Need to build a fence - help!

[Blk88GT]

We had a storm go through last night, and it knocked down a 12 foot section of my fence. I'm actually surprised it took this long, being that the fence was rotten 6 years ago when I bought the place.

The fence is roughly 60 feet long, and faces west to an open field. It provides privacy and a windbreak for my property. We get some pretty good winds coming across the field, last night was over 65mph!

I'd like to rebuild the fence with some treated lumber, but my main question is, how to set the posts, and how deep? I'd like to have the fence 5-6 feet high.

Do I use a post hole digger, and go down 4-5 feet, and set the post in some gravel? Or should I just push the post down into the mud? How much of the post needs to be sunk?

I don't have the PHD, but this may be a good excuse to go halfers on one with my dad who will need a fence in the near future.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Western]

Is this a wooden privacy fence?
I'm a big believer in using concrete in post holes, If this is wood fence you can get metal pipe for the post, 2 7/8". I like the heavy pipe from a steel yard (harder to bend) but regular hardware store post are used alot (chainlink) type. I usually dig 24" in average soil, get buy at 18" in rock, If you have extremely soft deep soil you may want to go deeper, even if you use wood post I use cement, creates larger surface to hold agianst substrate and adds wieght, just remember to slightly raise cement up at post about 1/8" to allow water to flow away from post to retared rot/rust. I do this commercialy all the time, (not so much fence anymore, steel pipe "car stoppers")throught ashpalt, concrete and dirt and it's almost the same every time.
good luck

 

[Spiveyman]

I'm not an expert, there will likely be many behind me here that are, but here's my 2 cents. First of all, you have an excuse, buy a toy, uh I mean an implement!!! Do it. You cannot beat the handiness of a 3pt phd. Woods makes an awesome one.
As for me, I'd burry 3' of the posts with concrete to make sure they stay put. You may have to do that last bit by hand if the auger won't reach. That's what we do.

Good luck man.

 

[Blk88GT]

You read my mind. Job = implement purchase

I'll be using cedartone pressure treated lumber for the fence. I was thinking of using an 8' post and burying 3 feet of it. I've been warned that using concrete on treated lumber will eat the wood. Any truth to this?

 

[Greyfields]

What's your soil like? Is it waterlogged, clay, free draining? The general answers would be:

1) Waterlogged soil. Set washed rock in the bottom of the hole and place the post upon that. You can hardly go wrong with 3' embedment on a post. Backfill the hole with crushed rock or more washed rock.

2) Clay. Soils will tend to consolidate, and your posts sink. A concrete block beneath the post will help with this, then backfill with crushed rock. Do NOT NOT NOT NOT pour the concrete around a wood post, ever.

3) Free draining. You can probably auger 1', then push the post 2' more feet down using your front loader (fill it with dirt first). Backfill with soil or crushed rock, but soil should do fine as long as you compact it well.

As for concrete reacting with wood and water.... this surely can happen, but it really depends on the rock which was used to make the concrete. There is something called "ALKALI-SILICA REACTIVITY" which can occur in concrete. This caused the concrete to fail and kinda eat anything it touches, including wood. There is no way to know if this will be a problem for you until it happens, at which point you're out the fence posts anyhow.

 

[Blk88GT]

Soil is somewhat clay-ish, and wet where this fence is on my property.

 

[KaiB]

I wouldn't put anything in the ground if it weren't treated to at least .60 CCA. It can be found for ag use.

 

[ToadHill]

I'd set the 8ft posts 3ft into the ground. Drill the hole 4 ft deep, and put 1 ft of gravel in the bottom. Set the post and backfill with gravel that you tamp down. This method should give you a post that will outlast you.

At my place I just go to the back corner of the property and cut some black locust. You can put that into the ground and count on it lasting 50 years.

 

[JoeinTX]

"I'd set the 8ft posts 3ft into the ground. Drill the hole 4 ft deep, and put 1 ft of gravel in the bottom. Set the post and backfill with gravel that you tamp down. This method should give you a post that will outlast you.

At my place I just go to the back corner of the property and cut some black locust. You can put that into the ground and count on it lasting 50 years."

Ditto. 3' is a good rule of thumb and some lasting fence has been built simply filling in the post hole and tamping-down tight. While we use almost steel exclusively, we did build a 3-wire cross fence years ago using 8' used telephone pole sections. The PHD auger cut only a moderately larger circumference hole than the poles themselves and when we put them in, they didn't need a whole lot of tamping to get solid. Your fence won't face that kind of stress so it should be more than sufficient.

 

[Spiveyman]

Greyfields, Thanks for the tips. At least I got the 3' part right! I'd not heard that a about the concrete eating the wood. Hmmm.... could explain a few things...

I have mostly Beasly Silt Loam where I'm fencing (just got the soil map from the NRCS). I'll try that option #2 above. Cool.

Blk88GT, enjoy that PHD. In my spare time (which is not often) I work on justifying projects that need to be done according to what implement I want to buy next. Of course a piece of jewelry for my wife doesn't hurt either.