Post pounding new fence questions.

[City Farmer]

Hi all.

I used the search function but could not find what I was looking for.
I bought a Shaver HD8 a while back at auction and have a couple questions on post pounding.

I live in Michigan and people are telling me to pound the post in big end in first. To me, that doesn稚 make much sense because I would have to tamp each post. I think the small end should go in first but I am worried a about the frost heaving the post. The posts are all 8.5?9 long cedar and the ground is mostly sand/clay mix with about 10-12 of topsoil.

1) Should I spray the cedar posts with oil or stain before installing?
2) Is the small or large end driven in the ground first?

Thanks,
Andy

 

[CADplans]

Small end first, and a blunt (flat) cut, not pointed,,
If you hit a rock, the blunt cut will drive the rock down, rather than veering to the side, as a pointed cut would.

 

[Tippmann98]

Small end first and you will not need to tamp anything. Pounded posts are the strongest posts because you are not disrupting a bunch of ground like you do with an auger. We pastured 13 acres a few years ago and none of the posts have moved. Have hit them with the mower before and they are SOLID. I live in Ohio. We had 8ft long posts and put 4ft in the ground.

 

[3Ts]

Drive fence post small end down, just like they do when driving pilings. The ground will be compressed and the post won't move. The fence post is a miniature piling.

 

[Birdhunter1]

I've done the bigger end before and they are still solid, but like everyone else has said they will drive easier small end in the dirt and will still be solid.

 

[City Farmer]

Thanks for the input everyone, small end it is. :thumbsup:

The neighbors told me again yesterday I was crazy with the small end down because they will pop out and become loose in the winter frost. We will see what happens next winter.