Looking for a way to secure struts in soft ground

[Chris Green]

I have a length of (sort of) post and rail fence which I constructed many years ago along one side of our land where an electric fence doesn't work too well (under trees, lots of undergrowth, etc.). The rest of our land just has electric fencing. The fences are to keep horses in.

I am currently working my way along the fence, repairing and refurbishing it. It consists basically of driven in wooden posts supporting a 4" x 2" rail.

For much of its length the ground is very soft and sandy and it's difficult to get the posts firmly fixed. In many places I have run struts from adjacent trees and this has worked pretty well where there are suitable trees.

However there are some sections where there no trees strong enough and/or trees have the same problems as my posts! :-)

So I'm looking for some way to fix wooden struts at ground level, i.e. some sort of ground anchor that can be hammered into the ground. The problem is that I simply can't find anything that's big enough and doesn't cost an arm and a leg.

To get any sort of grip in the ground a stake needs to go at least

2ft, preferably more so I need something at least that long. It also needs to be quite fat, a thin steel 'rebar' post doesn't have enough grip. The anchor also needs to have some reasonably easy way to fix a wooden strut to it.

The best solution I've come up with so far is a length of 40mm x 40mm steel angle (I had a couple of bits lying around) but that's expensive and will, eventually, corrode (though it may well outlast me).

Can anyone come up with a better/cheaper idea? A giant plastic tent peg would probably work but I can't find anything like that, all tent pegs seem to be a maximum of 12" long. If I could find a 2ft long tent peg that could well work.

[Chris Hogg]

Old iron bed frames are made of that sort of sized angle iron, if you can get them from your local scrappie. Whoever owned my previous property before me used them extensively.

[Tim Lamb]

In message [e-mail]>, Chris Green [e-mail] writes

My grazing tenant uses galvanised steel strainer posts for his electric fencing. I'll ask where he gets them.

We had a thread on fencing way back. My view is that you need to increase the area of post in contact with soft soils. Only easy when first fitting the posts. Dig a hole using a *shuv-holer* or similar. Insert post and backfill with tamped broken rubble.

I'll bet your horses are scratching their arses on the fence. Strand of barbed wire cures that:-)

[nothanks]

Howsabout digging a larger hole, attaching battens to the bottom of the post on one side and just below ground level on the opposite side. Put the post in the ground such that the top batten is on the side away from the expected load. Add small hardcore and Postcrete to taste. I did that here when fencing across an area of sandy soil and it has worked well (admittedly, it hasn't had to withstand a hungry or excited horse).

[Paul]

There's always a post hole digger. It depends on how many you can dig per hour, as to whether it is cheaper than trying to use metals to shore up the posts (fence spike).

Even metal stock is dearly priced, so you can't even buy metals and weld up your own fence spike design. Still too expensive. When I price metals here, a metal bar costs as much as a similarly sized finished-good. Ridiculous.

The previous city I lived in, had a metal supply (iron monger but with a city slicker name), and if you wanted better rates on metals than you could get at a builder merchant, that's where you would go. That's where I would attempt to get lengths of angle. When you're driving the angle, you want the right adapter to fit over the top while driving it. As otherwise, your sledge will deform the end. If the angle is large enough in size, wear hearing protection while driving it :-) That's for the swearing.

Paul

[Brian Gaff]

Horses? You say electric fences work? Why are you then bothering with ad hoc fences which when a horse leans on it will break.

Brian

[Chris Green]

Good idea, yes, thanks!

[Chris Green]

I suspect that they will be quite expensive.

Yes, the bigger the better. However digging a hole is somewhat difficult in the area concerned, it's dry and loose so holes don't stay as holes, plus there's lots of undergrowth and roots etc. to fight your way through. Thus knocking a post in plus knocking something in to support a strut is rather more attractive than 'digging a hole'. :-)

It already has an electric wire to discourage them.

[Chris Green]

As I commented to a previous post 'digging a hole' in this area is an exercise in frustration.

[Chris Green]

Yes, metal (steel) is becoming ridiculously expensive isn't it!

Post hole digger isn't practical even though I have a suitable tractor, the ground is simply too loose and tractor access very difficult due to trees.

[Chris Green]

Because keeping an electric fence working in undergrowth etc. below trees isn't practical.

The existing D-I-Y 'post and rail' has worked pretty well for 20 years or so, it just needs some maintenance! :-)

[Animal]

The way forward is to look at the options & decide which is most practical. None will give you all you want. Some options: post driven in deep by machine - access problem. Would an SDS-max be any use? thin profile post driven in by hand - mfr cost. ask for scrap steel on freebie lists? large hole filled with crete - labour And finally, a large heavy base above ground. Bang post into ground enough to keep it upright, surround with shuttering ply, pour a big crete base.

[Tim Lamb]

There's these..

[John J]

A modicum of maintenance with a scythe a slasher or a knapsack sprayer of selective weedkiller works wonders.

[Rod Speed]

You quite sure you aint one of those rocket scientist animals ?

Thats silly apart from the price.

But not when driven with a kango hammer.

Unlikely.

We have things called droppers, work fine in soil like that.

[Chris Green]

It's not,in the main, weeds and other things that are growing. It's a mess of dead elder trees, fallen trunks of old oak and elm trees, old greenhouse frames, etc. Yes, ideally one would clear it properly, but life's too short! :-)

[Vir Campestris]

Can you use old greenhouse frames as posts?

Andy

[Chris Green]

I did take a look at some of them but they're not quite fat enough I don't think.

[Tricky Dicky]

Have you considered ground screws they are a bit pricey but no digging required. They are mostly designed for beam support eg. Decking, garden rooms, sheds, but can have posts attached instead

Richard