I am getting ready to replace a rotten wood fence that is probably 30 years old with a new wood fence that will be approximately 5′ tall. The soil appears to be heavy clay. I plan to use pressure treated posts that will be dried, then primed with an oil primer, and two latex topcoats. I am located in northern KY with moderate temperatures. My question is two-fold: (1) how deep should I set the posts? (2) Should I set the posts in gravel and mechanically tamp the gravel in lieu of clay soil for drainage reasons?
Thanks,
Stan
Replies
They need to be set below the frost line. Lots of people use gravel, I have always used sakrete.
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Stan, I too am in Ky. But here is the deal. The post should be 1/3 burried and 2/3 up outta the hole.
a Little gravel in the bottom, or a large rock, and back fill with dirt. We have MILES of fencing here done that way, some really old and still stronger than a beefalo.
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Hi Stan , here in Australia downunder I have been building timber fences for 20 years and all of them are still standing straight with no signs of any decay in the posts. Yes , I agree with the other responses; 1/3 deep and 100mm of gravel or crushed rock for drainage. Some sump oil on the end grain will promote it's resistance to decay .I am not keen on using treated pine posts as from experience none of them have lasted no where near red gum or cypress.
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General answer that should be good for Ky: Set the posts 2.5 to 3 feet deep. (On the 3-foot end is best for 5 feet above ground -- use an 8-foot post.) Put a little crushed rock in the bottom, set the post, and then backfill with crushed rock.
Never use concrete, except perhaps in really sandy or boggy soil.
what is appropriate for sand soil as i am about to put up a fence about 1/2 mile from the beach right at ocean level?
8' with 5' out 8' oc. Osage Orange, hedge tree, producer of those green "hedge apples". You or the wire won't outlast the posts.Never serious, but always right.
8' with 5' out 8' oc. Osage Orange, hedge tree, producer of those green "hedge apples".
The apples are easy enough to find, but where do you get 8' Osage fence posts from?
jt8
Well John I may have led you up a blind alley. In my youth most farms in Illinois had hedge row fences. Many farmers removed them and had fence posts made. You could buy them out of local want adds or at farm supply stores. That maybe a thing of the past. Ask the question on line someone may have them.If available they are a long lived post, 50 years. The Plains Indians also used the Osage Orange as a favorite species to make their bows from.Never serious, but always right.
Never use concrete, except perhaps in really sandy or boggy soil.
Why? I use it all the time with pressure treated wood. 'have alot of 0.4 & 0.6 pcf CCA-treated posts sitting in concrete from 10+ years; no problem. Although I wouldn't use concrete with redwood or cedar posts, which aren't as rot-resistant as P.T. And I don't know about this new P.T. stuff.
'usually pound a couple of big spikes per side into the post before dropping in the hole, so that it stays firmly attached to the concrete should the post shrink (with another, looser, fill material, shrinkage might just loosen the post in the hole, and the spikes would not hold on to the loose fill).
I know an agricultural fence contractor that sets the posts in place with a big tractor-mounted ram; no hole drilled. That's the best way, as the dirt is compressed around the post.
Just wait until a cow breaks off your post set in concrete.
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Also, seal the bottoms of the posts by soaking for several hours in a bucket of preservative. Slice the tops at an angle or point to prevent water from standing there.
i think the most important is the use of preservative, a borate soak would be good and then insert borate rods. stay away from the latex paint and use the gravel. spray on borate once a year
LOCUST wood makes a great fence post - natural preservatives make it last 60+ years in the ground; it is easily split into attractive posts. It is the hillbilly farmer's favorite, and probably readily available in KY.