Pole Barn Post

[whistlepig]

At ground level is definitely where posts rot more frequently and sooner. It has to be related to the combination of adequate oxygen and water working together IMO. As MarkV says, good cover and drainage will keep them drier.

WhistlePig - how was your barn sited? High and dry or ?
Dave.

The barns were high and dry. The fence posts then were put wherever a fence post needed to be. Maybe it will be different here. We have lived here three years. I put up 2,500 feet of fence two years ago. Before we lived on very rocky ground. Here it is all rich farm ground. No rocks. Much easier post hole digging. Could make a difference. I hope not.

 

[dave1949]

The barns were high and dry. The fence posts then were put wherever a fence post needed to be. Maybe it will be different here. We have lived here three years. I put up 2,500 feet of fence two years ago. Before we lived on very rocky ground. Here it is all rich farm ground. No rocks. Much easier post hole digging. Could make a difference. I hope not.

It's probable that post life is closely related to quality of drainage. Wonder if the pole building companies have ways of rating or estimating the pole life for different sites/soils/etc ? A fence post in rich soil is going to react differently than a pole in a barn. The fence post will have a mat of roots and vegetation around it.

I am going to do some small pole building projects this summer and I think I will pick a spot with good drainage, put the poles on concrete pads and backfill with course stone. The poles will out live me, or maybe I won't remember where the shed is by then
Dave.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

I packed mine in with dirty crushed stone. If you keep water away, they should outlast you. Posts will rot at the top of the surface. I've noticed utility company digging around their poles and applying something at ground level, not sure what they did.

 

[MadDog 80]

I have a decorative fence at our property entrance. I used .40 4x6 post.

Mistake- Wife asked me to plant a line of small bushes in front of the fence.
I mulched the bushes which covered the post also.
Post had to be replaced in 2 years. I know, dumb.

 

[Steve C]

When we poured the floor in my pole barn we drilled holes in the 6"x6" posts and ran a full length of rebar from post to post the width of the barn. Then we poured the concrete over the rebar.

That s one of the best ideas I have ever seen! When the ground becomes saturated and liquifies due to heavy rains and then the wind tries to pull the poles out of the ground, you have the suction of the entire floor slab holding it down. That has to be the highest return on investment of the entire project.

You could probably get by with just a 2 or 3 foot length projection out of the post in 3 directions to get almost the same result. The corners could have one placed at a 45 degree angle. The weak point would be the hole in the post, so the more the better. I am definately going to use this idea if I ever get to build a new barn.

Thank you for the great idea.

 

[flusher]

I have searched and read about how to deal with the ground contact part of the post. I'm familiar with the options, concrete/no concrete/post protectors/footing with earth backfill, etc. Alot of opinions, all good ones.

I'm in VA and have a well drained site. Leaning towards using concrete to fill hole, maybe post protectors but they are very pricey. Post are .80 treated.

Question- Has anyone ever tried or have thoughts on using any coatings on the ground contact area of the post. Something like rubberized roofing cement with fiber?

Thx-MD80

Yep. I use auto undercoat spray coating on pressure treated posts for a garden fence I built a few years ago.





That stuff's also good for covering pruning wounds on my old almond trees.