straighten a fence post

[Mitchell Garnett]

In the several years since this fence was built, one of the wood posts has leaned. I finally want to put in a gate but I wonder if there's a way to straighten the post without starting over. The fence has some slack at the bottom while the top is tight. I wonder if I dig out the right side along the concrete could I pull the post over with a come along and then fill concrete in the left side where I've hopefully created a gap?

I'm tempted to just live with it but it would be very visible and my boss says she wouldn't like that.

If anyone has an idea, please share it.

Thanks.

IMG_1261.jpg

[Lee Schierer]

Use a post hole digger on the left side of the post as shown in your photo to remove some dirt. Dig down far enough tha you can push the post so it is straight up then pus some of the removed dirt in the gap created when you straightened it. Use a stick or a bar to tamp down the dirt in that gap. Use the remaining dirt from your hole to fill the dug hole, tamping it down as well. Let it settle for a good while before hanging a gate on it.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

It's amazing what you can do simply by using a tamping bar. I leveled the concrete steps to our front door by removing a small amount of dirt on the low side filling in with gravel, tamping, filling in with more gravel, tamping and so on.

[Bill Dufour]

Jet down with a garden hose on the left side and tamp on the right.
You already have proven that post is too short to support a gate without leaning. You need to pull it out and put in one 2-3 feet deeper if you want a gate there
Bill D

[Tom M King]

Some variation of this. Mine is longer than this, but Lowes or Home Depot with have them where the shovels and such are.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Project-Sou...E&gclsrc=aw.ds

[Thomas McCurnin]

A come-a-long attached to one of those trees would straighten that rascal out in a few clicks.

[Scott Winners]

The tamping rod was probably my least favorite tool growing up on a farm, with the wash tub of boiling water to scald chickens during the plucking process rounding out the top two. I would much rather clean the stall of a large, sick animal with explosive diarrhea.

I think we used to sink regular fence posts 28 inches, then +8, or 36 inches for gate posts.

If you want the problem to stay fixed, I would honestly use a railroad spike maybe six inches off the ground on both of those two gate posts, lift them out with a jack, you will want a board under the jack, and then enlarge and deepen the post holes. Can you get some locust? I don't know the trees of east Texas.

Once you have 36" deep holes and the best two fence posts you can get, what we used to do was put two inches of gravel in the bottom of the hole for the post to stand on, and then nail a couple boards on to keep the posts square and upright, like diagonal braces. You could also span the gate gap with a couple or three more boards nailed to the posts so the two posts stay aligned to each other, and then learn why I have a white hot hate in my heart for the tamping rod. You re going to want to spend a lot more time tamping the dirt you got in the hole compared to the time you spend shoveling more dirt in. It isn't a tool to drop, it is a tool to thrust. You won't want to use the decline bench for bench presses at the gym for a few days after you have been using a tamping rod well, but a nice steak will be well deserved.

I don't know of a way to repair what I see, that will last, without doing it over. Gate posts and latch posts is a whole different level of stress from running fence line. You want your biggest posts, deepest holes and best wood for these. The single best one all around should be the hinge post, but don't regret skimping on the latch post later; a functional gate needs two posts.

[John K Jordan]

How much tension is on the fence wire? Remember, every time the temperature drops the fence gets shorter and unless the wire is very loose, it will pull on the post regardless of how well it is set into the ground. To prevent this, the post should be braced.

In my opinion, there is one very good way to put in fence and gate posts where there is wire fencing. This is the method the Dept of Agriculture required when I put in fencing under their grant (they paid 75% of all costs.) This is one of five gate posts in this field.

gate-posts.jpg

The method involves bracing any post from tension from the fencing, especially important on the hinge posts.

A second post is set about 10' away from the gate post. Put a horizontal 4x4 PT brace between the two and pin the ends with 1/2" rebar through the post and into the horizontal brace. Leave about 2-3" of the rebar exposed through the post to support the tension wires. Make a loop of high tension 12g wire between the lower part of the gate post (next to the ground) and the upper part of the support post, hooking it over the exposed part of the rebar. Tighten the loop of wire with by twisting a short wooden stick. I use osage orange so it won't rot.

This method braces top of the support post tight against the top of the hinge post. The tightened wire loop transfers support to the hinge post through the brace. You can put incredible tension on the fence and the bracing prevents the slightest movement over the years. (I tension the far end of the fence wire with a heavy-duty comealong anchored to the tractor.

I've had these fences in place or over 10 years and they are still as tight as when installed. I use them at every gate, every 90-deg corner, and every place the fence has a corner with even a slight angle to keep the fence wire tension from pulling the post inward. These fences use 4x4 sheep/goat wire with a single strand high-tensile strand of barbed wire at ground level to prevent varmints digging under and a 12ga high-tensile electrified wire 4" above the fencing wire, as per the gov specs. FWIW, the gov inspectors sent to approve the final job took pictures to show others how a fence should be built to their specs. They said it's surprising the poor quality they often see.

I also have two strands of electric rope on the inside of the fence for when I had goats. These kept goats from rubbing against the fence which will eventually degrade it. I keep llamas and mini donkeys there how and while the llamas never touch the fence, the donkeys would rub against the fence if the electric strands were not there.


BTW, I've augured holes and set posts 3' deep and tamped them well but they still moved without bracing. It is far, far better is to drive them into the ground. I have a hydraulic fence post driver and drive PT posts about 36" deep. Much more solid than tamping. Without a driver, I would auger, add some gravel to the bottom, pour in a few inches of concrete, fill and tamp the hole with dirt and rocks, then put a collar of concrete around the upper 8" of so of the post, the concrete against undisturbed soil. This is very solid. Never encase the bottom of the post in a bed of concrete. The gravel at the bottom lets water drain down the post into the ground and prevents rot at the bottom. (PT posts WILL rot eventually) The two concrete collars minimize movement. However, I would still brace the post if there is tension on the wire, especially if it's a post supporting the hinge side of a gate.

There are other ways to set fence posts but I promise this one will work.

If you don't have much tension on the wire you can get away without doing the full bracing. In that case, even a diagonal 10' PT 4x4 fastened to the top of the hinge post and supported on the ground with a strong stake pounded in to keep the diagonal from moving will work. I use this method on the fence around the chicken yard which doesn't need much tension.

JKJ

In the several years since this fence was built, one of the wood posts has leaned. I finally want to put in a gate but I wonder if there's a way to straighten the post without starting over. The fence has some slack at the bottom while the top is tight. I wonder if I dig out the right side along the concrete could I pull the post over with a come along and then fill concrete in the left side where I've hopefully created a gap?

I'm tempted to just live with it but it would be very visible and my boss says she wouldn't like that.

If anyone has an idea, please share it.

Thanks.

IMG_1261.jpg

[Ronald Blue]

I was having the same thought as John. With no brace the fence will pull the post in that direction. I'm surprised the post on the other side hasn't also leaned unless it's just a short piece of fence attached to it. Tamping fence posts....one of my least favorite jobs. Now that I've learned how easy it is to set posts with gravel I think of all the time spent tamping posts that could have been avoided. Oh well....

[Mitchell Garnett]

Thanks everyone - I guess the best way and the one that will last is to replace the post. I hired someone to run this fence while I recovered from shoulder replacement surgery but I probably wouldn't done any better.

As you look at the picture, there is only about 24 feet of fence but there's about 100 on the other. That may be why the left post hasn't moved any noticeable amount.

...as if my spring task list wasn't already long enough...