MUST corner posts of wire fence have special supports?

[jaj121159]

Try digging your hole and pour in dry concrete around the bottom of the post, but not to the top of the hole. The dampness in the ground sets the concrete and it forms an anchor on the bottom of your post. No water soaks the post. Works really well. You can take regular quick mix concrete or some places sell concrete just for this.

 

[jmc]

Quote:
Hey, I'm an American citizen, didn't move to Canada til I was in my late 30s, I think I qualify for having a great and happy 4th of July too

(although our local fireworks were of course three days ago on Canada Day)

Have fun,

Pat

okay, kiddo, ya got me! happy fifth of July!!

 

[jmc]

Quote:
that's very interesting. i wouldn't want the crete so deep that when the post had to be changed, i'd have a 100 pound lollipop to drag outta the ground, though! so how deep a layer of dry mix? i'm thinking maybe 3"-6" MAX.

neat thanks jaj

 

[patandchickens]

Quote:
that's very interesting. i wouldn't want the crete so deep that when the post had to be changed, i'd have a 100 pound lollipop to drag outta the ground, though! so how deep a layer of dry mix? i'm thinking maybe 3"-6" MAX.

I've had to remove posts that were set this way. It was, ah, interesting

I would never do it except perhaps for the posts of a tall coop up 'on stilts' that I wanted to have extra anchoring against storm winds lifting it up. A normal fence doesn't need that, certainly not a run fence anyhow (privacy fences can be a problem for keeling over in the wind but concrete doesn't help all *that* much vs keeling over)

JMHO,

Pat

 

[BillT]

Quote:
Learn something new every day!

-GB

I may be missing something, but if you use pressure treated post, you'll be real old

before they rot either with or without concrete. " Just saying"

Happy 4th

 

[jaj121159]

Quote:
that's very interesting. i wouldn't want the crete so deep that when the post had to be changed, i'd have a 100 pound lollipop to drag outta the ground, though! so how deep a layer of dry mix? i'm thinking maybe 3"-6" MAX.

neat thanks jaj

3"- 6" works well. The key to any corner post is how much pressure is being exerted by the fence. If you have a high tinsel fence (strung extremely tight) then corner posts must be anchored well. If you are running a welded wire fence that if just humanly pulled tight, a deep solid post will work just fine. Either way I wouldn't use a "t" post for a corner unless it was considered a temporary fence.

 

[patandchickens]

Quote:
Not in my experience, not unless it is BOTH old-style p/t (CCA) AND extra-heavily-treated for burial.

Honestly, all concrete really does is provide a bit of extra weight vs *lifting* forces, which a run does not normally experience, and make it a heck of a lot harder to reset, repair, replace or remove the post. (And it's an extra expense). In the case of a deck or pole-built building or some such thing, a concrete footer (*under* the post bottom) also helps spread the load to keep the posts from settling unevenly, but again, not really an issue for a run.

If a person has oodles of cement mix sitting around and is either convinced they will never ever want to remove the posts and just abandon them once they get broken or rotty, or is looking for some good exercise <g>, then I would not stand in their way of setting posts in concrete, of course.

I just don't think it really serves a useful purpose for a run fence, and has some undeniable disadvantages.

JMHO,

Pat

 

[saltdean norm]

you could try surrounding the bases of your posts with gravel / shingle not mud if you want to stop them rotting. helping water drain away from them has to make more sense than packing mud that will stay damp for most of the year. hope this helps. norm

 

[Baybrio]

I learned from a very experienced livestock fence installer NOT to use concrete unless you want to dig out the "cement lollipop" when your post either rots or is in some other way damaged.

With wood posts he always put about 6" of driveway gravel in the bottom of the hole (tamp it down hard), added the post, and used the gravel mixed with the dirt you got out of the hole (a shovel of gravel, a shovel of dirt - tamp tamp tamp) The gravel in the bottom of the hole helps with drainage. I have untreated 4"x4" oak post that have been in our clay soil for 17 years.

One other little issue with wood posts - you do know they need to go below the frost line for your area? We go down almost 4' around here.

BUT THERE IS AN EASIER WAY TO DO THE CORNERS!

You can use WEDGE-LOC

T-Post Corner hardware. Basically instead of using a wood post with bracing the components from Wedge-Loc let you use T-posts for all the posts and the bracing. This is the web site: http://wedgeloc.qwestoffice.net/

The components can be purchased from other places including some farm stores. I've used them and found they work very well and are MUCH easier to install than anything that requires digging a post hole.

 

[jmc]

wow talk about info. i'll have to reread later. but for sure and for starters, p/t wood isn't always all that it's cracked up to be (no pun intended

)
here in MA, i will probably go down to four feet. heck i got a backhoe, makes big 'ol gross sloppy holes, but it gets em done!
i am skipping the concrete; haven't looked at the space age website for doing corners with t posts yet. but that 'll have to be a hum dinger to make me use that method--i think.
you are really generous folks, thanks so much

john
formerly 'Duckmonk'