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Wood fence help needed....

4059 Views 13 Replies 7 Participants Last post by  jil101ca, 
J
Lets start by saying that I rent and do not want to invest money into moving the fence post, I am looking for a cheap fix.

About 150 feet of my fence is leaning. The reason is the post are put in an area where it is very very wet. The post are not rotten but the ground is very soft. The post are supported somewhat by a wood brace pushing them straight. This is not workng as the braces are sinking too. Is there a way we can straighten the post and put something in the hole to secure it? What about sand, rocks, ready mix? It's not a big deal as there is a hot wire to cheap the ponies in but it looks like crap. None of the boards are even and the post tops are all dfferent heights.
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F
jil101ca said:
Lets start by saying that I rent and do not want to invest money into moving the fence post, I am looking for a cheap fix.

About 150 feet of my fence is leaning. The reason is the post are put in an area where it is very very wet. The post are not rotten but the ground is very soft. The post are supported somewhat by a wood brace pushing them straight. This is not workng as the braces are sinking too. Is there a way we can straighten the post and put something in the hole to secure it? What about sand, rocks, ready mix? It's not a big deal as there is a hot wire to cheap the ponies in but it looks like crap. None of the boards are even and the post tops are all dfferent heights.
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......................Pull a Nylon stringline and stretch it from the first post too the last post . Do this by driving a nail in the center of the post on TOP and stretch too the last post . This will give you a line too Align all the other posts off of . Now , I obviously can't see your fence so I have no way of knowing how far out of kilter the first and last post(in the 150 foot span you referred too)......ARE . From this stringline I would try and remove and reset each post . Judging from your description I'm thinking cement is the only way too anchor the posts in the ground . If the fence is made up from panels you can try and detach each panel , clean out the hole , maybe deepen a bit and cement it back into place . I'd also want the bottom of the panels off the ground a couple of inches too keep them rotting away . Lots of work but worthwhile if you have the time and energy . , fordy
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R
well if you can't get the landowner to do it and want to do it yourself..you get some treated lumber, 2x4's will work..and cut them off at an angle at each end..you have someone hold the rotting post level (buy a post level) and then you use a sledgehammer and pound the new support right next to the post into the ground..and then lag bolt or screw it to the old post ..this should last for a goodly while...and is about the cheapest fix you'll find
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J
Do the braces go on an angle or straight down the post? There are some there on an angle already but they are not cut on angles nor screwed to the posts.
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fishhead
If you pull the posts, enlarge the post hole, replace the post and then use crushed rock to fill in around the post it should work.
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R
you really only need to cut an angle on the bottom so that it is easy to pound in..and then if you want to after you pound it in you can cut the top off at an angle so that water sheds..or cover it with something if you want..but treated lumber really doesn't need to shed water so much..i was really wrong to say cut the top off at an angle before pounding as that would make pounding it in difficult..but i generally cut the tops off at an angle to shed water after they are pounded in and attached to the old post.

you pound it in straight down beside the rotting post..and leave enough below ground to support and enough above ground to attach to the non rotted part of the post..i would say about a half a 8 ' 2x4...or 4' for each post..leaving 2' below and 2' above approx..more below if you can get it deeper though..

if one doesn't work put one on each side..front and back..or side and side..

a post repaired this way will genearlly last quite a while..and will save you having to pull all the posts and replace them..

of course..price the 2x4's if they are more expensive than the new posts..then go with the posts and go thru the entire process..

also best to put the posts on a bracket on top of a concrete footing..so the wood isn't in contact with the soil if it isn't ground contact rated lumber
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A
People, please note the OP's "post are not rotten but the ground is very soft."

If the posts are sinking, you can't do too much more than get longer posts. Additional pieces of wood, concrete, gravel around the posts aren't going to do much. They will help for a while, but then they'll start tipping over as well. Sort of like putting gravel over a mud hole. The gravel will eventually sink/get pushed into the mud. Your solution probably needs to be either making the ground firmer with gravel, driving the posts deeper so they are brace more, or making a structure that better resists tipping/sinking.

For just a few posts, you could make H-braces, sort of like you do for the corners. Not as long, but perpendicular to the fence line. Straighten the posts so they're vertical. Pound the high ones to make them level(ish) Pound in a drive post 2-3 feet away from the first post. Nail your diagonal to the new post, or make an H brace with a short piece of horizontal post and diagonal brace wire. If done right, it will look a bit strange, but not bad.

Another option is to make A frame posts. The drawback to these is that there is the leg inside the fence. Drive two posts into the ground, one on either side of the fence. Draw them together until the tops touch, bolt/tie them together. Nail on horizontal piece just above the ground.

I'm thinking of trying to fence across a swamp, and how you would do it. Very long posts comes to mind, unless all there is to drive into is mud. If thats the case, then floating, self supporting fence post structures would work.


Michael
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J
Pound the high ones to make them level(ish) Pound in a drive post 2-3 feet away from the first post. Nail your diagonal to the new post, . If done right, it will look a bit strange, but not bad.
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We are going to try to pound the post in the ground more. A friend of mine is going to make a "post hammer". After that we are going to put some slag (railway stone) and then re-do the support braces. We have a free source of slag and I have a collecton of odd 2x4s. I can't have anything on the inside of the fence because of the ponies. I'm afraid they would trip over it. There are 2x4 supports there already on the outside of the fence but they were never nailed to the post so only slide up the post as the post lean over more and some of those are rotten and appear to be too short. For the boards we were thinking of cutting foot long pieces and splicing the ends together to reattach them to the post. Right now a large part of them are being held on by wire and twine. Around June or July the ground along this part of the fence will dry up somewhat. The fence doesn't have to be really strong as there is a hot wire around it but it would be nice to have a somewhat straight fence and not have boards fall off every time the wind blows or a bird sits on the fence :)
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fordson major
i recommended this book too another ontario resident awhile back. look at patent fence, good for swampy areas!
http://www.ontarioheritageconnection.org/live/main.php?page=news.200901_r.html
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7thswan
Push post straight, or alitle past,put rocks in the hole.
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J
I've booked that to show hubby, thanks Ford Major....
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A
If the problem is only seasonal, that's quite a bit different than trying to go across a permanent wet area like a swamp. You're slag fill will do a lot to help. Bracing needs to be secured at both ends. The lower end outside of the fence should be attached to something like a good sized stake or another post. Even a 2' piece of 2x2 or 2x4 (green treated) stake would be fine. Also, you could get a diagonal brace piece thats longer than you need, cut a point on one end, and drive it into the ground until the end meets the post. This would secure the brace, and then all you have to do is secure the top end to the fence post.

Michael
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jil101ca said:
We are going to try to pound the post in the ground more. A friend of mine is going to make a "post hammer". After that we are going to put some slag (railway stone) and then re-do the support braces. We have a free source of slag and I have a collecton of odd 2x4s. I can't have anything on the inside of the fence because of the ponies. I'm afraid they would trip over it. There are 2x4 supports there already on the outside of the fence but they were never nailed to the post so only slide up the post as the post lean over more and some of those are rotten and appear to be too short. For the boards we were thinking of cutting foot long pieces and splicing the ends together to reattach them to the post. Right now a large part of them are being held on by wire and twine. Around June or July the ground along this part of the fence will dry up somewhat. The fence doesn't have to be really strong as there is a hot wire around it but it would be nice to have a somewhat straight fence and not have boards fall off every time the wind blows or a bird sits on the fence :)
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...........Pounding wooden posts will , often , split or destroy the integrity of the post ! , fordy
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J
If i shouldn't pound the post in then how do you get it in?
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