Question on how to install 4x4 pressure treated posts.........

I need to install two pressure treated 4x4s in my yard that I plan to hook a cable to as a dog run. This way he can safely chase rabbits from my garden area. The posts are 10' long. My soil is mostly clay. How deep should I dig the post holes for this length post? Also, I plan to fill the holes with sacrete concrete mix. The bags are 80 lb. each at the local hardware store. How many bags will I need for each post? Any other tips or ideas about this installation would be most helpful.

Thank You :) Rich from PA

Reply to
EVP MAN
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I would plant them four feet deep. I passed by a pallet of Sacrete at work today, and noticed they were 80 pound bags (it may come in different sizes, too). I'd plan on at least half of the 80 lb. bag for each post, maybe more. Four feet down in clay, and then mixing Sacrete

- you're talking about *real* work!. Note that all of this is merely my opinion - there is certainly more than one way to skin a cat . . er, post.

Tony M.

Reply to
Tony

I take it you will run a wire between the posts and the dog's lead will run up and down the wire on a ring. Is that right?

I need more information.

So why are the posts 10' long? Why is this a starting point? How high do you want to run the wire off the ground (often it would be on the ground unless along a fence or wall)? How big is the dog? (The bigger the dog the deeper the posts need to be sunk) How are you digging the holes? (The looser the hole the more concrete you need)

David

Reply to
David Hare-Scott

Wooden posts should never be set in concrete... they won't be able to dry so they will rot.

If you live where the ground freezes dig the post holes at least a foot deeper than the frost line and fill with six inches of gravel. Set the post and add another 6" worth of gravel, then back fill with earth, tamping well and so that the earth is built up around the post by 4" above grade. Concrete is used with metal posts, never with wood. Nowadays a better choice is to use those composite posts made from recyclables.

Reply to
brooklyn1

Yes, I will run a cable between the posts and attach the dogs lead to the cable. The dog is small at about 25 lbs. I'm using 10' posts because I'm 6' 3" tall and want to clear the cable with my head while mowing lawn. Our frost line is down around three feet here in my area. I decided to set the posts in concrete because I figure pressure treated lumber shrinks quite a bit when it dries out. This way I can lift the posts out and have a 4" square in the concrete. And if I ever need to replace the posts, I can just lift the old ones out and set the new ones in. Figure it would save me the work of digging new holes the second time around in the future.

Rich

Reply to
EVP MAN

Then I would set them down the maximum ie about 3' 6" to give stability.

Our frost line is down around three feet here in my

You said they were pressure treated, not all treated timber is the same, you need it to be up to the standard required for constant contact with the soil. If it isn't they will rot off in a few years. I don't like your chances of replacing the posts as you describe, if they rot it will be near ground level so the bottom will probably break off and stay in the hole.

The amount of concrete you need depends on how you dig the hole. If you use a crow bar and post hole digger (like a big pair of tongs) you can keep the hole neat and not much bigger than the post. You may not even need concrete then, you can often tamp the clay back with the butt end of the crow bar until it is really firm if you take your time. If you use a spade the hole will be much wider and require more concrete. Do your digging when the clay is neither very wet nor very dry.

David

Reply to
David Hare-Scott

I think what I'll do is dig the holes 45". Then I'll ad 3" of pea gravel to the bottom of each hole. This should give me 6 1/2' of post above ground to fasten the cable. I'll bring my concrete up above ground level and dome it for water run off. Then I will seal the area all around where the post meets the concrete with silicon caulk. Hopefully this will work out for me and the posts will give me at least ten years of use.

Rich

Reply to
EVP MAN

There is a separate grade of pressure treated lumber for in ground use.

I think the silicon is overkill but I can't see how it would hurt.

Reply to
despen

Sounds like an excellent plan - good attention to details of the "fine points", too.

Tony M.

Reply to
Tony

I set the posts today and all went well. We live in a college town with no wild animals bigger than rabbits and squirrels. I never let my dog out alone. I sit in the yard the whole time he's on his cable run. He's a little Maltese and spoiled rotten. If I get out of his sight, he barks his little head off........LOL

Rich

Reply to
EVP MAN

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Somewhere between zone 5 and 6 tucked along the shore of Lake Michigan on the council grounds of the Fox, Mascouten, Potawatomi, and Winnebago

Reply to
dr-solo
< snips >

Heard of a neighbour's dog - poor thing - was left to run on his yard-wire - when a quick summer lightning storm decided to hit. It's a quick death, at least. And you are right about the coyotes. John T.

--- news://freenews.netfront.net/ - complaints: snipped-for-privacy@netfront.net ---

Reply to
hubops

Tethering a live animal to a stake in a rural area makes it bait, in surburbia a tethered dog is a nuisance that will bark constantly while the uncaring owner who is too lazy to walk their dog is off doing whatever uncaring lazy bastards do.

Reply to
brooklyn1

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