[kdtdenton]

I am planning a 4ft field fence with 1ft above it to spare in case it's needed for an electric fence strand, or something else... I am trying to avoid using pressure treated wood.

Has anyone used the 2-in Steel H-braces and corner braces available from Tractor Supply? I assume these must be heavily coated/painted before "planting"?

So I had planned to use these TS h-braces, along with 6.5 -ft T-Posts (flats to the inside, since I am keeping the sheep in rather than anything out), planted 1.5 ft in the ground. I currently plan on 8in bore holes 3 ft deep for these.

Also, is there an accepted distance between H-braces along the straight runs?

Thanks!

 

[Alice In TX/MO]

https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/nrcs144p2_016391.pdf

 

[kdtdenton]

https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/nrcs144p2_016391.pdf

This was very helpful, thank you! I also found this:

http://www.staytuff.com/PDF/Stay-Tuff%20Installation%20Guide%20final%20Oct%2013.pdf

I may have to reconsider about the PT posts:

• They won't be around the food (i.e., the garden)
• They'll be encased in concrete
• Perhaps I can cover them with linseed oil or something to minimize leeching of CCA
• Maybe wrap in HW cloth to make them distasteful to goats/sheep to gnaw on.

 

[Alice In TX/MO]

They don’t leach much. Goats that are adequately fed won’t chew on them.

 

[Mike in Ohio]

We do not set PT posts in concrete/cement. That will cause your posts to fail more quickly. If you want to avoid PT you could use locust posts. We have about a mile and a half of fence with wood posts, some PT and some locust posts.

For H braces or end posts, typical distance between posts is 6 foot. Do set your posts with 3 foot in the ground (8 foot posts). Picture is from fencing we put in this past summer.

 

[kdtdenton]

We do not set PT posts in concrete/cement. That will cause your posts to fail more quickly. If you want to avoid PT you could use locust posts. We have about a mile and a half of fence with wood posts, some PT and some locust posts.

For H braces or end posts, typical distance between posts is 6 foot. Do set your posts with 3 foot in the ground (8 foot posts). Picture is from fencing we put in this past summer.

Cool, good to know ... What do you recommend backfilling the hole with? Straight soil? I have also heard pea gravel or drainage gravel, or a 50/50 mix of the two. I'm having a terrible time finding BL posts in Texas, so it'll probably wind up being PT

 

[67drake]

Cool, good to know ... What do you recommend backfilling the hole with? Straight soil? I have also heard pea gravel or drainage gravel, or a 50/50 mix of the two. I'm having a terrible time finding BL posts in Texas, so it'll probably wind up being PT

I use pea gravel. I pour some in, tamp it down with a bar. I use a 6’ torsion bar with a blunt chisel that I also use for breaking ice. Fill the hole, tamp, fill hole, ect

 

[GTX63]

We fill the holes with small stone, gravel or whatever is available. I set corner and gate posts in concrete minimum, sometimes all of them depending on the job and time, and I treat the bottom of our posts in a mixture of used motor oil and diesel fuel. No issues with rot.

 

[muleskinner2]

A four foot fence wouldn't hold any critter I have. They would just laugh and jump over it. I build my own H braces for corners and gates, from 2 5/16 in oil field drill pipe. I set them four feet deep in packed sand, no cement.

 

[kdtdenton]

A four foot fence wouldn't hold any critter I have. They would just laugh and jump over it. I build my own H braces for corners and gates, from 2 5/16 in oil field drill pipe. I set them four feet deep in packed sand, no cement.

Cool ... but alas, I have no welding skills

 

[muleskinner2]

Cool ... but alas, I have no welding skills

Neither do I. I bought a welder at Tractor Supply, read the directions, and watched the video.

 

[Mike in Ohio]

Cool, good to know ... What do you recommend backfilling the hole with? Straight soil? I have also heard pea gravel or drainage gravel, or a 50/50 mix of the two. I'm having a terrible time finding BL posts in Texas, so it'll probably wind up being PT

We just backfill with the clay/soil that came out of the hole. We do tamp it down pretty vigorously to compact around the post. Adding a little bit of water as you are backfilling helps as well.