depth of corral posts

[warrington]

I am building a shoot out of pipe. What depth would you put your posts to keep them from leaning. DO you know the depth of a regular post hole driver for a tractor. Also how much concrete would you put in each one.

 

[jkwilson]

I like 4ft, but a standard auger usually will only get down about 3ft. I have an extension so I can go 4. I fill the holes near the top with concrete if I'm using it. I'd rather spend an extra $3 per hole than have to pull the @#$% out and set it again after a 1200lb cow tries to turn around in the chute. Make sure you make the posts tall enough that you can put a cross-piece on them to help keep the chute from being pushed out.

Depending on the size of your pipe, a 6" auger can save some concrete compared to bigger ones.

 

[warrington]

using all 3 inch pipe for the shoot, how close together would you think I would have to put them.

 

[Limomike]

Close enough to where they will not want to stick their heads through it. Either that or attach some planks running horizontally down the shoot.

 

[Earl Thigpen]

I think Mr. Wilson is right about the depth. It's pretty important that you put that cross piece at the top of your chute posts. That will keep them more or less straight. Put the pipe posts about 4' apart and the horizontal pieces close enough together that a calf can't get their head through.

 

[backhoeboogie]

I agree with 4 foot deep on a chute. I can usually manage to push the pipe a little deeper in the hole with the tractor or backhoe front bucket. That helps when you want to level them before pouring concrete. Most of the time no braces are required while the concrete sets up.

 

[Red Bull Breeder]

I would like to see you fellars dig a four foot post hole here on my little peice of Arkansas.

 

[backhoeboogie]

I would like to see you fellars dig a four foot post hole here on my little peice of Arkansas.

Does it involve removing 13 inch thick limestone layers. The rocks were about 4 to 5 tons each. They were busted up and sold to Jack-In-the Box restaurants for landscape.

I have pictures.

My posts are 4 foot deep.

 

[dun]

I would like to see you fellars dig a four foot post hole here on my little peice of Arkansas.

Does it involve removing 13 inch thick limestone layers. The rocks were about 4 to 5 tons each. They were busted up and sold to Jack-In-the Box restaurants for landscape.

I have pictures.

My posts are 4 foot deep.

I looked at 3 foot deep holes as bragging!

 

[backhoeboogie]

I would like to see you fellars dig a four foot post hole here on my little peice of Arkansas.

Does it involve removing 13 inch thick limestone layers. The rocks were about 4 to 5 tons each. They were busted up and sold to Jack-In-the Box restaurants for landscape.

I have pictures.

My posts are 4 foot deep.

I looked at 3 foot deep holes as bragging!

There was one slab the would not come on the river property. I had the hoe and caterpillar both on it. 30 inches down and I had not hit limestone anywhere else in that run. I air chiseled a socket into it 12 inches deep into the rock and stuck the pipe in the socket, and hung a gate on it. We poured a couple bags of concrete on it and put all the dirt overburden back. I told the boss lady that if anything happened to me and her next old man wanted to remove that post, he'd best get a cutting torch.

 

[novatech]

What works for someone on their place may or may not work for another. Soils can change within just a few feet. In many parts of Texas we have expansive clays. If you use concrete and the soil shrinks from around it then the post can still lean. For this condition we use course grain sand. As the soil shrinks the sand falls down around the post keeping it tight. About the only thing I use concrete for is ballast around the corner post. It gives it weight counteracting the uplift caused by the constant pull of the fence above the pivot point of the horizontal brace post.
Here are some drawings that may help.
http://www.cps.gov.on.ca/english/plans/ ... /1813L.pdf
I wish I had built mine with the angled sides. It may have helped with the calve turning around.

 

[Limomike]

Nova, thats a good idea using that sand for the clay soils. We have used the same procedure around here in that clay stuff. Seems like it is about 2 feet down (if we dont run into limestone) :x

 

[Red Bull Breeder]

Creek rock Boogie any where form the size of your fist to as big as 55 gallon barrel. Not all of us got backhoes and air chisels. Dig most of mine the old fashoned way with posthole diggers and a bar. If i can get them two and a half foot deep that all i need. I never use concrete just tamp with sand and gravel.

 

[dun]

Creek rock Boogie any where form the size of your fist to as big as 55 gallon barrel. Not all of us got backhoes and air chisels. Dig most of mine the old fashoned way with posthole diggers and a bar. If i can get them two and a half foot deep that all i need. I never use concrete just tamp with sand and gravel.

The ones that are head size are considred coarse gravel, fist size and down are sand

 

[warrington]

in a 3 ft hole, would it be best to fill the first 1 1/2 ft with coarse sand the a 1 1/2 ft of concrete. This might eleviate both concerns.

 

[novatech]

Concrete is no better than the dirt around it. It is a filler for the hole. If you are in good stable soil the concrete is just fine, or the dirt you took out of the hole. If you are in rock then anything stable is fine,gravel, concrete, etc. If you are in expansive soil, ground that cracks when it is dry, then sand will do.
With pipe I think I would go ahead and use concrete as it would give it more surface area when animals push on it from the side.
I never understood why people think that concrete is always better. Never saw anyone concrete a T post.
If you use concrete make sure you slope it away from the post so the water will run away from it. Prime it real good, cow manure and moisture eat steel like crazy.
Are you using oil field pipe or some other used pipe? I built a set of pens with used oilf field pipe and did ni\ot find out until it was to late that it came from a sour gas well. Holes rusted through some the first year.

 

[warrington]

it is oil field drill stem pipe, but it has been sitting around for 15 years. It is located up in Abilene, TX. Would it benifit to shovel a cone on the surface to give you more surface area as well.

 

[dun]

in a 3 ft hole, would it be best to fill the first 1 1/2 ft with coarse sand the a 1 1/2 ft of concrete. This might eleviate both concerns.

I do if even simplier then that. Put the dirt back in that came from the hole and use a floating brace. All posts other then gate or end posts are T-posts

 

[Brute 23]

When we build cattle pins the holes onle need to be 2 1/2 ft deep with cement. No cement on wood, but yes to cement and pipe. It adds weight, acts like an ancor. My favorite is to pack dirt to hold the pipe straight then pour cement. After it dries pack dirt on top to ground level. They can't be pulled.

 

[grubbie]

I just built mine, went 3 foot deep, concrete all the way to the top. Then sloped the concrete away from the post in a cone shape to keep water off. Putting in concrete olny part way, you may run the risk of moisture gathering on top of it underground and rusting. Also I primed the post with a thick coat of rust-proof primer before putting it in. Braced across the top, blew holes through and bolted on 4 horizontal 2 X 6 boards, then screwed steel roofing to that for solid sides. By the way, a 3 foot hole, 9 inch auger, 3 inch pipe, used two 80lb bags of concrete per hole on average.