Fencing Help

[robbyr]

Well i built one using 4 x 4's and 1 x 6's. Mine is a yard fence having a top board, a bottom board, and then two making an x shape between the posts. Our ground is alot of clay and so hard auger would only drill so far and thats with my son riding it for weight. So, pour some water in hole and move on to next one, come back and clean it out with hand diggers. When finished, painted it black. When set each post, put one sack of sackrete in hole then topped off with dirt. After four years, looks pretty good from the front, but if you look down the tops of fence its not straight any more. We have used a post driver before building fence. Most of the posts would drive fairly level until about the last few inches and then get off. And you cant straighten it.

 

[Smallplot]

If this is just an ornamental fence I would suggest vinyl. I have even saw metal stakes you drive into the ground which hold the post upright. That way no having to use a post hole digger at all and no rot. Another option may be to dig holes and fill them all with concrete and put a post connector in the top of concrete before it dries. Again no wood below ground level but as long as wooden post would fit the connection you could still have your wooden fence.

 

[wixthedog]

I would suggest round posts, for some reason they last longer. I don't know why but I have seen several examples of this happening. A 9" auger will do you just fine and allow you to true your fence a little easier. All of my line posts are 6" and I have done a million of them with a 9" auger bit. Buy a San Angelo bar to tamp with, it will be your best friend and most hated foe by the end of the day!

More than likely the black stuff you are seeing is either creosite or post tar. You can buy a gallon, or 5 gallon, pail of the post tar at TSC. It is supposed to be applied to the part of the post that is in the ground to form a water barrier. It is also applied to the tops to keep water from rotting the post from the top. I don't use the stuff and have not seen where I needed to unless it would be a post in a creek bed. I always top my posts even with an angke to aid in watershed anyhow.

I meant to type 4" line posts...sorry.

 

[blueriver]

I have alot of fence. My favorite is the 3 rail white vinyl. I intalled 1320' in 2004 and its still like new ... easy to clean with a pressure washer. I did run an electric wire on the inside, easy to do just screw the insulator to the vinyl post ... that keeps the cows, horse's or what ever away from it.

My least favorite is the 3 rail wood around the house ... the weather is heck on it, boards twist, bow, crack and it always needs maintainence.

I also have 5 strand barbed wire, 5 strand horse wire ... yards with cattle panels ...

Again my favorite is the vinyl ... cost more ... but unless a fire comes thru I don't believe I will ever have to replace it.

 

[MossflowerWoods]

I have alot of fence. My favorite is the 3 rail white vinyl. I intalled 1320' in 2004 and its still like new ... easy to clean with a pressure washer. I did run an electric wire on the inside, easy to do just screw the insulator to the vinyl post ... that keeps the cows, horse's or what ever away from it.

My least favorite is the 3 rail wood around the house ... the weather is heck on it, boards twist, bow, crack and it always needs maintainence.

I also have 5 strand barbed wire, 5 strand horse wire ... yards with cattle panels ...

Again my favorite is the vinyl ... cost more ... but unless a fire comes thru I don't believe I will ever have to replace it.

If I might ask, How Much More?

If my wife hears about it I suspect I am toast...

David

 

[two_bit_score]

Ok, so I am new to all this farming and property owning stuff.

I plan to do some fencing work. 3 board fencing.

Do I use round or square posts? I prefer square posts b/c they are easier to nail baords to.

What size auger bit should I get? I plan to get the 3 point auger attachment at TSC but don't want to buy the wrong size auger bit and have to buy a second one.

I think I will use 4x4 posts if square and round 6" posts.

I see this black stuff on the fencing also. What brand or type should I buy?

What are you fencing in/out? Is the purpose just decorative?

Round posts don't warp like square posts.

What kind of soils do you have where you will be putting your posts?

 

[blueriver]

If I might ask, How Much More?

If my wife hears about it I suspect I am toast...

David

Well thats a hard one ... been a few years. I'm thinking the material was close to the $3 a foot at that time or about $4K ... I fiqured it would be the last fence for that 1/4 mile... and it was road side and sure looks good.

Recently I saw on CL a fence company advertising vinyl 3 rail for $5.50 a foot for the material ... discount for large orders.

Now to answer the question ... at the time I think about 20% more than 3 rail wood (treated) ... barbed wire could be bought for $30 bucks a roll and T post where like $1.75 ... good corners where also less expensive than today so a 1/4 mile of 5 strand was cheap.

As for the 3 rail vinyl at first I didn't have the electric wire on it and the cows would put their heads thru to reach the grass on the other side...never broke it or got out ... I didn't like that so up went the wire and solar fence charger.

 

[blueriver]

Also if you go vinyl there is a trick to it. Got to be dead on for the 16' rails they have clips to install on the ends to hold the rail into the post.

You can not just pull up a string mark the holes at 8' O.C. and go drill them all cause you will be off and find yourself doing alot of hand digging.

I pulled up 1320' of poly baler twine as tight as I could without breaking ... put in some t-post to keep the string off the ground. Started on one end and blasted in several holes only to find I was reeming them out to maintain the 8' o.c. then I changed up and I used the actual 16' vinyl rail ... laid in the ground centered on the last post installed and then measured the 8' used the hand PHD to start the pilot hole and then another one at the end of the 16' rail and went on 2 holes at a time installing the rails as I went.

I would also go about 100' up the line and get the string height where I wanted it for the top of the vinyl post use a rubber mallet to tap the post down to the string height, plumb the post, pour in sackrete, intall, the rails and move on.

 

[KYDan]

Sorry bout that
hedge is what we call it round here
Its actual name is Osage Orange

Osage Orange or the common name here is Hedge Apple is a remarkable wood. You cut it green and it looks like you cut a pipe with sap running out so fast. It is hard enough to creat sparks from a chainsaw chain. It tends to grow crooked and twisted, but if you can find straight enough sections it makes an incredibly durable post. Old timers around here talking about fencing will make the comment, "Osage Orange posts will last longer than the hole."

 

[blueriver]

Sorry bout that
hedge is what we call it round here
Its actual name is Osage Orange

Osage Orange or the common name here is Hedge Apple is a remarkable wood. You cut it green and it looks like you cut a pipe with sap running out so fast. It is hard enough to creat sparks from a chainsaw chain. It tends to grow crooked and twisted, but if you can find straight enough sections it makes an incredibly durable post. Old timers around here talking about fencing will make the comment, "Osage Orange posts will last longer than the hole."

I have some of those on the old fence line ... maybe 50 or so years old. Just try to drive a fence staple in one ... impossible to do.