How do I set the 16' fence boards for pasture fence, level or with the ground? *Pics*

[Mace Canute]

Whenever I set posts I always apply extra copper based wood treat to the buried portion of the posts, letting it soak in between several applications because the depth of the treat on treated posts form your big box stores strikes me as being too shallow. It's cheap and it doesn't really take long to do it and if it extends the life of my posts any amount, I figure it's time and money well spent.

I've used the "just add water" bagged concrete mix to secure posts around my yard sometimes mixing it first with water and sometimes just tamping the dry mix into the hole because it's less messy. The natural moisture in the soil gradually turns it into rock hard concrete. I've also just tamped the clay I've dug out for the hole to hold the posts which works well when there is minimal side load on them. At work we often used crushed rock to fill the hole around the power poles we set. The poles were very securely held, very difficult to pull one when it was set like that and they were equally resistant to leaning. For an ordinary fence post I think pea gravel would be a good choice.

Last year I was tooling around Rona and came across this stuff. Fast 2K Fence Post Backfill | RONA I think it might be better than concrete since it should bond to the post and prevent air and water (two thing necessary for rot to take place) from contacting the buried portion of the post. I've never used it but I might someday in the future..."just because".

 

[DrRod]

We always used locust posts set in holes about a foot and a half or two feet deep. They lasted at least 20 years and some much longer. When they do rot, its just at the ground level. The wood in the hole is always hard and the post above ground is still solid except for the flat tops. But right along the ground line they eventually rotted.

This last time we used commercial treated posts with a point on one end. The contractor had a bobcat with a small auger and a pile driver sort of thing. So he just made a starter hole and then drove the post into the ground to a preset level. We'll see how long they last.

 

[CADplans]

A contractor came to fence a neighbors place,, then another neighbor saw the work occuring,, and had his place fenced.

The contractor used treated posts, concrete every few posts,,, and oak boards.
After 15 years, the posts are perfect,,, ALL of the oak boards are rotted.

I guess they use oak, because the horses will chew the boards,, treated will kill the horse?

My daughter bought one of those places with the fence,,,
here is a pic from a couple weeks ago,,

A 5 year old climbing on those boards would tear them down,,,
we are trying to decide what to put up for boards,,, now.

BTW,, that fence follows the terrain.

 

[Dftodd]

It's easier to just run a string line one foot off the ground. Then measure up the posts to set your height.

When running the string line, pull it good and tight. Then adjust in the middle occasionally based on the ground using additional support for the string.

When installing posts, once you figure out your desired height, measure from the top of the post down to the string line. That gives you your measurement for the rest of the posts. Then mark the rest of the posts that need to be installed using that measurement. That mark gets lined up with the string line. By adjusting your depth of the holes as needed, it bypasses the need to cut down the posts after install. Then figuring out where to run your boards, you can use the same measurement from the top down each time