What is the best way to put in fence posts?
Posted: Mon Sep 28, 2015 8:54 pm
Having successfully recovered 25m of fencing from my old allotment, I am not going to put it in place at my new allotment.
Previously, I hung it from corner compost bins with supporting canes every metre, which served me well.
This time around, I have ordered some 1.6 metre wooden posts. But what is the best way to put these into the ground? I have ask a builder friend, who says that I should not bother with cement since we are in a very heavy clay region. I just have to whack them in about 35cm (14 inches), since the fence they are having to support is 1.05 metres high.
I am going to use a caste iron potato planter that sailed with Noah in the Ark and is very heavy indeed. To knock things in, I up end it and use the tread as a hammer. It is so heavy that most things are persuaded to go into ground. However, 35cm is some distance. If you were me, would you dig a thin pilot hole about half that depth to help ease the post in or not?
I can't afford to hire one of those proper post smashers and there'll be just me doing the work. As long as the result is there or thereabouts, I won't be too precious as to what it all looks like, although do want the fence posts to be vaguely perpendicular.
How easy is it then to hammer staples into the post when it is upright? Is there enough resistance?
Any tips, comments?
Previously, I hung it from corner compost bins with supporting canes every metre, which served me well.
This time around, I have ordered some 1.6 metre wooden posts. But what is the best way to put these into the ground? I have ask a builder friend, who says that I should not bother with cement since we are in a very heavy clay region. I just have to whack them in about 35cm (14 inches), since the fence they are having to support is 1.05 metres high.
I am going to use a caste iron potato planter that sailed with Noah in the Ark and is very heavy indeed. To knock things in, I up end it and use the tread as a hammer. It is so heavy that most things are persuaded to go into ground. However, 35cm is some distance. If you were me, would you dig a thin pilot hole about half that depth to help ease the post in or not?
I can't afford to hire one of those proper post smashers and there'll be just me doing the work. As long as the result is there or thereabouts, I won't be too precious as to what it all looks like, although do want the fence posts to be vaguely perpendicular.
How easy is it then to hammer staples into the post when it is upright? Is there enough resistance?
Any tips, comments?