Fence Posts

[icandoit]

Anybody ever use pressure treated landscape timbers, basically a 4x4, for your inline fence posts? Right now they're cheaper than the metal posts and the cedar posts. If you buy a boatload of them, they give you a small discount at HD. More digging I know, but it might be worth it if they stand up. Plus they have a flat side for stapling. Just wondering what you everyone thought.

Dick

 

[Crowderfarms]

Dick,
Don't waste your time and money using Landscape Timbers. I know they're much cheaper than wood posts or T posts, but they do not hold up. They have a tendency to bow and warp. Guess it might depend on what part of the Country you are using them in as well.

 

[lancemart]

Anybody ever use pressure treated landscape timbers, basically a 4x4, for your inline fence posts? Right now they're cheaper than the metal posts and the cedar posts. If you buy a boatload of them, they give you a small discount at HD. More digging I know, but it might be worth it if they stand up. Plus they have a flat side for stapling. Just wondering what you everyone thought.

Dick

I purchased a lot of fence posts at an auction. I ended up with about 850 posts already drilled probably in the wrong location, that is why they were seconds, for $150.00. I don't have miles of fence, but we used most of them and have been using wooden fence posts for 10 years with no problem

 

[denoginnizer]

I have been cutting my own cedar post lately. Not much fun, but with steel post around 3.00 per post it saves some money.

 

[Caustic Burno]

Anybody ever use pressure treated landscape timbers, basically a 4x4, for your inline fence posts? Right now they're cheaper than the metal posts and the cedar posts. If you buy a boatload of them, they give you a small discount at HD. More digging I know, but it might be worth it if they stand up. Plus they have a flat side for stapling. Just wondering what you everyone thought.

Dick

Yea Dick I have used a ton of them, buy by the bundle. They last about seven years, the T post about five in the creek bottoms. You have to realize if you dig a post hole other than July or August you hit water here.

 

[gabby]

Landscape timbers are peeler cores from plywood mills and therefore they have lots of heartwood which can't be treated. Plus they're often green when treated which means the sapwood doesn't even get treated well. Bottom line - they won't last long as fence posts.
gabby

 

[ctlbaron]

I wouldn't use them. Seven years and back at it again? No thanks. A good Yellow locust post will last 30 years or better.

 

[Crowderfarms]

Landscape timbers are peeler cores from plywood mills and therefore they have lots of heartwood which can't be treated. Plus they're often green when treated which means the sapwood doesn't even get treated well. Bottom line - they won't last long as fence posts.
gabby

I've noticed that some weigh about as much as a Feather, and the next will weigh like a 6" post. I just stick with PT posts and T's.

 

[Caustic Burno]

I wouldn't use them. Seven years and back at it again? No thanks. A good Yellow locust post will last 30 years or better.

Well thats great aint no yellow locust in this country , no chinkapin(sp) anymore either. T post rust out fast in this acidic soil as well as you have to put a bag of concrete around them to hold one. Now that really makes T post affordable.
See there are different operating enviroments.

 

[MikeC]

I wouldn't use them. Seven years and back at it again? No thanks. A good Yellow locust post will last 30 years or better.

Well thats great aint no yellow locust in this country , no chinkapin(sp) anymore either. T post rust out fast in this acidic soil as well as you have to put a bag of concrete around them to hold one. Now that really makes T post affordable.
See there are different operating enviroments.

Are you guys calling a "mock-orange" or "Bois d'arc" a yellow locust? There's lots of that here. Makes great firewood too! Because of the hardness. I know where some of these posts are that have been in the ground 40 years, without rotting.

 

[Caustic Burno]

I wouldn't use them. Seven years and back at it again? No thanks. A good Yellow locust post will last 30 years or better.

Well thats great aint no yellow locust in this country , no chinkapin(sp) anymore either. T post rust out fast in this acidic soil as well as you have to put a bag of concrete around them to hold one. Now that really makes T post affordable.
See there are different operating enviroments.

Are you guys calling a "mock-orange" or "Bois d'arc" a yellow locust? There's lots of that here. Makes great firewood too! Because of the hardness. I know where some of these posts are that have been in the ground 40 years, without rotting.

Mike we would kill for Bois D Arc and Chinkapin for post, I have some of the Chink post they are old as dirt. They is just not any left due to Champion and International Paper have turned this country into a Pine desert.

 

[stocky]

I wouldnt use the landscape timbers for the above reasons, especially rotting and warping. When a post is sawed to a flat side, it cuts the grain and fibers and lets them rot alot faster and reduces their strength. Another name for the posts you guys are talking about is Hedge. Around here there are 4 inch hedge posts that have been in the ground 50 years and are just as good as ever. A nice 12 inch hedge post will last far longer than a person will live. The problem with them is after they season out, they are just like concrete and you cant drive a steeple in them and they wont hold a steeple. There is no corner post that I am aware of that will equal it unless maybe 8 inch well casing pipe. We would cut out hedge fence rows on the shares as Springfield Mo was growing and the housing developments would take over. When they were green you could sharpen them and no matter how crooked they might be, you could still drive them in the ground in rocky soil and they would never split and they last forever, it seems like

 

[Crowderfarms]

I wouldnt use the landscape timbers for the above reasons, especially rotting and warping. When a post is sawed to a flat side, it cuts the grain and fibers and lets them rot alot faster and reduces their strength. Another name for the posts you guys are talking about is Hedge. Around here there are 4 inch hedge posts that have been in the ground 50 years and are just as good as ever. A nice 12 inch hedge post will last far longer than a person will live. The problem with them is after they season out, they are just like concrete and you cant drive a steeple in them and they wont hold a steeple. There is no corner post that I am aware of that will equal it unless maybe 8 inch well casing pipe. We would cut out hedge fence rows on the shares as Springfield Mo was growing and the housing developments would take over. When they were green you could sharpen them and no matter how crooked they might be, you could still drive them in the ground in rocky soil and they would never split and they last forever, it seems like

Stocky, you have a great point on using Hedgeposts, but I'd rather use a crosstie than a Hedgepost, that wont take a staple.Especially for corners.

 

[ctlbaron]

Mike, I think thats what we call hedge apple or osage orange. Thats different than locust. Sorry you ain't got any there Caustic Bruno. Will they grow there if you transplant them?

 

[Jake]

We've got plenty of good hedge rows around here that we cut our post out of. They last forever and a day it just works better to cut them fresh then staple into the instead of letting the dry and get hard as a rock before you try. We also use Railroad ties for lot fencing.

Caustic if you think you could get them to grow I can get some hedgeballs this fall and send your way.

 

[Caustic Burno]

We've got plenty of good hedge rows around here that we cut our post out of. They last forever and a day it just works better to cut them fresh then staple into the instead of letting the dry and get hard as a rock before you try. We also use Railroad ties for lot fencing.

Caustic if you think you could get them to grow I can get some hedgeballs this fall and send your way.

Ya'll are very fortunate to have a good supply of free fence post (other than labor). When we clear we try and leave the big oaks where the fence line is going best post we have, until a storm comes through. I planted a tow sack of Osage oranges and got 2 up and after years they are just still bushes. Thanks they just don't seem to like this enviroment. Everyone used to use chinkapin(sp) lasted forever, between a blight that came through and the paper companies clearing and burning everything for pine just not any left.

 

[Turkey Run]

Here in Osage co. Ok., the termites will start eating the green landscape timbers in a short time [they are treated for weather protection not insects] some areas are worse than others here, seems like sandstone hill tops are the worst. The termites don't eat ceder,osage orange,ect.

 

[Angus Guy]

Hedge last forever but I also like to be able to staple on new wire once or twice in their life time. So I'll stick to good treeated cedae posts.

 

[icandoit]

Well, thanks everybody for the replies and good info. I know in this part of the country, some guys are going to the timbers because of how cheap they are. Caustic knows this country better than I do so I think I'll give them a try for a cross fence of about 150'. If they bend and twist, I won't be out a lot of money. Caustics right about our soil down here, it eats the T-posts pretty fast. Cedar is pretty pricey right now too. I think just because the metal t-posts are pretty high so they think they can jack the price of cedar up along with the metal t-posts. Money grubbin Ba&*(^&%s. I'm having a hard time typing this while I'm watching "Larry The Cable Guy" on TV.

git er one
Dick

 

[Crowderfarms]

Dick, BTW it's GIT R Done.