crystallake
Bronze Member
Planning to put in about 800 feet along a county road with two gates in the line. Going to use barbed wire. Anyone have a good design for H-Braces made from square or rectangle tubing.
Welded fence braces
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BukitCase
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Did mine from 3" square tube, .187" wall - capped the tops to keep rain out, put 6" "elephant feet" (flat plate) on bottoms, set them up so 3' in ground, 5' above with cross piece (also 3" tube)centered on the above-ground part - drilled holes with 1-man auger, dropped a shovelful of gravel in holes, set the brace, filled with Sakrete, troweled off slightly above ground and sloped AWAY from post. Sorry, no pix - my friends laugh at me enough (till they can't figure out how to accomplish something 
)
10 years later - all still in place, couple have soil around the upper 3-4" of concrete eroded, still holding tension (if you're a musician, think "middle C" :laughing:
Things I'd do different - No way I'd do another corner (double H) that way again, too hard to get all holes lined up and too heavy to put in without a helper and a loader or backhoe. Even the single H gets too much for painless install.
Also - if you start with NEW steel, ask for 24' lengths instead of 20, you can get 3 8 footers per stick that way - good chance you'll end up with less scrap.
Next time (and unfortunately there WILL be a next time) I now have a big enough genny, air compressor, air powered T post driver and inverter welder, so I will sink posts separately (either drive them in or same as before), THEN I'll cut cross piece to fit between the posts, and the cross piece will get welded in ON SITE and oriented so corners of tubing are UP and DOWN so water won't stand. Drowning it in rustoleum optional, but a good idea...
BTW, if you rotate the horizontal tube that way, it should be 2", it will come out just shy of same width as the 3".
Field fencing usually comes in 20 rod rolls (330 feet) so that's how far apart I'll do H's, then fill in with air driven T posts.
My project is just under a half mile and I'm too old to wanna hurt myself any more than necessary, so before it happens I will be building a field fencing unroller that will be kinda like a bale spear with a platform behind it, so I can go to the pallet of field fencing, spear a roll, stand it up, run the end thru the tensioner, drive to the end of the last roll, tie off, drive 330 feet, tie off, repeat as necessary -
I'm kind of a "mad scientist/dangerous inventer" type, so right now this part is just random neuron firings in my head - sorry, no plans/sketches yet, too many other projects in line before it... Steve
)10 years later - all still in place, couple have soil around the upper 3-4" of concrete eroded, still holding tension (if you're a musician, think "middle C" :laughing:
Things I'd do different - No way I'd do another corner (double H) that way again, too hard to get all holes lined up and too heavy to put in without a helper and a loader or backhoe. Even the single H gets too much for painless install.
Also - if you start with NEW steel, ask for 24' lengths instead of 20, you can get 3 8 footers per stick that way - good chance you'll end up with less scrap.
Next time (and unfortunately there WILL be a next time) I now have a big enough genny, air compressor, air powered T post driver and inverter welder, so I will sink posts separately (either drive them in or same as before), THEN I'll cut cross piece to fit between the posts, and the cross piece will get welded in ON SITE and oriented so corners of tubing are UP and DOWN so water won't stand. Drowning it in rustoleum optional, but a good idea...
BTW, if you rotate the horizontal tube that way, it should be 2", it will come out just shy of same width as the 3".
Field fencing usually comes in 20 rod rolls (330 feet) so that's how far apart I'll do H's, then fill in with air driven T posts.
My project is just under a half mile and I'm too old to wanna hurt myself any more than necessary, so before it happens I will be building a field fencing unroller that will be kinda like a bale spear with a platform behind it, so I can go to the pallet of field fencing, spear a roll, stand it up, run the end thru the tensioner, drive to the end of the last roll, tie off, drive 330 feet, tie off, repeat as necessary -
I'm kind of a "mad scientist/dangerous inventer" type, so right now this part is just random neuron firings in my head - sorry, no plans/sketches yet, too many other projects in line before it... Steve
BukitCase
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Oh, 'nuther thing - if you leave the upright where the gate will hinge, TALLER by a couple feet - it can be the anchor point for a tension cable so the gate won't sag... Steve
STx
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I bought some surplus 2" Sch 40 galvanized pipe to make my H posts. Cost me about $30 per 24' joint. Welding galvanized material sucks but, it'll most likely outlast my grand kids.
I set the post individually and then cut, notched and welded the cross braces in the field.
I set the post individually and then cut, notched and welded the cross braces in the field.
MinnesotaDaveChalmers
Platinum Member
Citydude
Elite Member
C4Ranch
Veteran Member
Did mine from 3" square tube, .187" wall - capped the tops to keep rain out, put 6" "elephant feet" (flat plate) on bottoms, set them up so 3' in ground, 5' above with cross piece (also 3" tube)centered on the above-ground part - drilled holes with 1-man auger, dropped a shovelful of gravel in holes, set the brace, filled with Sakrete, troweled off slightly above ground and sloped AWAY from post. Sorry, no pix - my friends laugh at me enough (till they can't figure out how to accomplish something
10 years later - all still in place, couple have soil around the upper 3-4" of concrete eroded, still holding tension (if you're a musician, think "middle C" :laughing:
Things I'd do different - No way I'd do another corner (double H) that way again, too hard to get all holes lined up and too heavy to put in without a helper and a loader or backhoe. Even the single H gets too much for painless install.
Also - if you start with NEW steel, ask for 24' lengths instead of 20, you can get 3 8 footers per stick that way - good chance you'll end up with less scrap.
Next time (and unfortunately there WILL be a next time) I now have a big enough genny, air compressor, air powered T post driver and inverter welder, so I will sink posts separately (either drive them in or same as before)
What kind of T post driver do u have? Like it (pros/cons) Was thinking about a gas powered one but air might be cheaper since I have genny and compressor.
EddieWalker
Epic Contributor
For maximum strength, you want the cross piece to be 2/3's of the way up. Not in the middle, not at the top. If you put it somewhere else, you will probably never notice the difference, that's just the strongest place. All corners should have diagonal bracing with the pipe attached 2/3's up and into the ground several feet. The deeper the better. Usually you set a post, or pipe straight into the ground with about a foot sticking up. Then weld it all together.
Depth of posts is where most people get into trouble. Soil moves when it gets wet and freezes. This is when posts get pushed out of the ground, so you want to be deeper then the how far down the ground freezes. Generally we're fine with 3 feet in East Texas, but in some soils, 4 feet is hit or miss if it will move on you.
I've spoken to several fence builders and they claim that a post driven into the ground will hold better then one set in concrete. One guy told me that he did a test for a client. He drove one post in, then set the other in concrete. He then had the owner of the ranch pull each one out with his tractor. The one in concrete came out easier. I trust him, and believe his story, and that's how I'm planning on doing my next big fence project.
Depth of posts is where most people get into trouble. Soil moves when it gets wet and freezes. This is when posts get pushed out of the ground, so you want to be deeper then the how far down the ground freezes. Generally we're fine with 3 feet in East Texas, but in some soils, 4 feet is hit or miss if it will move on you.
I've spoken to several fence builders and they claim that a post driven into the ground will hold better then one set in concrete. One guy told me that he did a test for a client. He drove one post in, then set the other in concrete. He then had the owner of the ranch pull each one out with his tractor. The one in concrete came out easier. I trust him, and believe his story, and that's how I'm planning on doing my next big fence project.
crackerjack222
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On my ranch in so TX I have a number of 2 7/8" pipe posts that were driven in. The posts are 10', driven in 5' and most are part of a welded H-brace. Some have been in for about 4 years and all are holding well. Since I don't have a driver, if I set a post I use a 4' hole (for H-braces) and set the post in concrete. Line posts are usually 8' 2 3/8" and set in 3' concrete. All done that way have held up well. Lately I have had access to used telephone poles. I have been setting 9' poles in 4' holes, well tamped. Most have been part of H-braces and gate posts. If the fence is a relatively short run I will use a single H. If it is at the end of a long run, I will use a double H. YMMV
I might add that my hydraulic post hole digger will go to 48" but still leaves some loose fill in the hole. To get that out, I put longer handles (about 6' of 1/2" pipe) on a manual post hole digger. that gets the bottom of the hole clean.
I might add that my hydraulic post hole digger will go to 48" but still leaves some loose fill in the hole. To get that out, I put longer handles (about 6' of 1/2" pipe) on a manual post hole digger. that gets the bottom of the hole clean.