Does your 3 point post hole digger dig down 3 feet straight?

   / Does your 3 point post hole digger dig down 3 feet straight? #21  
I would just drill with a larger auger and back fill with crushed rock. The post are then self tightening. As the crushed rock settles it tightens around the post. With a bigger hole you can set the posts straight and then back fill.
 
   / Does your 3 point post hole digger dig down 3 feet straight? #22  
I cannot imagine driving in posts, On my property it is difficult to drive in a T-post deep enough to bury the plate. It is an event if i can pound a ground rod in the ground. And forget about getting an auger to three feet. When they were drilling my well they had to move twice because they hit rocks that the drill could not get through.
 
   / Does your 3 point post hole digger dig down 3 feet straight? #23  
I have seen the term railroad ties for a few years aand thought it was the metal 'clamp' that held the rail to the timber, I just assumed everyone called them sleepers, not used for fencing here as they cost many times more than treated posts, even used ones are sold by garden supplies as decorative garden bed edging, typically about $50-90 for a 10' in redgum which is rock hard and heavy.
 
   / Does your 3 point post hole digger dig down 3 feet straight? #24  
No, @bunyip, a railroad tie in North America refers to an 8x8" or 10x10" creosote saturated piece of wood, sometimes softwood, often hardwood, usually used, but occasionally new. Upside is that they are very termite resistant. The downside, well, creosote is a known carcinogen and contaminates land and water, not to mention that it transfers to anything that touches it.

Consumer grade new ties are often not treated to the same levels of older railroad ties. Boron treated ties are not readily obtainable for consumers. Pressure treated here tends to mean some form of copper, usually quartenary, AQS, at varying levels. The highest level is "rated for ground contact", but the fine print says that it may not be in direct contact with soil. Commercial uses tend to require excavation of the post, treatment with copper paste, wrapping to prevent water transport, and backfilling. Worth it on an electrical pole, not so much on a fence post. Treated posts can last only four or five years here in California before the subterranean termites/beetles/ants have eaten it out.

Concrete or metal sleepers exist in North America, but they aren't common. Quality concrete fence posts are basically unobtainable here. You can find cheap, but not strong or durable concrete posts. I know kiwi fruit farmers who imported concrete posts from down under after trying, but failing, to find domestic producers of comparable quality posts.

All the best,

Peter
 
   / Does your 3 point post hole digger dig down 3 feet straight? #25  
I got a butt load of used railroad ties for $10 each to build my shooting backstop. Smelly old things. cutting them would dull a chainsaw blade with 2 cuts.
 
   / Does your 3 point post hole digger dig down 3 feet straight? #26  
I can buy all the used, but in good condition, RR ties I want for about $13 ea...

IF, I saw out RR ties to sell to a tie buyer, they have to be 7"x9" x 101", and they must be hardwood, no soft wood...

They pay after they grade them...and they want decent quality ties.

SR
 
   / Does your 3 point post hole digger dig down 3 feet straight? #27  
We sold 12 before we moved almost a year ago, one potential buyer wanted me to cut them in half, not a hope, they were about 40 year old red gum and full of sand and blue metal grit, my chainsaw wouldn't get halfway through one without destroying the chain.
The new ones here are now pre stressed concrete and the old redgum 'ties' (hows that, I said it) are gradually all being replaced.
Railway ballast is blue metal and years of wear sees the dust get into the timber and track cleaners sandblast the rails and over the years it all becomes embedded, no preservatives, nothing has teeth sharp enough to eat redgum, cast iron has similar qualities but is softer.
 
   / Does your 3 point post hole digger dig down 3 feet straight?
  • Thread Starter
#28  
My property was fenced in 1930 with used railroad ties that were taken up where new ones were installed. These ties were probably over 50 years old at that time. Creosote can preserve them an amazingly long time. About one third of them still remain in use.

Railroad tracks cross my property and used or overstocked ties are frequently thrown to the side on my property. The new ties are environmentally friendly and are made of old tires. These rubber ties are very strong and heavy and there is no telling how long they will last. They had experimented using concrete ties for a while and they were too hard to use, more expensive and needed special equipment to install them and broke down too often.

 
   / Does your 3 point post hole digger dig down 3 feet straight? #29  
they use concrete ties here. all automated install and track laying. amazing to watch.


never heard of rubber ties
 
   / Does your 3 point post hole digger dig down 3 feet straight? #30  
I haven't seen rubber either but certainly sounds interesting, recycled tyres are used for road resurfacing to playground surfacing, much different density between the two with the latter being soft, feels like walking on a firm sponge, idea was to save little arms and legs from breaking when falling off equipment, road surfacing is mixed with other materials.
 
 
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