Best fence posts?

[berisford]

Would it be possible for someone to make an attachment on a 360 which would grab and vibrate concrete sleepers in,it would need a drill on it as well to take a plug out,last for ever £3,each for the last load don't know what they are today.
Ugly looking things but if such a attachment existed I would get a contractor to put several hundred end posts in.

 

[som farmer]

creosoted stakes, when I took over in 96, put a 500 metre run of 3 wire barb, alternating split round, fence replaced 2014, all round rotted, splits fine- using them for patching.
creosote strainers, same time, 6 yrs ? pointed telegraph strainers, wouldn't use anything else +they are cheaper.
tanalised, used 100's fencing stockwire, had a grant,3/4inch, rubbish, used 2/3inch much better, chemicals nearly right through, use 1/2 rounds now, chem right through. Had an offer of polish oak stakes, apparently there are 1,000's of acres of dead oak saplings, tried some, brill, till you wanted to put staples in, not possible. now going single strand mains fencer. We put 90% of stakes, and strainers, in with our telehandler. Chesnut, heard good things, but not used them.

 

[Bury the Trash]

Its why I dont hardly bother with sheep anymore. At nearly £7 metre to stock net properly your looking at a lot of money £4-5k to fence a 10 acre field.

If you count the amount of time livestock are in these fields its a lot of cash!

that's a pity as sheep would compliment your arable.
How about electric with fibreglass post at about 2 quid each.?

Doesnt need mains with its potential lead out hassles, just a modern high joule 12v unit s ( right were its needed ) and big 60 w plus solar panel for each ,
Using poly wire means less size of strainer and turns ...a creo 3to 4 inch would be ok.

 

[Bury the Trash]

I don't have the time to do it myself. Staff are on an hourly rate, so I think it would work out more economical in the long term to replace them all at once, with clipex etc.

It is disheartening but just one of those things, pointless stressing about it, lifes too short

But I do lose sleep over it, it's an extra cost eating in to slim margins.

We put all our own up plus others, it's hard work in all weathers to keep up, very distressing when it falls over after 5 mins.

 

[Hooby Farmer]

@james ds does good posts

 

[tepapa]

Yep, same here, Mark is a great bloke and was straight down here with some replacements when we had a problem with one batch - took a quick look, no arguing, job done.

But, the last time I spoke with him, he was saying that biofuel + pulping were taking a lot of the wood that's needed to supply his posts.

We use utility poles for strainers and gates, and all poles - even from F & F - get a good coat of creosote on the top once they are in, belt and braces here.

All that written, if anyone knows of reliable recycled plastic ones I'd be glad for a link, any that are brown? TIA

Look up 'mud control' for brown plastic posts. (Not tried them myself)

 

[tepapa]

I don't think these short lasting tanalised posts are treated to last. I wouldn't be surprised if they are only treated for temporary fencing (uc3) Merchants buy them as they're cheaper than UC4 (ground contact) because their farming customer doesn't want to pay any more for them. The farmer buys them thinking they should last but they were never designed to last and probably weren't sold as long lasting posts, just as fence posts and cheap ones at that.

Sorry not trying to offend anyone if you've been caught out. Just remember the merchant selling you these posts is in it to make themselves money. And if they get the sale with cheaper posts then they make some.

 

[Smith31]

I don't think these short lasting tanalised posts are treated to last. I wouldn't be surprised if they are only treated for temporary fencing (uc3) Merchants buy them as they're cheaper than UC4 (ground contact) because their farming customer doesn't want to pay any more for them. The farmer buys them thinking they should last but they were never designed to last and probably weren't sold as long lasting posts, just as fence posts and cheap ones at that.

Sorry not trying to offend anyone if you've been caught out. Just remember the merchant selling you these posts is in it to make themselves money. And if they get the sale with cheaper posts then they make some.

I was out this evening looking around ours, it's not just the treatment, it's the quality of the timber too.

Some of our posts seemed to have split, leading to water penetration and I suspect frost damage? to a point where some fencing staples can be pulled off the post by simply applying light force to the fence.

 

[HarryB97]

Clipex but get the 'Beefy' posts

 

[Danllan]

Look up 'mud control' for brown plastic posts. (Not tried them myself)

Thanks for that, not heard of them. But... a 6" x 7@ strainer is >£40! And their warranty is no better than |Fence and Forget offer on creosoted posts.

The thing is, I know that properly creosoted posts will last well over 30 years. There are posts still rock solid on our old place that I put in with my father in the 80's, and I know of some creosoted oak gate posts on a neighbour's place that were put in just after the War by his father, and they are still hanging gates.

On this place there are fences put in by my predecessors in the 70s, presumably with arsenic in them, that are still sound. And some that I had to use immediately available rubbish to fix up that haven't lasted five years...

We hear from NFU fans that it is a great organisation for farmers, but can any members tell me what the NFU have done about the national rip-off of so many outlets selling post that wouldn't see a kid from birth to primary school?

 

[Bury the Trash]

 

[ollie989898]

You would think the timber industry would complain to government to state that the lack of preservative chemistry is a serious issue and just switch back to using the damned arsenic?

 

[Loftyrules]

Went to the local timber suppliers open day yesterday and they had the guys from ScanPole there, who I believe are BBH in the UK, https://www.burtboultonhaywood.com/our-products/ 40 year guarantee on their posts and rails, more expensive at initial purchase but over a lifetime surely worth the extra spend now?

 

[tepapa]

Went to the local timber suppliers open day yesterday and they had the guys from ScanPole there, who I believe are BBH in the UK, https://www.burtboultonhaywood.com/our-products/ 40 year guarantee on their posts and rails, more expensive at initial purchase but over a lifetime surely worth the extra spend now?

They aren't more expensive at initial purchase. That is the price of quality.

 

[Will2May]

Went to the local timber suppliers open day yesterday and they had the guys from ScanPole there, who I believe are BBH in the UK, https://www.burtboultonhaywood.com/our-products/ 40 year guarantee on their posts and rails, more expensive at initial purchase but over a lifetime surely worth the extra spend now?

These are the ones that I have been using recently, they've got the old fashioned stinky creosote that burns your skin off. Got to last!

 

[Loftyrules]

They aren't more expensive at initial purchase. That is the price of quality.

They are more expensive than standard posts at initial purchase....but you're paying for quality and the guarantee.

 

[som farmer]

carbon footprint on shat posts? longer they last, the less trees are felled. But the last 20 yrs, fencing stakes are a joke, how many 1,000's £ been wasted by our industry, replacing posts that haven't lasted, or, how much extra profit have merchants made by selling us those crap stakes ?
There are to many supply trades living of farmers out put, while most of our product, is commodity based, on world prices, there is little we can do to alter that price. Therefore, the only real way to increase profit, is to reduce cost of production, and that will mean, a lot of those living off our backs, will simply have to go.

 

[cudota]

Will two clipex posts do the same spacing as three wood posts

 

[tepapa]

Will two clipex posts do the same spacing as three wood posts

No

 

[SilliamWhale]

that's a pity as sheep would compliment your arable.
How about electric with fibreglass post at about 2 quid each.?

Doesnt need mains with its potential lead out hassles, just a modern high joule 12v unit s ( right were its needed ) and big 60 w plus solar panel for each ,
Using poly wire means less size of strainer and turns ...a creo 3to 4 inch would be ok.

I do use electric fencing but Welsh sheep don't respect it much. We do have sheep on the permanent grass and I put plenty of FYM on the arable. I just don't think tack sheep is worth it anymore