Where to purchase PT Fence posts

[EddieWalker]

The farther a product has to be transported, the more it costs, so all the different companies pretty much all buy their products from the same place. Where I'm at in East Texas, Home Depot, Lowes, Tractor Supply, Ace, McCoys, and Atwoods all sell two different types of 8 foot treated round fence posts. 8 inch for corners and 5 inch for line posts. There is some difference in cost with Atwoods being the cheapest. They all have the same problem of some posts not remaining true the longer they sit at the store.

All treated wood is now more susceptible to this because of the changes in how the wood is treated which requires massive amounts of water being forced into the wood, and the extended amount of time it takes to dry out. Sometimes the wood changes shape during this drying out period. I try to find the lightest posts that I can because they are less likely to bend as they continue to dry out.

 

[s219]

Eddie's post made me remember something else I like about the Tractor Supply posts -- they are always bone dry. So much of the PT wood I get at Lowes is sopping wet, as though it just came out of treatment. Not only does that make it insanely heavy to work with, it really compromises stability of the wood as it dries, and I do not trust it. Have a lot of experience with that wood turning into a hockey stick after it dries. So being able to get those big honking posts at Tractor Supply and having them be bone dry is a good thing to me.

 

[jfh28]

why the need for the round shape......if you can go to a square shape 4x4x8' pt posts are available almost anywhere.......just a thought.....Jack

 

[rgr33]

I don’t know where you are located, or how many posts you need, but I bought over a thousand pt posts, delivered, from Panhandle Forest Products. You can find them on the web.

That was in 1998, and I am just starting to lose 3-5 each year.

 

[stuckmotor]

Location makes sense. I am in South MS. The issue is that I need about 98 posts. This makes ordering from a supplier outside the area cost prohibitive.

Does anyone have any experience with the Tractor Supply posts?

That's right. Shipping a load of those bad boys any great distance might burn someone a new "post" hole.

 

[QRTRHRS]

why the need for the round shape......if you can go to a square shape 4x4x8' pt posts are available almost anywhere.......just a thought.....Jack

The idea that I have mostly come across while looking into this based on the growth rings radiating from the center of the post is that by cutting into the growth rings weakens the structure of the posts.

I would be more concerned with the method of treatment. ACQ for instance requires stainless or some other specially treated hardware. Not sure about every state but the CCA treated posts are still allowable for agriculture and utility uses. Hardware can deteriorate in CCA but in my experiance not as quickly or to the degree that it does in ACQ.

I have read of square posts warping over time making a fence not as attractive as when new. It also takes more time to align the posts. When I set a round post, I eyeball the post's "plane" and set any warpage so it is visible from the side and straight along the fence line. Though not quite attractive to a perfectionist, a straight fence line is stronger than one that deviates. I also set the worst posts aside to use in a more out of the way location.

 

[QRTRHRS]

I don’t know where you are located, or how many posts you need, but I bought over a thousand pt posts, delivered, from Panhandle Forest Products. You can find them on the web.

That was in 1998, and I am just starting to lose 3-5 each year.

Were they southern pine or a species more indigenous to your area? The reason I ask is that I have read that some pine species do not perform as well as southern pine when treated. Longevity does change with soils but 20 years and that amount of loss seems excessive to me?

 

[Atchuuu]

why the need for the round shape......if you can go to a square shape 4x4x8' pt posts are available almost anywhere.......just a thought.....Jack

I am using RAMM Fencing and it requires round posts at the corners and end posts. I think the round posts will outlast the 4x4 and the 6x6 is just too expensive.

That's right. Shipping a load of those bad boys any great distance might burn someone a new "post" hole.

:laughing: Yep, and many of the manufacturers have a minimum order to ship. I thought I found a local company but they only ship in bundles of 60. I need 103 of the 5" and they wont split a load. I need 10 of the 6' and they will ship no less than 30.

I have used the large-size (6-8" I believe) Tractor Supply posts many times, with good luck so far. I like that they are not veneer cores -- they are basically a log section that has been treated. So far no complaints. Probably used 40-50 of them for various projects, mostly gate posts. About 10 of them are used as pilings to support the 40' of stairs down to my pier. I sure hope those never develop problems as that is one project I don't want to repeat.

TSC was my first choice but they are out of the 6" posts and can't tell me when they will get them back in stock. Their posts are treated to .40. I have found other suppliers that treat to .80 and even 1.5. Not sure how much difference it makes but I only want to do this once.

 

[Atchuuu]

why the need for the round shape......if you can go to a square shape 4x4x8' pt posts are available almost anywhere.......just a thought.....Jack

That's right. Shipping a load of those bad boys any great distance might burn someone a new "post" hole.

I have used the large-size (6-8" I believe) Tractor Supply posts many times, with good luck so far. I like that they are not veneer cores -- they are basically a log section that has been treated. So far no complaints. Probably used 40-50 of them for various projects, mostly gate posts. About 10 of them are used as pilings to support the 40' of stairs down to my pier. I sure hope those never develop problems as that is one project I don't want to repeat.

The farther a product has to be transported, the more it costs, so all the different companies pretty much all buy their products from the same place. Where I'm at in East Texas, Home Depot, Lowes, Tractor Supply, Ace, McCoys, and Atwoods all sell two different types of 8 foot treated round fence posts. 8 inch for corners and 5 inch for line posts. There is some difference in cost with Atwoods being the cheapest. They all have the same problem of some posts not remaining true the longer they sit at the store.

All treated wood is now more susceptible to this because of the changes in how the wood is treated which requires massive amounts of water being forced into the wood, and the extended amount of time it takes to dry out. Sometimes the wood changes shape during this drying out period. I try to find the lightest posts that I can because they are less likely to bend as they continue to dry out.

I have not found anyone locally that carries a 8"x8' posts. I am very surprised that round fence posts are not more readily available. I see plenty of farms with them but almost no local lumber yards carry them and most can't, or won't, order them. This doesn't seem to be an issue for most of you.

 

[stuckmotor]

I am using RAMM Fencing and it requires round posts at the corners and end posts. I think the round posts will outlast the 4x4 and the 6x6 is just too expensive.

:laughing: Yep, and many of the manufacturers have a minimum order to ship. I thought I found a local company but they only ship in bundles of 60. I need 103 of the 5" and they wont split a load. I need 10 of the 6' and they will ship no less than 30.

TSC was my first choice but they are out of the 6" posts and can't tell me when they will get them back in stock. Their posts are treated to .40. I have found other suppliers that treat to .80 and even 1.5. Not sure how much difference it makes but I only want to do this once.

If you have a truck you might call the other nearby Tractor Supply stores. Our local store was out of hay rings and I found plenty at their store in the next county.