Fence Posts

Czhornet · 13-05-2021 12:54pm #1

What do people use for fence posts in wet ground?
i'm pissed off with timber posts getting 4/5 years max from them as they rot at ground level.
Is there any alternative's? Had a mad idea to use 76mm galv tube for every second one, but will they last the test of time.

Thanks.

hopeso · 13-05-2021 1:43pm

Good quality creosote posts should last longer than that....Concrete would be another option.

Czhornet · 13-05-2021 2:45pm

hopeso wrote: »

Good quality creosote posts should last longer than that....Concrete would be another option.

I've tried the precast concrete posts in the past and they are sh1t, cattle scratch off them and crack them and they are loose with only the reinforcing wire holding them.

Must look for good quality creosote timber or some old ESB/Eircom poles too as those tanalised ones are only fit for firewood

The11Duff · 13-05-2021 3:17pm

Try clipex posts, Expensive but worth it

cute geoge · 13-05-2021 3:17pm

i taught the plastic ones from clare were the job

FarmerDougal · 13-05-2021 3:19pm

Czhornet wrote: »

What do people use for fence posts in wet ground?
i'm pissed off with timber posts getting 4/5 years max from them as they rot at ground level.
Is there any alternative's? Had a mad idea to use 76mm galv tube for every second one, but will they last the test of time.

Thanks.

Galb tube would be a good job, is it electric fence how will u Insulate. 99% of Timber posts are dirt

minerleague · 13-05-2021 4:02pm

Czhornet wrote: »

What do people use for fence posts in wet ground?
i'm pissed off with timber posts getting 4/5 years max from them as they rot at ground level.
Is there any alternative's? Had a mad idea to use 76mm galv tube for every second one, but will they last the test of time.

Thanks.

Often thought of using galv pipe in concrete base ( but wrap pipe in plastic as concrete sets so you could lift it in/out after) Have done this with 4 " piping in front of silage base to make removable barrier. Dont know would you be able to insulate electric fence easily?? Concrete posts would be other option

Czhornet · 13-05-2021 5:17pm

FarmerDougal wrote: »

Galb tube would be a good job, is it electric fence how will u Insulate. 99% of Timber posts are dirt

either cut a notch in the tube to hold 1/2 pipe or pre drill a pilot hole into the tube and screw in those yellow holders with the screw at the back as used in a timber post.

White Clover · 13-05-2021 5:41pm

Czhornet wrote: »

either cut a notch in the tube to hold 1/2 pipe or pre drill a pilot hole into the tube and screw in those yellow holders with the screw at the back as used in a timber post.

PDM creosote posts being used here with the last 12 years. All still perfect and I expect to get at least 20 years out of them.

Limestone Cowboy · 13-05-2021 5:53pm

FarmerDougal wrote: »

Galb tube would be a good job, is it electric fence how will u Insulate. 99% of Timber posts are dirt

Tec screw on insulators. I have it done in part of the winterage here. Was fast enough to do and works the finest.

Limestone Cowboy · 13-05-2021 6:01pm

Found a pic

FarmerDougal · 13-05-2021 7:25pm

Limestone Cowboy wrote: »

Found a pic

Lifetime job nice

Good loser · 14-05-2021 2:02am

White Clover wrote: »

PDM creosote posts being used here with the last 12 years. All still perfect and I expect to get at least 20 years out of them.

I've never seen a creosoted post rot - in 15/20 years using them.

Castlekeeper · 14-05-2021 10:58am

I would think the likes of clipex or galv pipe are useless in soft ground. Unless they went down around 18" wouldnt they be loose in no time?

Castlekeeper · 14-05-2021 11:25am

White Clover wrote: »

PDM creosote posts being used here with the last 12 years. All still perfect and I expect to get at least 20 years out of them.

Thanks for that. Just called them and found out that our local FRS are stockists.

jaymla627 · 14-05-2021 12:06pm

Limestone Cowboy wrote: »

Found a pic

What make are the insulators, have some rocky ground here and have a notion of welding a base plate onto a pipe like your using and using genie to drill holes and bolt posts it into ground

Limestone Cowboy · 14-05-2021 12:30pm

jaymla627 wrote: »

What make are the insulators, have some rocky ground here and have a notion of welding a base plate onto a pipe like your using and using genie to drill holes and bolt posts it into ground

They are pel insulators, I picked them up in the farm relief store.

Limestone Cowboy · 14-05-2021 12:33pm

Castlekeeper wrote: »

I would think the likes of clipex or galv pipe are useless in soft ground. Unless they went down around 18" wouldnt they be loose in no time?

Ya the ground would want to be fairly solid. Not a hope I would have got timber posts down where I used them. They have their place.

Czhornet · 14-05-2021 12:47pm

Castlekeeper wrote: »

I would think the likes of clipex or galv pipe are useless in soft ground. Unless they went down around 18" wouldnt they be loose in no time?

Same could be said for timber posts!

Trouble here is a 6 foot post could end up being 4 foot high or less when driven into the soft ground, so length is a factor

[Deleted User] · 14-05-2021 9:49pm

The concrete posts I see around here seem to last. Know a lad in SW England still using concrete posts made by POW's in WW2.

Dinzee Conlee · 14-05-2021 11:17pm

herdquitter wrote: »

The concrete posts I see around here seem to last. Know a lad in SW England still using concrete posts made by POW's in WW2.

There was a railway running local years ago, was taken up in the 60s I think.
The bounds here was fenced with sleepers from the railway...

I replaced the fence about 10 years ago, most of the sleepers were well gone to be fair, but a few were still good... They were holding up the wire still, but any pressure and they would have given way...

That’s what, about 40-50 years, after they were probably laid in the railway around 1890 or so I think...

Was some dose putting them in though I imagine, they were all dug in by hand, a sleeper every 5 yards or so...

minerleague · 15-05-2021 4:06pm

Read somewhere to drill some holes into timber posts just at ground level ( in and down ) and put waste engine oil or similar into hole every so often. Haven't done this myself but idea is posts will usually rot at this point but the oil penetrates into center of post. Too much bother ??? maybe worth doing corner posts as experiment

Castlekeeper · 15-05-2021 7:13pm

Czhornet wrote: »

Same could be said for timber posts!

Trouble here is a 6 foot post could end up being 4 foot high or less when driven into the soft ground, so length is a factor

They say girth even more so...

curiousinvestor · 15-05-2021 8:45pm

Anyone have a price for the creosote posts
I got little short posts from kerry coop about 10 years ago , nothing special, lasted this long but they are way too short.
I've been getting much longer heavier ones from crecora since. They are cheap enough but 5 to 7 years is about the limit of em.

Alibaba · 15-05-2021 10:13pm

What are the plastic ones like. Any good ?

[Deleted User] · 15-05-2021 10:14pm

Castlekeeper wrote: »

They say girth even more so...

True, I've a corner strainer to go in soft ground. I've some 6ft creo posts left there but I think I'll go travelling for something beefier.

curiousinvestor wrote: »

Anyone have a price for the creosote posts
I got little short posts from kerry coop about 10 years ago , nothing special, lasted this long but they are way too short.
I've been getting much longer heavier ones from crecora since. They are cheap enough but 5 to 7 years is about the limit of em.

I bought some 6 foots, they're grant spec I think, they were €9 something each, 5 foots were $7 something. I've cut some making struts and the creo goes all the way in. They look and feel very well made.

New neighbour is putting up a new fence and doing all creo, he got some 6 foots for €6.30. They're no where near as thick as the ones I bought and it appears quite a few have split while being driven - with what I don't know.

memorystick · 16-05-2021 2:59pm

Castlekeeper wrote: »

I would think the likes of clipex or galv pipe are useless in soft ground. Unless they went down around 18" wouldnt they be loose in no time?

Would be perfect around a well or something if you put a barrow of concrete around each.

French Toast · 16-05-2021 4:48pm

I saw a post somewhere that suggested the Clipex don't last well in wet/boggy ground, acidity eats the galvanize off them. Only vaguely remember reading it so open to correction. Great yokes otherwise.

Good loser · 17-05-2021 11:41pm

In the prairies in US they have a special tree(maybe osage) whose posts last up to 100 years. Cost about 5$ each and they string 4/5 strands barbed wire on them. Strange looking posts, not straight, twisted about 6 ft long.
Maybe out of swamps? Don't know are they the result of pollarding?

Good loser · 17-05-2021 11:44pm

Alibaba wrote: »

What are the plastic ones like. Any good ?

Saw new bales black plastic posts in coop recently.
Probably 5" diam and 5/6 ft long. Very sturdy and can be machine driven, take nails etc.
Pricey at €14 each.

Durrus Boy · 18-05-2021 7:27am

Have a neighbour who buys blocks of bitumen, heats it in a keg and dips the bottom 2 foot of each pole in it. Swears by the process!!!

Fence Posts

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