Wooden Fence Posts

[Nikkorott]

New member, & First Post. I’ve searched the forums, but it seems like I’ll need some time looking around before I know where to look. I’m looking to put in a couple hundred wooden fence posts, and am not interested in pounding them in by hand (I know, I’m lazy) , and feel that an auger is probably more then I need. What about a bale spear or a hollow piece of well casing pipe fastened to the FEL , would the down pressure of the loader (maybe some ballast weight in the bucket) be enough to push the spike or casing into the ground so I could then push a sharpened wooden post in?

Thanks in advance, and don’t worry about hurting my feelings…. I’m a total newbie to farming

Welcome to the neighborhood!
I've gone to the Trail & Error School of Fencing. What I've learned is that as the soil/seasons/critters change so does everything else.

• An auger on a tractor, either PTO or hydraulic, can make a lot of holes fast. Once you get into a rhythm you'll be surprised how fast it goes.
• For a couple hundred bucks you can get one person gas powered auger at Home Depot or Harbor Freight. I have a couple of these for when I'm only sinking a few posts. If you go this route your back will be complaining the next day.
• I tried a gas powered post pounder. My experience was a complete clown show. Your results may differ.
• In wet marshy soil, cementing wooden posts in tends allow them to rot right at the soil line.

An added tip; Forget using string line. Small gauge electric fencing works best IMHO.

 

[bordercollie]

We are putting in T posts and using used creosote crosstie posts as bracing . Using Staytough wire and stretching with a DK40 se and a wire roller from Tractor Supply. We have a skid steer and auger and also a hyd t post pounder. ( Have a lot of falling over fence so have run miles so far.
We rebuilt a catch pin using guardrails and treated 5x5 treated posts from a big box store. The post rotted at the ground within 5 years and we did'nt use concrete- Not good... All that's holding it upnow are loose chains around trees. Loose chains so trees won't girdle.

 

[bgr]

New member, & First Post. I’ve searched the forums, but it seems like I’ll need some time looking around before I know where to look. I’m looking to put in a couple hundred wooden fence posts, and am not interested in pounding them in by hand (I know, I’m lazy) , and feel that an auger is probably more then I need. What about a bale spear or a hollow piece of well casing pipe fastened to the FEL , would the down pressure of the loader (maybe some ballast weight in the bucket) be enough to push the spike or casing into the ground so I could then push a sharpened wooden post in?

Thanks in advance, and don’t worry about hurting my feelings…. I’m a total newbie to farming

If you are in the Northeast, locus posts are the ones to use. They are like iron. Very long life.

 

[sailonner]

If I had my druthers, I'd use Tee-posts. They drive with a standard post driver into clay soil. The old cedar they used for fence posts a hundred years ago was likely first growth, and not the crappy third growth you get today. It won't last so long.

 

[bigtiller]

Use a tulip bulb auger in cordless drill

So do I. It makes lining up a t-post and pounding it in a little easier. Gotta use 2 hands on the drill though.

 

[marhar]

New member, & First Post. I’ve searched the forums, but it seems like I’ll need some time looking around before I know where to look. I’m looking to put in a couple hundred wooden fence posts, and am not interested in pounding them in by hand (I know, I’m lazy) , and feel that an auger is probably more then I need. What about a bale spear or a hollow piece of well casing pipe fastened to the FEL , would the down pressure of the loader (maybe some ballast weight in the bucket) be enough to push the spike or casing into the ground so I could then push a sharpened wooden post in?

Thanks in advance, and don’t worry about hurting my feelings…. I’m a total newbie to farming

I guess it would depend on how hard your ground is.

Can you rent a post pounder from any equipment rental shop nearby?

Can you push a 3/8 threaded rod in the ground by hand?

 

[shadowm77]

i would rent a mini excavator with hydraulic thumb that should pound them in soft ground should not be a problem

 

[LastSTRAW]

You can save yourself a lot of time and grief by doing your fencing in the right conditions. I find the spring is best but after a few rains in the late fall is also good. In the spring there is less grass or weeds to worry about and on cool days the flies aren't a problem. The soft ground makes it so much easier to put the posts in. I just use a six foot pry bar to make the holes in soft ground. I pound mine in by hand with a 22lb maul and it is a lot of work but so is backfilling all the holes you would dig. I have a PHD and have never used it. I am still tempted to use it for corner posts but would not waste my time for line posts that I can place quickly in the spring.

 

[r porter]

if you want to get the job done and go on about your business buy a post driver and install the posts in a week then sell the driver.

i have installed 50 posts in the morning and strung the wire in the afternoon for paddocks. done it twice.

do 5 acres in a weekend. the secret is to wait till spring and have your posts laid out where you are going to install them. i personally use a hydraulic driver but the driver mentioned in post number 23 will work also.

dont underestimate summers hard ground. swamp or not.

 

[Beaverplt]

Call your local Home Depot. Ask if they have a Toro Dingo with the auger attachment. The only issue you might have is the smallest auger on it is 8" You didn't say what size posts you were putting in. If they're under 2 1/2" a gas powered post driver works well. Our local HD has both.