New pasture fencing

[SkizzlePig]

We're just starting out and need to pasture and cross fence a few acres. We've decided to go with just woven pasture fence and no electric.

When I set my wooden posts, do I need to set them with concrete or can they just go into a bare hole? We'll be using pressure treated posts.

I'm hoping to avoid the expense and extra work of concrete, but if I have to, then I have to ;-)

[Jennifer L.]

Cows lo-ove to scratch their necks on the top of a field wire fence. Creating large dips in the wire that after awhile they can climb over. Now, your cows may be different, but be aware that you may need an electric wire along the top at some point.

You don't need concrete for pressure treated posts.

Have fun building.

[Awnry Abe]

This is more of a question than suggestion. What do you think of dropping a bag of quikrete in the hole before burying the post?

Jennifer is spot on. Once you have all of those posts, running a strand of HT on top will be a breeze. I like field fence on the perimeter. Permits all sorts of livestock options.

[Lady89]

u may want to put a strand of barbed wire over the woven wire, cows like to rub on the woven stuff. As for the post if u set them deep u should not need concrete

[SpaceCadet12364]

Around here wooden post in the corners and every 100 ft 2 wooden post with a brace between them and t-post runners. If woven wire a hot running on top.

[Gravytrain]

I would add quikrete to all corner and brace posts, as well as elevation transition posts...particularly transitions at the bottom of hills. Hilltop posts typically are being pulled down rather than up.

[jwal10]

Here we use crushed rock to tamp in posts. Tamp bottom of hole very good, makes a tight post. Concrete just rots the posts off at the top of the concrete. We use 39" wire, 1 barb on the bottom, 2 on top. Good treated 6"x8' posts, near 4' deep holes, 4"x4" treated braces and #9 brace wire. 4' total high. If we use a hot wire it is on a 6" offset insulator in side the fence, 2/3rds the way up....James

[kycrawler]

Post an add on craigslist looking for someone to drive the posts. I have a shaver HD 8 driver for on a tractor 3 point hitch they set a good solid post in no time. I can drive an 8 inch corner post in about 2 minutes and it is solid and ready to string wire off of right away my neighbor has a mini excavator with a post driver and it is even better than the tractor but they do fencing every day . 7-10$ to drive the posts is well worth it

[Gravytrain]

I prefer to drive them as well, but on wet, heavy ground quikrete is a better option IMO...and I have some 30+ year old treated posts in cement that are still rock solid.

[ramiller5675]

Originally Posted by jwal10

Here we use crushed rock to tamp in posts. Tamp bottom of hole very good, makes a tight post. Concrete just rots the posts off at the top of the concrete. We use 39" wire, 1 barb on the bottom, 2 on top. Good treated 6"x8' posts, near 4' deep holes, 4"x4" treated braces and #9 brace wire. 4' total high. If we use a hot wire it is on a 6" offset insulator in side the fence, 2/3rds the way up....James

Except for using a piece of 2 3/8 pipe for the braces (because that's the part that always fails first), that's the way I like to build woven-wire fences.

If you ever have to pull a post that's been set in concrete that somehow hasn't rotted off at the ground, you'll be cussing whoever used concrete to set that post.

If you ever have to try to pull what's left of a post that was set in concrete AFTER it's rotted off, you'll set a new record for cussing.

[Awnry Abe]

Again, just asking cause I don't really know. Does quikrete, when added dry to the whole, set up like concrete and cause the same issues as having a buried lollipop? I had a drunk plow through one of my line posts. My neighbor suggested a dry bag in the bottom when I was doing the repair, which I did because I had one. He said it packed well. It did. I imagine something like very powdery crusher run or AB3 would be better, cause it wouldn't turn into a giant rock.

[msscamp]

Originally Posted by Unlikely Farmer

We're just starting out and need to pasture and cross fence a few acres. We've decided to go with just woven pasture fence and no electric.

When I set my wooden posts, do I need to set them with concrete or can they just go into a bare hole? We'll be using pressure treated posts.

I'm hoping to avoid the expense and extra work of concrete, but if I have to, then I have to ;-)

You can just set them using the dirt you dug out of the post hole. The only time we use concrete is for corral fences.

[cooper101]

Originally Posted by Awnry Abe

Again, just asking cause I don't really know. Does quikrete, when added dry to the whole, set up like concrete and cause the same issues as having a buried lollipop?

There is a type of cement made to be put in the hole dry and then it will harden. Not all cement will do that the same way.

[smccuen]

Crushed rock (gravel) in a hole one third the length of the post will hold it firmly if tamped every few inches. Makes the job go quickly. Use a post level as you set and tamp each post.