Long lasting softwood fence posts

Goweresque

Member
Location
North Wilts
The same 1.8 mtr as your 60mm post but in 100 or 125. Just going off whats advertised on that NZ website.

I think you'd struggle to get 1.8m posts in the UK for 5p/mm diameter. Volume increases to the square of radius so as they get bigger the amount of plastic rises quite rapidly, as does the price. 60mm for just under £4 each is as cheap as I've found them, the 70mm came in at about £6, and the 80mm were nearly £8 I think. Which makes sense, the volume of plastic in a 80mm post is nearly double the volume in a 60mm one.
 

renewablejohn

Member
Location
lancs
I think you'd struggle to get 1.8m posts in the UK for 5p/mm diameter. Volume increases to the square of radius so as they get bigger the amount of plastic rises quite rapidly, as does the price. 60mm for just under £4 each is as cheap as I've found them, the 70mm came in at about £6, and the 80mm were nearly £8 I think. Which makes sense, the volume of plastic in a 80mm post is nearly double the volume in a 60mm one.

Not looking at buying them in as there easy enough to manufacture. Volume of waste plastic used is not the problem its how much tight fisted farmers are prepared to pay for there posts. The ones I have seen on the market are far to expensive for this tight fisted farmer but looking at it I think 5p per mm would give a decent manufacturing return.
 

Goweresque

Member
Location
North Wilts
Not looking at buying them in as there easy enough to manufacture. Volume of waste plastic used is not the problem its how much tight fisted farmers are prepared to pay for there posts. The ones I have seen on the market are far to expensive for this tight fisted farmer but looking at it I think 5p per mm would give a decent manufacturing return.

Well if you could manufacture and sell a 80-100mm 1.8m plastic post for £4-5 you'd clean up IMO. I'd certainly be buying at that price:)
 

William G

Member
Not looking at buying them in as there easy enough to manufacture. Volume of waste plastic used is not the problem its how much tight fisted farmers are prepared to pay for there posts. The ones I have seen on the market are far to expensive for this tight fisted farmer but looking at it I think 5p per mm would give a decent manufacturing return.
Excuse my ignorance on subject but are they solid or hollow. How do you go about stapling them and I if hollow or getting the staple to stay in. If they were solid and can take them a staple they sound worth a try but surely would use a lot of plastic. Hollow on other hand would surely give be to flexible for post driver and cattle pressure
 

Goweresque

Member
Location
North Wilts
Excuse my ignorance on subject but are they solid or hollow. How do you go about stapling them and I if hollow or getting the staple to stay in. If they were solid and can take them a staple they sound worth a try but surely would use a lot of plastic. Hollow on other hand would surely give be to flexible for post driver and cattle pressure

They're solid. Getting traditional staples in by hand is a pig of a job, but the modern cordless staple guns will fire staples in no problem.
 

renewablejohn

Member
Location
lancs
Excuse my ignorance on subject but are they solid or hollow. How do you go about stapling them and I if hollow or getting the staple to stay in. If they were solid and can take them a staple they sound worth a try but surely would use a lot of plastic. Hollow on other hand would surely give be to flexible for post driver and cattle pressure

A mountain of waste plastic is not what the country is short of. Its finding something to do with it rather than burning or landfill.
 

tepapa

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
North Wales
They're solid. Getting traditional staples in by hand is a pig of a job, but the modern cordless staple guns will fire staples in no problem.
I've tried using a staple gun in some and it was a non starter. Just about possible by hand but you wouldn't want to do many.
 
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tepapa

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
North Wales
How much would people pay for posts made out recycled plastic and which would be the optimum post size. ie 60mm 100mm or 125mm. Maybe assuming fence post price is 5p per mm diameter.
I've looked into this before and I believe that plastic posts aren't as strong as wood of the same size.
So really you need to be going for the larger sizes to get a like for like comparison.
Of cause farmers will put price in front of functionality and buy smaller cheaper posts when they have to put their hands in their pocket.
I found they knocked into hard ground ok even though they flex but you need someway of getting staples in easily.
 

Goweresque

Member
Location
North Wilts
I've tried using a staple gun in some and it was a non started. Just about possible by hand but you wouldn't want to do many.

I've had no problem with mine. Both the Bostitch pneumatic gun that I bought, and the KMR stapler my contractor bought fire them in fine.
IMG_4063.JPG
 

egbert

Member
Livestock Farmer
I've been thinking of doing this with a load of overgrown hedges we have. How long do you think they would last? There's some hazel, birch, alder,holly and willow mostly but there might be some oak and ash too. And some pine and lelandi that need a chop I could use. Some would be big enough for strainers and gates but I don't want to use them and they rot off and ruin the fence in a few years.

Sweet Chestnut, or oak. (s'long as the oak is ordinary english - welsh/1- and not some ornamental bollix)
The oak will have quite big sapwood, which will fail quickly and might leave posts wobbly in holes.
The rest mentioned will all fail in very short order....do not waste any time on em.
(yes willow might well sprout again....but is that the way you want to put up fencing?)

'pine' covers a broad church, but generally takes treatment as well as anything - find a pressure treatment provider and there's potential....but if it's tanalising rather than creosote, still only good for a few years.
Leylandii heartwood is pretty durable with no treatment - its a hybrid twixt 2 very useful durable softwoods.
But the sapwood isn't unless treated.
I've just done a batch of 3"x3" sawn Lawsons stakes, (a cousin to Leylandii), tantalised em to help the sap, but the heartwood should be good for years anyway.
I notice my fencer interspersed them with creo just in case......

Be aware that unless you're very well set up, the labour will kill any saving stone dead against creosote posts at £4!
(unless you like handling timber and working saws for nought, in the which case I have a full time job for you starting immediately)
 

hendrebc

Member
Livestock Farmer
Sweet Chestnut, or oak. (s'long as the oak is ordinary english - welsh/1- and not some ornamental bollix)
The oak will have quite big sapwood, which will fail quickly and might leave posts wobbly in holes.
The rest mentioned will all fail in very short order....do not waste any time on em.
(yes willow might well sprout again....but is that the way you want to put up fencing?)

'pine' covers a broad church, but generally takes treatment as well as anything - find a pressure treatment provider and there's potential....but if it's tanalising rather than creosote, still only good for a few years.
Leylandii heartwood is pretty durable with no treatment - its a hybrid twixt 2 very useful durable softwoods.
But the sapwood isn't unless treated.
I've just done a batch of 3"x3" sawn Lawsons stakes, (a cousin to Leylandii), tantalised em to help the sap, but the heartwood should be good for years anyway.
I notice my fencer interspersed them with creo just in case......

Be aware that unless you're very well set up, the labour will kill any saving stone dead against creosote posts at £4!
(unless you like handling timber and working saws for nought, in the which case I have a full time job for you starting immediately)
I thought it might be a waste of time but you never know if you don't ask. I was just going to cut them as I was cutting the hedges down and taking any usable lengths and pointing them there and then and knock them in to patch up the fence I will have uncovered cutting down the hedge. The net looks ok but the posts aren't the hedge is holding it up as it is. I can't get a tractor there to knock posts in so it's going to be a sledgehammer job. If I'm going to do that I may as well carry some proper posts down and only have to knock them in once. I'm not looking forward to this job :((n)
 

renewablejohn

Member
Location
lancs
I've looked into this before and I believe that plastic posts aren't as strong as wood of the same size.
So really you need to be going for the larger sizes to get a like for like comparison.
Of cause farmers will put price in front of functionality and buy smaller cheaper posts when they have to put their hands in their pocket.
I found they knocked into hard ground ok even though they flex but you need someway of getting staples in easily.

Would you be interested in doing a trial as I am interested in feedback from professionals used to using a post knocker in tough conditions. My local guys have it fairly easy compared to other parts of the country.
 

tepapa

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
North Wales
Would you be interested in doing a trial as I am interested in feedback from professionals used to using a post knocker in tough conditions. My local guys have it fairly easy compared to other parts of the country.
My verdict was they drove in by post knocker ok in dry ground in a hot August when I last tried. They do flex and vibrate but still went in. But you can't straighten them if they go in a bit crooked. They just keep bending until they snap but still don't move in the ground so you really need to spike a hole firstsrt to do a tidy job.
I'm not convinced staples hold the best. Some i put in by hammer seemed to pull out easier compared to wood when I was removing them.

I do think they have a place in Fencing, especially in wet boggy areas but the cost and negative points were enough for me not to pursue their use. The current shortage of timber might make me look into them again.
 

Goweresque

Member
Location
North Wilts
IMG_4370.JPG
IMG_4373.JPG

Those are some samples of plastic posts I was given by a supplier, and the staples are some of the experimenting I did with my pneumatic gun (Bostich). As you can see they go in cleanly, I just had to up the pressure a bit to get full penetration. My contractor has done about 8000 meters of plastic fence posts for me with a combination of my Bostich gun and his own KMR gun with pretty much perfect results. In fact it was his positive experience of using my pneumatic gun that led him to go and get the KMR one.

So I can only assume that either the Stockade gun, or the Stockade staples, or a combination of the two, just doesn't like plastic posts.
 

tepapa

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
North Wales
View attachment 811218 View attachment 811222
Those are some samples of plastic posts I was given by a supplier, and the staples are some of the experimenting I did with my pneumatic gun (Bostich). As you can see they go in cleanly, I just had to up the pressure a bit to get full penetration. My contractor has done about 8000 meters of plastic fence posts for me with a combination of my Bostich gun and his own KMR gun with pretty much perfect results. In fact it was his positive experience of using my pneumatic gun that led him to go and get the KMR one.

So I can only assume that either the Stockade gun, or the Stockade staples, or a combination of the two, just doesn't like plastic posts.
Could be a different type of plastic post? Some may be harder or softer than others?
I'm not a fan of the krm stapler but I'll get my mate to try his on a plastic post to see if it's the post or the staples.
 

renewablejohn

Member
Location
lancs
Could be a different type of plastic post? Some may be harder or softer than others?
I'm not a fan of the krm stapler but I'll get my mate to try his on a plastic post to see if it's the post or the staples.

Was thinking that as the post you have with the bent staples looks to be more pressure moulded which would make it harder to staple.
 

Goweresque

Member
Location
North Wilts
Could be a different type of plastic post? Some may be harder or softer than others?
I'm not a fan of the krm stapler but I'll get my mate to try his on a plastic post to see if it's the post or the staples.


There are different types of plastic post yes, the black ones made from recycled silage wrap are softer IMO than the ones made from more mixed plastics, which it looks like the post is in your pic. But I've used both, the grey post in my first pic is also a cheaper mixed grade of plastic and is much harder than the black ones (not pictured). And I've still had no problem with getting staples in with a gun.

Here's pic of the grey one end on, it looks identical to your post, apart from the colour:
IMG_4374.JPG
 

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