like 3 fences with the current one over the years.

The concrete runner is the original property line and the other were put inside. The fence sections that I have been replacing I have been using that 2 3/8" galvanized 11 ga. fence posts set with anchoring cement in the concrete runner. I'm sure they will rust through in the future.

Some cities around here don't even allow wood posts anymore, but still do. I did read that gravel was better than concrete for wood posts, but who knows.

 

[strutaeng]

That was the old PT. After it was discovered that the PT chemicals killed termites, ants and other pests, we got the new PT. The new PT is only good for corroding nails, bolts, and fastener plates quickly.


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This is so true. Seems the new PT lumber is almost as inert as eating celery stalks!

 

[b-boy]

I used 4x4 PT lumber, a few inches of pea gravel, and a bag of dry cement, followed by water from a hose. The fence is still standing after 25 yrs of Buffalo winters and wind storms.

It was old PT though.

 

[Falcon67]

I use galvanized heavy chain link posts and concrete. Not rustic, no failures.

 

[Miss the Pontiacs]

I use galvanized heavy chain link posts and concrete. Not rustic, no failures.

We have some chain link at the lake with some type of Hops and Virginia Creeper growing on it. I think it looks great but we have to tear back the plants as they grow very rapidly. Posts of course are galvanized metal.

 

[Leaflessshadetree]

Like farm fence, you take a bar, make a hole and drive the post in with a maul.
Don't want to do that.
Nor do I think backfilling drilled holes with dirt is a good idea.

I'm not sure what farm fence is. For field fence I just drive in steel T posts. (no hole making required).
If only a few I use a home made driver (basically a piece of pipe with a cap and some handles). I've also driven them in with a loader bucket or jack hammer (with an attachment).

 

[dfiler2]

Find an abandoned well in the area, you can get about 65 3' post holes from a 200' well.

 

[Spareparts]

Go out in western Ks. and get a load of the rock fence posts, fill them in with anything you want, never seen them rot. a lot of the corp. farms remove them and put in new T posts and fence wire and just pile the old posts up.

 

[In2toys]

I knew a landscape designer that claimed rock around the posts instead of dirt or concrete helped water drain away from post