Wooden Fence Posts

[Medic6340]

We installed 40 9’ reclaimed railroad ties 3’ deep in 1 day including adding 1 bag of concrete mix to each Post hole. Buried them flush the next morning in a couple hours. Monday morning we stretched 6’ chain link with the old Ferguson.

It kinda looks like I’ll be buying the PTO auger sooner then later

 

[Medic6340]

And here I'm about to put in a bunch of cedar posts once I get them cut down....
But in my rocky ground it will be backhoe time.

When I dug my basement (23 years ago) there wasn’t a rock big enough to even notice in the pile of fill from the 36x58 hole 7feet in the ground

 

[ruffdog]

Are you talking those little 3" sharpened stakes? Those are meant to be pushed in. They go in easy but rot off quickly too.

https://www.farmandfleet.com/products/239365-hartbrand-7-drive-pine-wood-stake.html

 

[Medic6340]

Are you talking those little 3" sharpened stakes? Those are meant to be pushed in. They go in easy but rot off quickly too.

https://www.farmandfleet.com/products/239365-hartbrand-7-drive-pine-wood-stake.html

We use eastern cedar here in New Brunswick and there are posts on the marsh in front of my house that have been there for over 100 years.

 

[jigs_n_fixtures]

Cedar, redwood, black locust, white oak and treated Doug fir make good fence posts

 

[CalG]

I recently put in a small number of tee posts around the vegetable garden (wife's idea to keep the deer out).

I used a 5 foot pinch bar to make a hole. Maybe four or five "plunges" went as deep as required. Stepping on the plate to get it into the dry ground (sturdy shoe soles) and a few hits with a 3 pound hammer and all was well..

We have way to much stone here in Vermont. about half the holes hit something less than a foot down that reqired a two handled post hole digger to ferret out. One location, after a couple of strikes with the point, had the bar go down 3 and 1/2 feet . Must have been a rotted tree stump or the like. I'll remember to keep equipment off there! ;-)

 

[oosik]

You have hundreds of wooden posts to install. You will soon learn if the auger or a pounder is the way to go. This will NOT be a small project.

I installed a four wire - barbed wire fence around my 80 acres. It is one and a half miles of fencing. Some 665 T-145 steel posts. All driven in with a manual pounder. Up the hill - down over the cliff and into a valley - around many meadows - - it WAS NOT all flat, level ground. It took me the better part of a year - working every evening. Fortunately my 80 acres is a pure rectangle - 1320 x 2640.

That was in 1982 and it is still standing - straight, tight and true. I check it twice a year and do any required maintenance.

Good luck ...............

 

[Medic6340]

I never dreamed it was a small project, so was hoping to find a faster solution then augering 200 holes. But it seems like that is going to be my best plan of action

 

[oosik]

Your posts will be Eastern Cedar. If they are or can be pointed - I would definitely try a manual pounder. From reading many posts here on TBN there are, at least, two difficulties with the auger method.
1- getting the auger to go in straight( using PTO driven auger). Not so much a problem if its a hand operated gas driven auger
2- if its a PTO driven auger - getting the tractor/auger properly placed

If I had to use a PTO driven auger to install all my T-posts - - I'd still be working on the installation. After more than 40 years.

For that matter - there are numerous locations along my fence line where it is not possible to get a tractor. This is why I went 100% manual pounder. The tractor was used to transport the steel posts to areas - as close as possible.

 

[lman]

You have hundreds of wooden posts to install. You will soon learn if the auger or a pounder is the way to go. This will NOT be a small project.

I installed a four wire - barbed wire fence around my 80 acres. It is one and a half miles of fencing. Some 665 T-145 steel posts. All driven in with a manual pounder. Up the hill - down over the cliff and into a valley - around many meadows - - it WAS NOT all flat, level ground. It took me the better part of a year - working every evening. Fortunately my 80 acres is a pure rectangle - 1320 x 2640.

That was in 1982 and it is still standing - straight, tight and true. I check it twice a year and do any required maintenance.

Good luck ...............

Was that for livestock or to keep people out?