Concrete with self treated wood posts

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JHALL

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Have a question.

Going to be finishing my 5 strand barbed wire fence. Plan on using high tensile wire (Gaucho or something similar), with t-posts spaced 12' apart (unless you guys recommend something else) and a hedge post for every 6 or 7 t-posts.

I know concrete isn't necessarily recommended for use on wood posts as it can trap moisture between the concrete and wood creating a faster rot point at the bottom of the post. What about treating the part of the post that's in the ground with bed liner or oil or something else to try to preserve it? Was planning on putting some gravel at the bottom of the hole to help with moisture drainage, but what do you guys recommend?

Thank you!
 
If your going to use concrete wrap your post with roofing felt and gravel in the bottom. I prefer to put in bigger post and go deeper with a H brace , No concrete is necessary. One existing fence or lease fence and I have a post is canted I will dig down and use a concrete deadman
 
The biggest problem with concrete is poor workmanship. It gets dumped in the hole, water splashed on it and poked at with I stick. Left just below grade it creates a bowl that holds water that seeps down between the post and the concrete. Green post will also shrink allowing a gap.
Mix your concrete properly in a wheelbarrow or mixer. I call in a truck for large jobs. Use a wet mix that will flow around the post good and a trowel to form a domed top about a inch or so above grade to shed water away from the post.
I prefer to drive post. But fwiw in 30 years I don't recall a commercial project we're we didn't have to use concrete.
 
Bad plan. No cement. Wood posts are also questionable. They are high maintenance in the fences I inherited.

If you really really want to mess with wood - - you can backfill with some class 5 gravel and pour a little water on it. It will set up plenty hard. I know a guy who does this for H braces along the county roads...
 
I don't like to use concrete, mostly because I'm always afraid I'll be the one to have to replace the post if it rots. I don't want to have to dig that concrete out of the ground to set the new post. If you're going to use concrete anyway then definitely put gravel in the bottom of the hole, or even just backfill with 6" or so of the native soil and then add the concrete so you don't trap water at the bottom of the post.

And unless it's a very large pasture so the stock won't be putting much pressure on the fence I wouldn't put T-posts farther apart than 8'.
 
Rafter S":2tu136cv said:
I don't like to use concrete, mostly because I'm always afraid I'll be the one to have to replace the post if it rots. I don't want to have to dig that concrete out of the ground to set the new post. If you're going to use concrete anyway then definitely put gravel in the bottom of the hole, or even just backfill with 6" or so of the native soil and then add the concrete so you don't trap water at the bottom of the post.

And unless it's a very large pasture so the stock won't be putting much pressure on the fence I wouldn't put T-posts farther apart than 8'.

Even with high tensile, you still recommend only 8' apart on posts?
 
M-5":29tdxsz3 said:
If your going to use concrete wrap your post with roofing felt and gravel in the bottom. I prefer to put in bigger post and go deeper with a H brace , No concrete is necessary. One existing fence or lease fence and I have a post is canted I will dig down and use a concrete deadman

Thanks for the idea. Was planning on throwing gravel in the bottom. The corner braces are all steel with gravel at the bottom and filled the rest of the way with concrete.
 
JHALL":3oofk807 said:
M-5":3oofk807 said:
If your going to use concrete wrap your post with roofing felt and gravel in the bottom. I prefer to put in bigger post and go deeper with a H brace , No concrete is necessary. One existing fence or lease fence and I have a post is canted I will dig down and use a concrete deadman

Thanks for the idea. Was planning on throwing gravel in the bottom. The corner braces are all steel with gravel at the bottom and filled the rest of the way with concrete.

I thought you were doing corners . Line post just dig a hole and put the post in . No reason to do anything special IMO
 
JHALL":1uqlje6n said:
Rafter S":1uqlje6n said:
I don't like to use concrete, mostly because I'm always afraid I'll be the one to have to replace the post if it rots. I don't want to have to dig that concrete out of the ground to set the new post. If you're going to use concrete anyway then definitely put gravel in the bottom of the hole, or even just backfill with 6" or so of the native soil and then add the concrete so you don't trap water at the bottom of the post.

And unless it's a very large pasture so the stock won't be putting much pressure on the fence I wouldn't put T-posts farther apart than 8'.

Even with high tensile, you still recommend only 8' apart on posts?

Yep. T-posts don't cost that much, and aren't that hard to drive.
 
What do you guys recommend for post spacing with the high tensile barbed wire?
 
Terrain plays a part. I've been spacing them 4 steps apart lately. Seems to work for me. Steps are just easier to layout than actual measurements, for me.
 
I'm in northeast Kansas.

Anybody else had good luck with a certain spacing for high tensile?
 
I put post 10' apart and don't like wood anytime or place T post and pipe
 
BRYANT":3lkv1quk said:
I put post 10' apart and don't like wood anytime or place T post and pipe

Thanks.

I was planning on 10 feet spacing, just wanted to hear what others had done.

What do you guys do for stretching the high tensile stuff? It says on the packaging that no stretching is needed, to just pull it tight. What do you guys do?
 
JHALL":1kp7dyvd said:
BRYANT":1kp7dyvd said:
I put post 10' apart and don't like wood anytime or place T post and pipe

Thanks.

I was planning on 10 feet spacing, just wanted to hear what others had done.

What do you guys do for stretching the high tensile stuff? It says on the packaging that no stretching is needed, to just pull it tight. What do you guys do?

Use good wire and pull it tight(er).
 
JHALL":1d4kfns3 said:
BRYANT":1d4kfns3 said:
I put post 10' apart and don't like wood anytime or place T post and pipe

Thanks.

I was planning on 10 feet spacing, just wanted to hear what others had done.

What do you guys do for stretching the high tensile stuff? It says on the packaging that no stretching is needed, to just pull it tight. What do you guys do?

Stretch the he// out of it.
Build a very good brace. Tpost every 12 foot pipe stiffner post every 96 feet. Just make sure you don't cut corners on the brace. Especially on depth. Use good quality wire and stretch it tight. Then pull a little more.
Read through the tip and tricks thread
 
callmefence":2cwh3rbi said:
JHALL":2cwh3rbi said:
BRYANT":2cwh3rbi said:
I put post 10' apart and don't like wood anytime or place T post and pipe

Thanks.

I was planning on 10 feet spacing, just wanted to hear what others had done.

What do you guys do for stretching the high tensile stuff? It says on the packaging that no stretching is needed, to just pull it tight. What do you guys do?

Stretch the he// out of it.
Build a very good brace. Tpost every 12 foot pipe stiffner post every 96 feet. Just make sure you don't cut corners on the brace. Especially on depth. Use good quality wire and stretch it tight. Then pull a little more.
Read through the tip and tricks thread

Thanks for the response.

Braces are 4" pipe (H-brace with four horizontal bars) approx 4 feet in the ground, with concrete.

I'm using the Baekert (sp?) Gaucho 15.5 gauge high tensile wire. From what I've read on here and other places it's good, not great. It was either that or the Red Brand 12.5 gauge stuff (only choices I had locally). I have some 7-8' hedge posts to place after every 6-7 t-posts.

I'm planning on buying some medium gripples and the tool. I assume it's ok to stretch the wire after installing a gripples to join the two strands (that the gripple is strong enough)?
 

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