Gatepost capping

[Robin2020]

So DEFRA are refusing to pay for my capital claim of field gates and gateposts. The gateposts need capping. I thought this meant simply cut at angles to remove the rain..and they comelike this anyway. But it sounds like they need proper metal or plastic caps!!! Does anyone know where to buy these or any good DIY methods??? Buying a strip of lead seems quite expensive.. I can only find small caps on google..
I cant believe that treated wood with 2 coats of creocote isnt good enough

 

[An Gof]

So DEFRA are refusing to pay for my capital claim of field gates and gateposts. The gateposts need capping. I thought this meant simply cut at angles to remove the rain..and they comelike this anyway. But it sounds like they need proper metal or plastic caps!!! Does anyone know where to buy these or any good DIY methods??? Buying a strip of lead seems quite expensive.. I can only find small caps on google..
I cant believe that treated wood with 2 coats of creocote isnt good enough

Goto your local scrap yard and get a selection of old hub caps. The fit just nicely over a post and do the job well.

 

[organicguy]

Goto your local scrap yard and get a selection of old caravan panels and cut out circles, cut fillets in edge, bend over and nail down.

 

[Badshot]

What about the little saucers for under plant pots?

Vista 21.5cm Round TRAY (for 25cm Round Vista Planter)

Vista 21.5cm Round Tray Moss (for 25cm Round Planter)

www.plasticboxshop.co.uk

 

[quattro]

Plastic lids off paint tins or feed buckets

 

[Robin2020]

These are square posts by the way.. Sounds like thin sheet steel may be the way.....

 

[Fordson1]

Wooden posts rot at ground level. Does putting a cap on extend the life much?

 

[farmerm]

FG12?

It doesn’t say much about what a weather cap is expected to be. Would some roofing felt be acceptable? How about a simple piece of board, I can’t see it need to be as fancy as the post tops you can get for a garden fence...

 

[Timbo]

Wooden posts rot at ground level. Does putting a cap on extend the life much?

Nope. Be rotted off at the ground well before the top is crumbling.

 

[milkloss]

Caps are good for sleepers and telewag poles but I doubt they'd be much use for anything else. We very often use those nail on straps to stop big chestnut posts splitting wide open

 

[Goweresque]

I always make a cap out of sheets of ally left over from scrap caravans:

You cut a rough circle an inch or so larger than the post, then cut slits about an inch long all the way around, fold down the flaps and nail in. Depending on how OCD you are you can make them really tidy or not, but either way the effect on the post will be the same.......

 

[Hilly]

Pouring tar .

 

[Lincs Lass]

Back in the day when chemicals came in tin drums ,my old boss would cut the top and bottom of and then slice the middle open which left a nice big sheet of tin to fix over the post tops ,,slap a load of bitumen on the top first and it lasted forever , alternatively, ask the scrap yard if they have big bits of lead flashing, dare say they will have loads from church roofs .

 

[Lazy Eric]

I thought about lead flashing but worried about cattle licking it?

 

[Bill dog]

Calf bucket and a tech screw !

 

[Nearly]

Calf bucket and a tech screw !

take photo, remove bucket.

 

[Hilly]

Smearing of silicon ?

 

[Bury the Trash]

stock board (3mm will do ) cut a bit larger an inch than the top, quite simple really i wish all my challenges were as ...


waste of money though shouldn't have bothered with the grant and concreted in steel . would then last for your whole career,better prospect financially.


but actually any wood is crap for hanging gates to swing nicely for any length of time.

them hc4 if thats what they are ..in 12 to 15 yrs (if your lucky) the gates will start to drag in the ground.



i know all this from experience not some expert consultant telling me.

boy if i had my time again. ........

 

[Robin2020]

Cheers all, some nice ideas. I do think the capping is a waste of time as my posts have chamfered tips already. But I need to satisfy the Defra mob to get my money back.
I'm getting frustrated with the grant as you sink so much money into things and never feel confident they will pay up. Always questions and issues...grrr

 

[Robin2020]

I always make a cap out of sheets of ally left over from scrap caravans:

You cut a rough circle an inch or so larger than the post, then cut slits about an inch long all the way around, fold down the flaps and nail in. Depending on how OCD you are you can make them really tidy or not, but either way the effect on the post will be the same.......

I've seen similar work locally. Good job