Replace fence posts without disturbing fence

Easy enough

I agree that this is an easy repair method, if you don't mind the appearance.

But if the OP wants to *replace* we need more details of the construction, and also to ask how old it was, and whether alternative precautions are necessary to extend the life in future.

Until you find that the wooden posts have been bedded in with a barrow load of concrete.

Then he will need one of these

I put new posts midway between the old ones, and left the old ones in place. I intended to remove them but couldn't really see the point when it came to it. I would have had to join the rails where the old posts had been.

Bill

Even then it can be hard work (DAMHIK)

ANdy

Job for an illusionist by the sound of it. Brian

It's not.

Saw the ends off the arris rails up against the rotten posts, lift out the panel, replace the posts (as others have said, this is easy or hard depending on how much concrete there is), replace the posts (don't bother making the mortices), refit the panel using these brackets

Ooops, forgot to point out the b obvious that you'll need some new arris for one run and to transfer the feather edge.

Wouldn't it be a lot easier with an SDS drill?

I hadn't considered using concrete repair spurs. Perhaps that would be the easiest option. I would still have to chip away at the concrete at the base of the rotted post to enable the spurs to go deep enough but it sounds easier than replacing the posts. Thanks.

I did several like that except with the bigger spur posts you can get.

You use a big SDS drill to break the concrete on one side, dig out the rotten post from the remaining concrete fill the resulting channel and drop the spur in, bolt it up and fill in the rest of the hole. It doesn't need to a continuous ring of new concrete as it requires virtually no tensile strength.