Anyone know anything about fences? The drought is destroying mine.

[WalkingOnSunshine]

We have a 75' x 125' chicken pasture. 5 feet high 4" woven wire with wooden posts. We drove the posts in, so there's no cement. The fence should have been secure for 50 years.

HOWEVER, there's this wee little drought going on. And there are cracks 3-4" wide and well over a foot deep running between the posts in the pasture. The soil has shrunk away from the posts, and they are wobbly. We worked very hard to make sure that fence was straight and level, and I'm worried that it won't be any more when we get some rain and the soil swells again. I don't want to look at posts that aren't plumb for the next 50 years.

Anyone have experience with this? Help?

 

[CGinJCMO]

Did you put any concrete in the post holes?

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

Quote: Read the 2nd sentence in the OP.

I doubt the posts will move enough for you to notice anything.

 

[WalkingOnSunshine]

Read the 2nd sentence in the OP.

I doubt the posts will move enough for you to notice anything.

No, we did not put concrete in the post holes. You actually don't. You push the posts into the ground and then pound the dirt extremely firmly into place. Most fences aren't cemented in.

Unfortunately, the posts have moved enough. They wobble back and forth and are visually out of square. The drought has caused the soil to pull away from the posts by 3" in some cases.

 

[Chris Herzog]

Not a big problem! Get some pebble rock, hold the post back level and fill the void between the earth and the post with the pebble rock. As the earth pulls away from the post the rock moves around the post and usually holds it tight and level. You may have a couple lean a little but they usually will not be able to wobble at all.

When things get back to normal if you have a few that are leaning and it bothers you, pull those post with a front end loader on a tractor re-drill the hole with an auger, set the post and pour pebble rock around the base as you hold it level, then pack dirt on the top of the rock.

I have almost 2000 feet of fence that always needs something done to it because of the horses breaking it up. I do the above all the time.

Chris

 

[yo burrill]

There is not an untreated wooden post that will hold up for 50 years. 10 years at the most for Cedar posts here in Maine. They slowly loosen every year with freeze thaw and drying cycles.

 

[WalkingOnSunshine]

Not a big problem! Get some pebble rock, hold the post back level and fill the void between the earth and the post with the pebble rock. As the earth pulls away from the post the rock moves around the post and usually holds it tight and level. You may have a couple lean a little but they usually will not be able to wobble at all.

When things get back to normal if you have a few that are leaning and it bothers you, pull those post with a front end loader on a tractor re-drill the hole with an auger, set the post and pour pebble rock around the base as you hold it level, then pack dirt on the top of the rock.

I have almost 2000 feet of fence that always needs something done to it because of the horses breaking it up. I do the above all the time.

Chris

That is extremely helpful, thank you!

 

[WalkingOnSunshine]

There is not an untreated wooden post that will hold up for 50 years. 10 years at the most for Cedar posts here in Maine. They slowly loosen every year with freeze thaw and drying cycles.

That's why my fence is made with treated posts. Here is Ohio, you can get a fence to last 50 years--my dad's farm has some 80 year posts that are still pretty sound.

 

[cubbysan]

We are are in Missouri, and the cracks are getting wider and longer everyday! Unless you actually see one in person, I don't think people would understand. I don't think cement would help, because I am seeing a lot of cement sidewalks etc buckling.

Have you tried watering the soil where the posts are? I have been hearing of people watering their foundations here for that very reason.

 

[WalkingOnSunshine]

We are are in Missouri, and the cracks are getting wider and longer everyday! Unless you actually see one in person, I don't think people would understand. I don't think cement would help, because I am seeing a lot of cement sidewalks etc buckling.

Have you tried watering the soil where the posts are? I have been hearing of people watering their foundations here for that very reason.

LOL, I actually was running a hose in the pullet pasture in order to make a little mud patch for them, and noticed that the water was running right down in that crack and disappearing. I had to put the hose elsewhere.

We did get over an inch of rain this morning

so maybe we'll be able to reset the posts without resorting to gravel or QuickCrete.