Wood fence post problem

[Kurt V. Ullman]

I have a wooden fence post that is loose (for lack of a better term). It is the one that has the gate on it and when I open the gate, the post leans back from the weight at an angle. Where the cement around the post interfaces with the ground, it is okay. It doesn't move up/down or side/side. However, when the cement and the wood post interfaces, you can see a small void all the way around and that is where the sag is. It looks like the wood shrunk over the years. I have tried shim it to no luck. I would GREATLY prefer that I don't have to chip off the cement and do that again if possible. I am afraid that the post may break off at the base from the weight of the gate and the angle. Any suggestions?

[philo]

If the post has no signs of rotting...I don't see why shimming did not work. Either your shims were too short and narrow, or the post has indeed rotted, but just too far beneath the surface to see.

[Retired]

There are several repair kits available for this type of problem

The EZ Mender shown here might work for you

[gfretwell]

Maybe pour some of that leveling compound in there. It has a low enough viscosity that it should go into the gap and it has pretty good compressive strength.

[Dan Espen]

Nothing there for a moving gate post. Gates put a lot more stress on the post than fencing.

[Dean Hoffman]

Gate wheel or caster? Some are spring loaded. Would tying a cable back from the top of the post to the fence do any good? Maybe add a turnbuckle to adjust the tension.

[hrhofmann]

The E-Z Mender suggested by an earlier poster sure looks like it should solve your problem.

[Paintedcow]

Without seeing it, it's hard to sday, but it sure sounds to me like it rotted off, maybe just below the cement. Replacement is probably the best. Use treated lumber this time. Gate posts take a lot of stress.

[TomR]

Interesting idea. I never saw those before. Looks like it would work even if the post is rotted below the surface because it bolts/screws to the fence post above the surface..

[Kurt V. Ullman]

I am beginning to think that is the problem.I tried regular wood shims like you use for shimming windows and the longer plastic ones. The last ones seemed to go toward the center of the post as they got further in. Now, to figure a way to check that out easily.

[Kurt V. Ullman]

Neither Hinged swing gate.

[trader_4]

Or epoxy. Epoxy is thin enough that it will run in and fill a gap like that.

[Terry Coombs]

That is an indication that the post is rotted below ground level . Bite the bullet and replace it with a bigger timber and be sure the concrete you set it in comes above ground level and is sloped to shed rain water . IMO gate posts should always be 6x6 minumum . Another thing I do if I build a gate , I make the frame of welded steel . Guaranteed not to sag , ever . I've even retrofitted steel framework to existing saggy wooden gates ...

[dpb]

...

How long has it been there and any idea of what kind of post/treatment it had? If it was one of the recent pine posts w/o the real creosote treatment, it could be almost completely rotted out in as few as 5 yr or so from what I've observed.

I'd guess the only alternative is to just bite the bullet and replace it; you'll waste more time and effort futzing around that it'll be to just do what needs done.

[trader_4]

That's a good point. IDK that treated wood normally would just shrink like that without something more being wrong, ie that it may be rotted out down where you can't see. But I guess one could try pouring some epoxy or similar in there, especially if you happen to already have some.

[dadiOH]

Epoxy can be of various consistencies. "Thin" epoxy would run in quite a way, "thick" epoxy not much.

[hrhofmann]

Epoxy sounds good, but it might take a gallon or more to fill up the spaces if the wood is truly that far gone.

[MyTwoCents]

People pay good money to go to a gym and get some exercise, you can now exercise much cheaper with a shovel and sledge hammer. Dig and break out the old stuff then put it back, all nice and new.

[trader_4]

Choose the one like Goldielocks did. But following DPB's post, I tend to think that more is probably wrong than just the alleged shrinkage, ie that good chance it rotted down below, in which case the epoxy won't help.

[gfretwell]

This just demonstrates the fallacy of "treated" lumber. Virtually all of it is just washed in the chemical and the treatment is superficial at best. If you can't buy something that is over "2" (not 0.2) CCA, you are going to be replacing it if it is in the ground. The only place to find that will be a marine contractor supply or a place that supplies utility poles. Typically that will be 2.5 CCA. The home depot stuff may be safe to eat but it is not going to last long in the ground in spite of what the label says. I would replace that post with a 6" 2.5 CCA post. If he is near Ft Myers, I have a 7' piling he can have for hauling it away.