Fence Posts

[Charolais]

Since 97 I've fenced and crossed fenced 130 acres. All HT electric. I use a shaver driver. I bought one new and have replaced the springs 3 time, so it's had a work out.

With 5 years of drought I learned a few tricks to drive a post straight. I use a 2 in. pilot drill and go down about 2 1/2 feet for a guide hole. If it's real dry I water those holes for 5 days before driving the post. I also sharpen the post. I keep a level in my pocket to set the driver up at each hole.

I use 8 ft. post for corners and drive them 4 ft. 7ft. for line post and drive them 2.5-3 ft.

For my headgate I use the post hole digger.(12 in.) I drill down 4.5 feet and use 10ft. 6x6 post. When tamping I mix brick mortar with the dirt and put gravel in the bottom of the hole for drainage.

Drivers are time savers. They also set a very tight post. For me it's the only way to set a gate post and they don't lean after time.

Drivers can kill you too. Never stand behind one when driving. The post can splinter and go right through you. When driving post count your fingers ever hour or so. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif Make sure you still have them all. I know some older folks that have a finger or two missing from being crushed.

 

[Soundguy]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Drivers are time savers )</font>

I get a kick out of reading a quote like that.. only to see the following info also specified:

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I use a 2 in. pilot drill and go down about 2 1/2 feet for a guide hole )</font>

or

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( If it's real dry I water those holes for 5 days before driving the post )</font>

I like this one too.. sounds like a real time saver..

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I also sharpen the post )</font>

Keeps goin....

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I keep a level in my pocket to set the driver up at each hole.
)</font>


I know some people like these things.. but.. seems to me I could have just hand dug the hole by the time I've gone thru the 5 days of prep work.. to pound the post in? /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif Seems like a manual or tractor PHD would um.. just be faster and cheaper, unless I'm really missing something.

For what it's worth.. I don't think I've ever seen apost pounder in fl.. None of the 20 or so fence people that we do business with has ever used one either. Keep in mind that this may be a regional issue.. as florida soil contains a good amount of limerock.. Our main fence contractor is a older fellow with a ford 3000 and phd, and a younger fellow helping him. The older guy runs the tractor and the younger guy is the 'ground' man and drops posts and backfills. These guys put up hundreds of feet of 3 board fence a day. ( wire fencing seems to slow them down a tad.. )

Soundguy

 

[MikePA]

<font color="blue">...unless I'm really missing something. </font>
You are. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif The things that Charolais mentions are for unique conditions, i.e., very dry soil. In normal soil, there's no need to drill a pilot hole, no need to water the hole and no need to sharpen the post.

The set up time over where a post is to be placed is the same for both a phd and a driver. I don't care how fast the 2 man phd team is, they can not set a post as fast as using a driver.

 

[ShaleniFarm]

All,
This is what some fellows used to pound 86 posts in about 5 hours .

Have a good one,
Neil.

 

[Charolais]

Soundguy, I'm happy I made your day. In my opinion you took my reply, picked it apart to suit your needs. Kinda reminds me of election 2004. But that's OK. /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

When you highlighted my words the first one should have been DROUGHT. I'd sure like to see you run a fence your way in those conditions in this soil.

In normal soil conditions I don't sharpen post or predrill holes. I hit the post 12-15 times and it's set.

I'll give you one more thing to laugh at. In 1999 it got so dry here I couldn't drill the pilot hole. I used a 55 gal. drum (filled with water) and a pressure washer to blast a hole in the ground. Once I was down about 2 feet I'd let the pressure washer wet the soil by injecting it with the water. It worked.

I ran fence the way you do for 25 years. When I have to use that method again I'll sell all the cows and sit on my butt.

If you haven't tried it don't knock it.

And thanks Mike. /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

 

[DocHeb]

I haven't found anybody renting drivers in Michigan - and that's after a lot of Googling and calling.

 

[cowboydoc]

Dan,

You can easily do it with one person. I usually have a person move the tractor for me and then I run the pounder. All of the post pounding is done with a little lever on the side of the post pounder. Then you have controls to move the top of the pounder right and left and forward and backward. All you have to do is move the tractor and then get off, square up your pounder, level your post, pound, level, pound, level and pound. It's extremely easy to do.

Mike and I both have the worksaver. I've put in thousands of posts with mine without hardly a problem.

I use square posts as they are much easier to get level and pound better.

 

[cowboydoc]

I don't do any of those things. Never had to but I have no idea the conditions charolais had. I'm sure what he was quoting was just for extreme conditions. I don't think he would do that for every post. If I have someone on the tractor I can put a post in every 3-5 minutes. We do miles of fence and there's no way I could do it without a pounder. You could take away any of my implements but the post pounder would be the last one I would let go of hands down.

 

[rockinmywaypa]

In our area 90% of posts are pushed and pounded in using attachments on backhoes. A buddy owns a fencing business and there are probably a half dozen more in the area. Anyhow He has a peeler/sharpener that leaves a pencil point on the post as it peels off the bark. I purchase the posts from him and he can then push them in with the backhoe. This part is a heavy tube about 10 in id made out of 2 in thick steel that replaces the bucket on the hoe. Strech a wire out for a straight line or eyeball the post as you hold it until he sets the tube over then he sets it in the ground as I'am walking to the next post. We have put in as many as 80 posts in an hour, so for usually a 2 or 3 hour charge he,ll put in all the posts needed and then i can put on the wire later. Yes sometimes rocks are hit and splinters the post but he's pretty crafty at straightening them up and knows how much force to give it. I have no investment in this stuff that I wouldn't need to often. He has a 3 or 4 man crew that He uses to do a complete job and they are even faster but I've never hired them to do a complete start to finish job.

 

[Egon]

Good gosh - how things change. The last time I put in a fence post one used a crowbar and 15 Pound sledge or a posthole digger that had a handle on it.

Egon /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif