How to fix leaning plastic fence?

[GPintheMitten]

The place I bought has a nice white three rail plastic fence around the front pasture. The problem is that the prevailing west winds have caused the north / south runs to lean toward the east.

Anyone have the same problem? How did you straighten the fence?

 

[Sysop]

Sounds to me like when the posts were set they just tossed the dirt in the holes and if they compacted anything, they had too much dirt in the hole and only compacted the top layers. Pretty much the fix is to redo it properly. Pull the post, make the hole, hold the post plumb, fill in only an inch or two of dirt at a time and hit it with the spudbar to compact it as you go. If you don't compact it as you go the bottom of the post stays loose and the compaction at the surface acts as a fulcrum point shifting the bottoms to the west and the tops to the east. If they are compacted all the way down, it can still lean the fence but the effects are not as quick or drastic. I've seen this a lot in my area with the fences installed by Lowes and Home Depot, they just toss the dirt in the hole around the post and step on it to compact it... I asked one Lowes guy I saw installing one like that a couple summers ago and asked why he wasn't compacting it with a spudbar as he filled the hole, he said "oh first time it rains it will all settle in and be fine.". This past winter laid that fence on the ground...

 

[KennyG]

As a minimum effort first try, just wait until the ground is wet. Then push the posts vertical and tamp dirt down into the gap that results on the downwind side. You might also force rocks into the gap. I fixed my mailbox this way after a few snowplow passes pushed it off plumb. It's been OK for a couple of years now.

 

[GPintheMitten]

As a minimum effort first try, just wait until the ground is wet. Then push the posts vertical and tamp dirt down into the gap that results on the downwind side. You might also force rocks into the gap. I fixed my mailbox this way after a few snowplow passes pushed it off plumb. It's been OK for a couple of years now.

Thanks KennyG. The ground is saturated with the thaw and spring rain. I can give that a try.

I noticed some crushed rock around the posts. They must have used that to back fill the holes after the posts were set. I was thinking that I may have to take some material out of the way on the other side to make room for the post.

But I wanted to see if anyone had any other ideas.... I'll go out and try it and see if I have success... and not break any of these posts.

 

[GPintheMitten]

Thanks SysOps. I think minimal compaction may have been the culprit. I hope I don't have to pull and reinstall.

 

[GPintheMitten]

Hey. Good news! I tried it and it worked on 8 posts. I used the hand post hole digger and took a few scoops out to make room to lean the post back, pulled back on the top and stuff some dirt on the other side. I got about 50 more posts to go on the north / south runs. It's a little hard on this 65 year old back but doable. I'll try and get the son-in-law to go out there and help me. I'll tell him how fun it is.

 

[davrow]

I'll tell him how fun it is.

I suggest lieing instead.

 

[KennyG]

Good news. Got any grandsons? They are sometimes more gullible.

 

[GPintheMitten]

Good news. Got any grandsons? They are sometimes more gullible.

Actually I do have a couple grandsons. Maybe I should get my son and his 2 sons out here.

Anyway. Thanks guys. Sometimes things are simple. This job won't take a diesel mechanic or a rocket scientist.

 

[oldnslo]

Sometimes things are simple. This job won't take a diesel mechanic or a rocket scientist.

Just a strong back and weak mind.. trouble is my back is getting like my mind, weaker by the day