Another Fencing Question

[coon hunter]

I have always used concrete to set pipe post. The other day I saw a guy using a post driver that had what looked like a 2-cycle small motor and no concrete around them. For corner post and pulling wire from them without any concrete.Do y'all think that will last without anything but the ground around them ?

 

[Lucky]

I've been driving 2 7/8" post for several years now and haven't had one move yet. I always do a double H on stretch braces and drive them 58" deep though. This is in black land soil. I'm hoping to never use concrete to set a post again.

 

[Rafter S]

I don't doubt that it would work in tight soil, but , I wouldn't think that a pipe that small would resist the lateral load over time in sand. I'm not an engineer, just thinking out loud.

 

[callmefence]

Driving is better but not usually with the machine your describing.

We drive everything. They'll typically hold better in any type of soil as long as you drive them deep. 1' more depth will trump a lot of diameter. We drive anywhere from 3' to 7' deep depending. I've got 4 machine mounted drivers skid steer and tractor. A air driver and a couple of the little gas tpost driver's.
I started putting together a thread with all of them when I was layed up and never finished it. Anyways your welcome to call me.

 

[Lucky]

I don't doubt that it would work in tight soil, but , I wouldn't think that a pipe that small would resist the lateral load over time in sand. I'm not an engineer, just thinking out loud.

One of the local fencing contractors around here feels the same way about the post pulling over time. His fix is to weld a spade like a T post has on each driven brace post. He welds them so they'll be 6- 8" underground, you'd never know it was there unless you saw him driving the post. I don't think a D6 would pull one of his double H braces out.

 

[tex452]

I've been driving 2 7/8" post for several years now and haven't had one move yet. I always do a double H on stretch braces and drive them 58" deep though. This is in black land soil. I'm hoping to never use concrete to set a post again.

I agree.
After all, you will have dirt around your concrete that can give just as easy.
As long as they are driven deep enough I have been told it works better.
I have always used concrete until recently. I used a driver that fit on my front loader.
I will tell with time how well they hold up.
I just built another cow pen using drill stem , and we drove them in with my tractor.

 

[hurleyjd]

This is not abouut driving or concreting post in the ground. What is about seeing a good fence put up with new wire and tee post and ever so often there is a small wooden treated post installed. Looks like this does not make a good fence to me. At one time I spaced the tee post ten feet apart now I am at six foot apart on new fence.

 

[simme]

High tensile fixed knot woven wire - high tensile means very little stretch/give in the wire. Old style wire just keeps on stretching and getting loose over time. Fixed knot means each joint between vertical and horizontal wires is tightly fixed in position with a knot. Keeps the fence dimensionally stable. Strong posts and braces on the ends allow the wire to be stretched tight. Tee posts will keep the wire positioned in the vertical, but not so good about the horizontal. A long run of tee posts can be pushed over by cows because they are not deep in the ground. That wood or steel post every 100 feet will be deeper in the ground and keep the fence vertical. My tee posts are 20 to 25 feet apart with a wood post every 100 feet. That tee post spacing is where the savings are in a high tensile fixed knot fence. An 8 or 10 foot spacing on tee posts is to compensate for the give/stretch in older fencing and for the lack of dimensional stability in multi individual strand fence.

 

[Ebenezer]

I dig and pack all posts. Concrete is not a need. Good H braces are the answer. Go 10' if you can and if not go 8' minimum on the braces. Don't expect a weak post (other than wood or pipe if you have that) to handle the strains at the peaks or to stay in the ground well in the bottom of the vees. A deep vee works the best with a brace.

 

[callmefence]

In milder climate where it doesn't get extremely cold low tensile wire can absolutely be stretched tight enough where it doesn't loosen up. The major difference between the fixed not and hinge joint net wire is that the vertical stay is a solid piece of wire, not broken at every horizontal. That's what gives it it's stiffness and allows for wider post spacing. Stiffener post can be done without if tpost are put in deeper or into rock. A few more cents on buying 1.35 or heavier tpost compared to the farm store 1.25 goes a long way.
Pipe post outlive wood, don't burn, if you hang it going through the gate it bends and doesn't break. Turn around and bend it back. If it loosens it wasn't set deep enough. The absolute most important thing is depth. 3'-7' on brace post with 3' only being good enough if your rock drilling in solid rock.

 

[tex452]

I dig and pack all posts. Concrete is not a need. Good H braces are the answer. Go 10' if you can and if not go 8' minimum on the braces. Don't expect a weak post (other than wood or pipe if you have that) to handle the strains at the peaks or to stay in the ground well in the bottom of the vees. A deep vee works the best with a brace.

I always double H my corners and space my line post 9’ apart.

 

[Ebenezer]

I always double H my corners and space my line post 9’ apart.

My line posts are 20' and every 100' is a wood post.

 

[Rafter S]

There have been several posts discussing post spacing. Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't that highly dependent on stocking rates? I'm pretty sure someone who runs a cow to 30 acres can get by with posts spaced farther apart than someone with one cow to every 3 acres.

 

[Rmc]

It only takes one cow to wipe out a fence.
A operation with one cow per thirty acres I would want a dang good perimeter fence. They probably don’t see people that often and I can almost guarantee they aren’t bucket trained

 

[GoWyo]

It only takes one cow to wipe out a fence.
A operation with one cow per thirty acres I would want a dang good perimeter fence. They probably don’t see people that often and I can almost guarantee they aren’t bucket trained

Those fences are usually the worst because there are a lot of miles per head. Hard to afford to build or rebuild in that situation. We try to rebuild the worst quarter mile every year. Breeding pastures are getting a couple hot wires as we go to try and keep bulls on their own sides.