How to knock half-round posts in straight?

[usenet]

How does/can/should one knock half-round fence posts into the ground so they end up vertical?

Is there some rule of thumb for the angle one has to start at to end up with a vertical post or what?

I'm knocking them in with a standard 'post hammer' (not sure what they're called, i.e. a heavy piece of tube with handles. The problem is that, unlike a round post, a half-round one has a built in tendency to deviate from vertical the further it is driven into the ground.

With the current wet weather we're having it's an ideal time to do a bit of fence refurbishment but I've run out of round posts and I'd like to use up the twenty or so half-round ones I have.

[Howard Neil]

The straightness relies a lot on the accuracy of the hole that you make with the fencing bar. If you have not got one of these, it is a bar that is about 30mm in diameter and about 2 metres long. Most have a point at one end and a flattened section at the other. Drop the pointed end into the ground and use a circular motion with the bar to enlarge the hole and move stones out of the way. Keep doing this until the hole is more than about 300mm deep.

Then drop the post into the ground and hit it with the maul (the post hammer). Every few hits, stop and walk away several yards and check it for straightness (this check is more effective from a distance). Check from two directions at 90 degrees from one another. Keep correcting the angle of the post. When the post is solidly in the ground, check again. This time, if it is not vertical, find a suitable stone (wedge shaped is ideal), push the post upright and insert the stone into the gap left at ground level. Knock the stone in until level with the ground.

[usenet]

OK, thanks, I'll try this approach.

How does one correct the angle of the post? In my experience (in our ground anyway) there's no way I can move it.

As above, there's no way with 18" or so of post in the ground that any amount of wedging stones down the side is going to move it at all. I tried this approach with some that I put in a few weeks ago, I even left a length of 4x2 pushing against the post to hold it straight overnight (or longer) but the posts in question are still well out of vertical.

I will try the fencing bar approach though, that may well be the answer.

[sylva]

Driveall

AJH

[Grunff]

Definitely - that's how I do all our fencing, and it works a treat.

[Howard Neil]

In that case you have left it too long before starting the correction. Take less hits with the maul between corrections. You may also find that the hole made by the bar gives you a little more movement in the early stages. I normally just pull the post towards me. When it will not move any more I consider that the post is far enough into the ground.

The fencing bar should make things a lot easier but it sounds as if you have some very difficult ground. Is there room for a tractor to access the fence line? If so, you may find a neighbouring farmer with a tractor mounted post knocker. Much easier.

Look on the bright side. At least your fence is not going to fall over in a couple of years.

[John]

You may find it useful to cut a tapering piece off the flat side of the sharpened end such that the point is central to the stake rather than at one side. (Shortens the stake a negligible few inches) This removes the tendency to drift while driving into the ground

[usenet]

There's certainly room for a tractor, we even have a tractor, maybe I should look for a cheap secondhand post knocker for the trctor.

Experience so far says that's mst definitely true. Posts I put in five years or so ago are still rock solid, they were round ones though so were easier to knock in straight.

[usenet]

Now that's something I hadn't thought of, good idea, thanks!

[Howard Neil]

I do not think you will regret it. My neighbour helps me with the strainers (the large posts at each turn of a fence run) and his tractor mounted post knocker makes life a lot easier. Keep your eye open for farm dispersal sales.