plastic fence posts

[Wernham]

I recently put up some recycled plastic fence posts. I was sold on the fact they are suppose to last forver . . . the problem is it takes forever to nail a fencing staple into them. Once you think you got them in enough and give them a big swing the staples heads directly for your eye as it flying out of the fence post. The posts are very hard but flex so makes it a pain nailing them in. Anyone have any ideas on cheap way to fastening the electric fence on? or better ideas how to hammer them in?
Thanks

 

[chippie]

What do they look like?
I would drill a start hole and screw the insulators on.

 

[J&D Cattle]

Drill a hole and use cotter keys or simply wire to fasten it to the post.

 

[greybeard]

I've learned that "forever" is a relative term, especially when it comes to relatives.

Got a pic or a link to a source for these posts?

 

[herefordlover]

were using the pastur pro post and we just drill a hole threw them and us the cotter pins they sell to hold the wire on works slick can do 1/4 mil buy ur self in an hour or so .

 

[highgrit]

I don't think plastic fence posts will last here. To much heat when I burn in the spring.

 

[houstoncutter]

Have used large electrical ties on some of mine in the past.

 

[Bighat]

I've put in miles of the plastic post with High tension wire. The method I use will also work for barb wire. If High tension, set all post, decide the wire spacing you want and then take a stick the same height as the post and mark the post from the ground up where you want each wire on the post. Then you need to make a small metal or plastic jig for the steeple size. Drill two holes in the jig too the spread of the steeple. Now walk to the first post and mark the wire spread from the stick you made and then hold you jig up to the mark on the post and drill two holes a little smaller than the steeple. It goes pretty fast. Plus if your building high tension, you can place the steeple in the post at this time and then your ready to put wire. And your'e building barb wire you can steeple it as you go but you wire spacing and holes will already be there. I drove the steeple in without pre-drilling and its like hit concrete rubber, you's be wore out fast.

 

[Son of Butch]

Plastic is an insulator, as is wood. You can wrap a hot wire around a post made of either and it doesn't short the fence out. I have an electric fence inside my pole shed with wire wrapped from one pole to another to keep cows from reaching stored hay. More than one vistor has been educated that wrapping a live wire around a wood post doesn't kill it.

 

[novatech]

Plastic is an insulator, as is wood. You can wrap a hot wire around a post made of either and it doesn't short the fence out. I have an electric fence inside my pole shed with wire wrapped from one pole to another to keep cows from reaching stored hay. More than one vistor has been educated that wrapping a live wire around a wood post doesn't kill it.

When a wood post gets wet it becomes a very good conductor to ground. It stays that way until it dries back out.

 

[Son of Butch]

The question was about Plastic fence posts. (My wood posts are IN my pole shed. Nevertheless my guess is it would take a heck of a gully washer for a wood post to be affected long enough for it to matter.) My point was it doesn't matter with plastic fence posts.

 

[chippie]

The question was about Plastic fence posts. (My wood posts are IN my pole shed. Nevertheless my guess is it would take a heck of a gully washer for a wood post to be affected long enough for it to matter.) My point was it doesn't matter with plastic fence posts.

Depends on where you live. If you live in a humid area, the morning dew will short it out too. And it will be out long enough for the cows to get out. I know, it's happened to me.

 

[ERNIBIGB]

I have used a few of these for electric fence and found one problem. The ones I used are not very solid in the center (honeycomed?) so I had a problem with weak power on fence and determined that the 20D nail I used to hook the gap handle on went in the post deep enough to contact the moisture that had collected in the center and was killing the power. Took some head scratching to find the problem that day. I couldn't believe a plastic post was shorting out the fence but it was. Fence staples might not go deep enough to cause this but a long nail sure will.