Setting fence posts

Got a few hours in the pasture this afternoon after work. Cool day, with a fine, soft drizzle, just the sort to soak in slowly over the course of a night. Not ideal weather for setting fence posts, but when you have the time and the materials, you have to do the work.

We drilled the holes with a hydraulic auger a month or more ago, but then had to stall the project due to lack of time. We’ve been getting posts in, a few at a time. The north pasture is completely posted and ready to run pipe and stretch fence. The south pasture is not so complete.

Originally we wanted just to drill the holes the same size as the post, slide them in and call it good. Or even use a pneumatic driver like this. But, we could not rent one, and the hydraulic auger would not dig a straight, narrow hole. It kept hitting rocks and skittering around and the 8 inch auger kept drilling 12-16 inch holes.

Straight lines are strong lines. And they also look nicer.

Sacks were getting damp and tearing on me.

We don’t have water run to the back of the field yet, so we have to bring the water out the old fashioned way.

And this is why the auger can’t dig a straight hole.

Hi Seppi!

When I dug out some of the posts the old owner had in, there was cement around the base, but 8 inches down there was a lot of dry cement powder that had been there for years. The moral of this story is that our soil is so porous that water will preferentially drain away rather than drain through the cement. Which is good because the posts are unlikely to rot out, but the upshot is, mix your cement. Don’t just dry pour and hope it will soak through.

Two 80lbs cement sacks. Think it’ll hold?

Evie thinks it will.

Two hours of work, four posts in. Four more to go in the south pasture.

A little at a time.