What is a good fencing post that lasts

cacs

Going doing about 1km of fencing .
I am going to use three strands of barb wire.
What fencing posts last?
There is big variety of posts out there from larch to Octo posts.
What's your recommendation?
Thanks

TITANIUM.

cathal irwin wrote: »

Going doing about 1km of fencing .
I am going to use three strands of barb wire.
What fencing posts last?
There is big variety of posts out there from larch to Octo posts.
What's your recommendation?
Thanks

Get the kiln dried pressure treated PDM posts. 20 year guarantee on them. I got them las year, 6ft 4-6 inch diameter. Driven with post driver. Esb poles for strainers. Mighty job. A little pricey but shop around. I got them for 2.50 a pole cheeper off frs then at my local co-op.

Username John

TITANIUM. wrote: »

Get the kiln dried pressure treated PDM posts. 20 year guarantee on them. I got them las year, 6ft 4-6 inch diameter. Driven with post driver. Esb poles for strainers. Mighty job. A little pricey but shop around. I got them for 2.50 a pole cheeper off frs then at my local co-op.

Using the PDM ones from FRS as well. Pricey but they seem to be the only ones that last anytime.

cacs

TITANIUM. wrote: »

Get the kiln dried pressure treated PDM posts. 20 year guarantee on them. I got them las year, 6ft 4-6 inch diameter. Driven with post driver. Esb poles for strainers. Mighty job. A little pricey but shop around. I got them for 2.50 a pole cheeper off frs then at my local co-op.

Thanks for that I got PDM posts earlier on this year 20 years on them .
Not sure how they will fair out. Was looking at the Octo posts from frs but they were a little prick for the size thanks for that

cacs

Username John wrote: »

Using the PDM ones from FRS as well. Pricey but they seem to be the only ones that last anytime.

Cheers

Miname

Same as that I used the pdm ones and esb pole strainers and they seem 100%. Used the tanalised a few years back and they are all snapping and rotting at the bottoms. I'd go with 4 strands of wire too. Three leaves it very open and there's always one that will use it to scratch it's way through.

freedominacup

Username John wrote: »

Using the PDM ones from FRS as well. Pricey but they seem to be the only ones that last anytime.

Only just finished replacing properly creosote stakes here this year. They were put in a couple of sections of paddocks in the mid nineties. Every other section been done twice in the meantime with various types of tanilised stakes. Everything now being replaced as necessary with pdm. Pricey but I think they'll be worth the extra.

agriman27

If I was you I'd definitely try some of the clipex fencing, it's relatively new to this country. The posts are all galvanised steel posts, it looks like a great job, look it up on done deal. It would be interesting to price it to compare.

blue5000

Username John wrote: »

Using the PDM ones from FRS as well. Pricey but they seem to be the only ones that last anytime.

+1 but go in and collect them yourself, I think there might be a difference in them since last summer. Not sure whether it's a new supplier or different creosote.

Justjens

There is a company in Kildare/Meath bringing in creosoted posts from Eastern Europe, timber is far superior to PDM/native, and cost is about the same. Strainers, 6', 5' (and pencils which aren't great)

Have them down a 5 years, not long enough to gauge their lifespan but the timber is fair hard. If you're doing a big job they are bought by the pallet and delivered by Pallet Express (or whatever the service is called).

Bitten & Hisses

Excuse my ignorance, but what is PDM?

cacs

Bitten & Hisses wrote: »

Excuse my ignorance, but what is PDM?

Not sure what it stands for but basically it's a long life post they are generally hard woods and are grant approved, they are typically have a 15 plus year warranty , that's my basic understanding

cacs

Justjens wrote: »

There is a company in Kildare/Meath bringing in creosoted posts from Eastern Europe, timber is far superior to PDM/native, and cost is about the same. Strainers, 6', 5' (and pencils which aren't great)

Have them down a 5 years, not long enough to gauge their lifespan but the timber is fair hard. If you're doing a big job they are bought by the pallet and delivered by Pallet Express (or whatever the service is called).

Would you have any idea of the name of the company

Count Mondego

Jesus, would any of ye dare put up the price ye're paying? How much are the 6' 4-5" PDM?

Justjens

cathal irwin wrote: »

Not sure what it stands for but basically it's a long life post they are generally hard woods and are grant approved, they are typically have a 15 plus year warranty , that's my basic understanding

They are anything but hardwood, spruce would be my guess, if you're lucky pine, it's the creosote that makes them last. Eastern European are either Larch or Pine.

cathal irwin wrote: »

Would you have any idea of the name of the company

I'll pm you

Count Mondego wrote: »

Jesus, would any of ye dare put up the price ye're paying? How much are the 6' 4-5" PDM?

Last bought from FRS Bruree April '15: 6' 4-5" €7.90 5' 4-5" €6.90 all inc vat. If I remember correctly strainers are approx €17-€18

cacs

Justjens wrote: »

They are anything but hardwood, spruce would be my guess, if you're lucky pine, it's the creosote that makes them last. Eastern European are either Larch or Pine.



I'll pm you



Last bought from FRS Bruree April '15: 6' 4-5" €7.90 5' 4-5" €6.90 all inc vat. If I remember correctly strainers are approx €17-€18

Thanks that seems to be the norm price wise

ml100

Bitten & Hisses wrote: »

Excuse my ignorance, but what is PDM?

http://www.pdm.ie

Dawggone

Family member of mine brought half a load of 6'5" fencing posts from France for under €5/stake.
They were Oak but were untreated.

Bullocks

Dawggone wrote: »

Family member of mine brought half a load of 6'5" fencing posts from France for under €5/stake.
They were Oak but were untreated.

Do you get caught by lads at home asking you to organise things like that often ?

Dawggone

Bullocks wrote: »

Do you get caught by lads at home asking you to organise things like that often ?

Yes I suppose I do but I don't mind as its kinda two way traffic.

Family are merchants so they try and source better value for customers. The oak stakes were hard to shift because they were untreated...when a few of the older lads copped them they were sold in a few days!
Young folk have no time for a stake unless it's treated with something (ie.black in colour), like a treated softwood would outlast oak!

Bullocks

Dawggone wrote: »

Yes I suppose I do but I don't mind as its kinda two way traffic.

Family are merchants so they try and source better value for customers. The oak stakes were hard to shift because they were untreated...when a few of the older lads copped them they were sold in a few days!
Young folk have no time for a stake unless it's treated with something (ie.black in colour), like a treated softwood would outlast oak!

The oak would be mighty sure . If i was only travelling to the next county the father/brother would have me asked to look at something for sale there :rolleyes:

Dawggone

Bullocks wrote: »

The oak would be mighty sure . If i was only travelling to the next county the father/brother would have me asked to look at something for sale there :rolleyes:

Lol.
I'm on my way to collect a couple of breeding bulls about 200km away...I'm waiting on a neighbor to bring a cement mixer for me to deliver. People are the same the world over.

Markcheese

Dawggone wrote:

Family member of mine brought half a load of 6'5" fencing posts from France for under €5/stake. They were Oak but were untreated.

Do oak posts not rot the nails or fencing staples ? I remember having to use copper nails on oak .....

freedominacup

Dawggone wrote: »

Yes I suppose I do but I don't mind as its kinda two way traffic.

Family are merchants so they try and source better value for customers. The oak stakes were hard to shift because they were untreated...when a few of the older lads copped them they were sold in a few days!
Young folk have no time for a stake unless it's treated with something (ie.black in colour), like a treated softwood would outlast oak!

You're right about the oak. There's a few 2" or 2.5" square one's still knocking around here that from memory went up in '85/'86. Very hard to get. Don't know where the oul boy got them. I only remember the year because they were the first stake I was able to drive with a sledge. There's treated railway sleepers acting as strainers here almost 45 years.

freedominacup

Markcheese wrote: »

Do oak posts not rot the nails or fencing staples ? I remember having to use copper nails on oak .....

The only way a stock farmer can get finished fencing is to retire or die. I wouldn't worry about staples rotting you're bound to be passing at some stage with a few staples and insulators.

Greengrass1

Atm were redoing fencing we did 12 yrs ago. Was an half acre of trees planted in one paddock here (spruce or larch) not 100% sure.
All just cut down and let dry out and cut into stakes then with our own chainsaw.
They did the job for 12 yrs and saved us a fortune.
I can't understand how these lasted so long and they were untreated and other stakes only last 4 or 5 yrs

cacs

Greengrass1 wrote: »

Atm were redoing fencing we did 12 yrs ago. Was an half acre of trees planted in one paddock here (spruce or larch) not 100% sure.
All just cut down and let dry out and cut into stakes then with our own chainsaw.
They did the job for 12 yrs and saved us a fortune.
I can't understand how these lasted so long and they were untreated and other stakes only last 4 or 5 yrs

Is there anyone selling oak posts in Ireland

Username John

Greengrass1 wrote: »

Atm were redoing fencing we did 12 yrs ago. Was an half acre of trees planted in one paddock here (spruce or larch) not 100% sure.
All just cut down and let dry out and cut into stakes then with our own chainsaw.
They did the job for 12 yrs and saved us a fortune.
I can't understand how these lasted so long and they were untreated and other stakes only last 4 or 5 yrs

They were prob larch I'd say...
We did the exact same here greengrass, put down larch posts (just cut and left for a while like ye did)
Some are still down and that's a long time now. They will eventually rot, but they're as good as an average treated post, if not better. And a lot cheaper as you say...

Belongamick

On wetter ground (most of the country now!) west of the shannon I found the big strainers not lasting as long as their bulk might suggest. I ended up using a couple of concrete gate posts as strainers - ok I know there is the cost to consider but once you have the wire tight (via good strainers) the fence is a bit more forgiving if an odd post fails along the line.

cacs

Belongamick wrote: »

On wetter ground (most of the country now!) west of the shannon I found the big strainers not lasting as long as their bulk might suggest. I ended up using a couple of concrete gate posts as strainers - ok I know there is the cost to consider but once you have the wire tight (via good strainers) the fence is a bit more forgiving if an odd post fails along the line.

Your right the big strainers don't last maybe railway sleepers are an alternative

patsy_mccabe

I've a vivid memory of my late father cursing when he couldn't drive staples into an oak post on a style he was building. I replaced that style last year and the post were still good. At a guess they were 30 years in the ground and still good. They were as hard as rock when I cut them up for firewood.

cacs

patsy_mccabe wrote: »

I've a vivid memory of my late father cursing when he couldn't drive staples into an oak post on a style he was building. I replaced that style last year and the post were still good. At a guess they were 30 years in the ground and still good. They were as hard as rock when I cut them up for firewood.

Hello pasty I was in contact with you in past on boards relating to heifer that was showing no signs of milk.
That's unreal regards the posts that's what I heard I don't think you can get them anywhere in Ireland. But they are available in the uk

mostatom

+1 on the concrete strainers, always use them here with ratchet strainers. We use sheep wire and 2 strands of barbed wire it will never go slack with the concrete posts and easy to replace any stakes in between.

Username John

patsy_mccabe wrote: »

I've a vivid memory of my late father cursing when he couldn't drive staples into an oak post on a style he was building. I replaced that style last year and the post were still good. At a guess they were 30 years in the ground and still good. They were as hard as rock when I cut them up for firewood.

I replaced bounds fencing a few years that was all railway sleepers... Railway sleeper every 20 feet or so - some dose of a job putting them all up, as they were all dug in by hand.
The grandfather put em up I would guess after the railway was taken up round here, so prob sometime in the late 60s / early 70s

A few were well rotten now, but most weren't too bad... For stakes that were in the ground 40+ years...

On the old 'telegraph' poles the bit that was horizontal (when the poles used to carry several wires, and had big ceramic insulators) the horizontal timber was oak, and made great posts...
They were short was the only thing (maybe 4ft) but they lasted a long time...

cacs

Username John wrote: »

I replaced bounds fencing a few years that was all railway sleepers... Railway sleeper every 20 feet or so - some dose of a job putting them all up, as they were all dug in by hand.
The grandfather put em up I would guess after the railway was taken up round here, so prob sometime in the late 60s / early 70s

A few were well rotten now, but most weren't too bad... For stakes that were in the ground 40+ years...

On the old 'telegraph' poles the bit that was horizontal (when the poles used to carry several wires, and had big ceramic insulators) the horizontal timber was oak, and made great posts...
They were short was the only thing (maybe 4ft) but they lasted a long time...

Thats the problem with telegraph poles getting them in the ground. Cut a wedge out of the bottom and drive them down . That s an unreal length of time to have them down

patsy_mccabe

And railway sleepers are being used as fence posts is their second life. God only knows how long they were used as actual sleepers. We were lifting some in recently for use in a garden and someone was saying that they may have being used in Auschwitz as they came in for eastern Europe.:(

Username John

Was up the field there the other day and I spotted one sleeper still standing strong. I dunno how long tis there, but a long time, and still sound...

Username John

Was up the field there the other day and I spotted one sleeper still standing strong. I dunno how long tis there, but a long time, and still sound...

Muckit

Have fencing to do for GLAS and will be going with concrete stakes. Things are bad if they rot!

Not looking like l will be able to get in with a machine to do it before end of March. Hopefully Department will use discretion and offer extensions to lads with flooded land parcels.

Username John

Hmm, hope pic attacks this time...

Grueller

I have a telegraph pole here in the yard that is stamped by the British army engineers from 1909. It only came down last year and is a lot sounder than ones that went up five years ago. Whatever was in the creosote years ago that they removed was some stuff. It was made from coal tar as far as I remember.