should i correct fence post spacing error?

[Roger Shoaf]

No offence taken.

[Flash]

clay soil...anyway i guess the one that shattered and pulled the concrete plug askew when my neighbor backed into it could be a fluke.

[Flash]

sweet...lots of great replies to read through...thanks everyone!

[Roger Shoaf]

I really doubt the rod will split the wood. Assume you have a 1/4 hole through the rails with a washer on top near the posts and the same near the center on the bottom. The load is static and light. I would bet you could support an engine block on the end of those two slender steel rods doncha think? I like the steel with the turn buckle as you always can adjust it.

If you were to use wood with an inverted V not much is going to stop the sag of the truss timbers over time. (Think of 2X4 roof rafters)

Either way would however be satisfactory for a 3 foot picket fence, as would adding a short post in the center supporting the lower rail. The down side here is you gotta dig a hole and mix the cement.

[jim]

Depends on the tension loads on the rods and how well the wood where the rod ends hold up under the hot sun (long term). I like the inverted V's better for the long haul due to less maintenance but the rods will work if the end connections are maintained and maybe if the cost is low enough, this may be the preferred choice. My purpose in my orig post was to suggest an alternative and I think I've done that. Either way should work and the OP will have to decide which pro/con he wants to live with.

To be honest, I haven't seen too many roof rafters of any size fail tho I have seen some. Usually other factors contribute to this. But lets face it, usually roof rafters don't fail as evidenced by the older houses. I say "usually" not never.

I agree with you. I think you offered a lot of good suggestions to begin with and I just offered one more alternative to one of them. The OP should be able to decide and either way have a fence which is better than the original design.

[Roger Shoaf]

I have 6 rental houses all built by the same guy. From the birds mouth to the ridge they are a little over 10 feet and all of the 2X4 rafters have at least 3/4" sag in the middle. They had no cross bracing or trussing of any sort. I just rebuilt one of the roofs but this time I used steel rods to jack the sag out of the roof. 1 down 5 to go.

The sag was not a failure per se. They were still supporting the sheeting and were probably to code, but the sag made the roof look like hell.

Conversely, my residence built around the same time was built by a real carpenter and the roof is nice and flat as he took the time and lumber to build it right.

[jim]

Normally you won't see 2x4s as rafters unless in small enclosures. As you pointed out, your 2x4s may not fail for strength by code but may or may not meet the code for deflection. Just for others benefit, usually 2 criteria are involved in designing a structure.... strength and deflection. They are independent of each other and specified by code.

I too own other houses but haven't noted any roof problems when I owner financed them to others. None of them had 2x4's as rafters. Now if it happens it's their worry .