Can You Really Set A Fence Post With NO Concrete??

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Ever wondered if you could set a fence post with NO concrete at all? Today Dan and I take a look at a video all the way from Australia and break down whether it works or not.
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[@danhjsffoogsd7212]

Its actually against the building code in Australia to use cement on anything but steel I believe (treated pine is kiln dried and treated for rot etc so its allowed i think) but not hardwood. This is becasue timber moves as it dries and as the seasons change it will move forever. With concrete and a "wet or green" post the post will shrink down to about 20% moisture, shrinking 10% on average, leaving a reservoir for water to build up inside the concrete and nowhere for it to go. If the concrete has no contact with a dried post due to shrinking 10% its not providing much structural strength. Tamped dirt will move and expand as the post shrinks. If its loose, 2 mins with a crow bar can tighten it up again.

[@brianb9410]

Another excellent video. You were funny without making fun, I appreciate that. Last year, I installed 400’ of 6’ chain link by myself. I would never have know how to do it if not for your videos. I ordered several of your tools too. Thanks you guys!

[@SWiFence]

That is awesome! Love this. 👍🏻💪🏻

[@veridian79]

As a kid in the 60's I would sometimes go to work with my Dad whonwas a carpenter turned builder and I can remember watching him set a fence post and he would use what was called a "Yankee strut" it was basically a pice of wood nailed on the the part of the post that would go underground . ,sometimes he would put two on on two faces of the post. this stabilised the post and strengthened it in the ground against movement.. no concrete, no cement at all.

[@dozerboyd8784]

Portland is added to dirt especially sandy dirt as a binder/stabilizing agent. But its basically concrete dirt then. Im not sure how this is any different then concrete for holding moisture others then its in layers.

[@woodman1701]

I tamp a lot of posts. I use the level and tamping bar too. Our customers usually ask for concrete so we give them what they want. Sometimes they’ll request concrete above ground with a slope on top. I’ll tamp the concrete. Add some water at different levels. It’ll get even harder when curing. Our soil is mostly clay, and it rains a lot.

[@ouarkie]

I guess every level can be a tamp, but every tamp can’t be a level. Both of your facial expression’s when he did that made my day. Hope both of you and your families had a great Thanksgiving.

[@ajrural]

Frost isn't a problem over here. We also use road-base over here to pack them. "Tamping" isn't common over here but it's an option

[@jeffbguarino]

I am in Canada and I was warned not to use concrete. Use 1/4 down and if the post shifts , you can remove the post and reposition it. Concrete will get water under it and it will freeze and heave the post. 1/4 does behave better than concrete.

[@SwampDonkey64]

That block wall looks like a DIY. Helpful tip for deck coating. You want a product that fades and not peal, two thin coats better than one thick coat. Penetration is critical. Thin slow drying first coat to impregnate second coat bonds to first coat and repels the elements. This is why it’s not recommended to stain or paint treated wood until it’s been seasoned/one full year outside.

[@eddie9903]

Thanks guys your video was awesome. An entertaining as well. Oh also i learn something.😂 Thanks again I subscribe to your channel.

[@jakejordan8553]

How many posts are you setting in a day doing this

[@stewartaitken6321]

Ive been fencing for 30yrs, it’s a nightmare when u have to replace a fence that someone has concreted in! Tamper then Use the wedges from your pointed stock straining posts and beat them in either side, solid!

[@woodman1701]

Hey how do you guys feel about tamping with gravel vs dirt? I tamp concrete or concrete and rocks usually. Had a customer ask for all gravel tamped one time but that job fell through.

[@SWiFence]

Not a fan of gravel. Video coming out on that soon.

[@thelouiebrand]

Fill the hole with dirt mixed with crusher run.

[@AxleBoris]

Soil cement believe is the term

[@Tami24945]

Do they make like a rubber sleeve that goes on bottom of pole? That would keep it like new.

[@SWiFence]

There is something similar to that. We've never tried it. kzbin.info/www/bejne/g5qvqaGFr9hnh8k

[@finallyfriday.]

If your hole is slightly off center (rocks and roots) and you use foam, the thicker side of the foam will push the post to the thin hole side... and it's messed up. As a one man operation I just tamp, unless cement is called for but then none in bottom of hole so I don't encapsulate the end of the post.

[@GingrBreadMan]

you guys ever run into anchor fences? At some point in time maybe still a company called anchor was doing chainlink fences with basically anchors buried and attached to the posts. Might be an interesting topic to go over, they are a nightmare to try and pull them out of the ground and as far as I can tell even in Michigan these really old chain-link fences didn't move even a little bit and one of the job's I ripped out had H posts with anchors in sand and the fence topline was still in great shape. They were doing all kinds of interesting stuff, aluminum square stock gates with chain-link micro mesh with box hardware, aluminum H posts and they used really heavy gauge wire to tie everything. They used hooks instead of bands to attach the mesh to the fence. Really wild stuff. Also super easy to pull the posts, get to the plate and cut the bolt off attaching the anchors to the post.

[@SWiFence]

I haven't seen those yet--sounds interesting.

[@TheRadiantAerynSun22]

Question for you guys. Can I drive a Postmaster post in clay? Will it hold? Or am I going to have to dig and set them in concrete?

[@tcfencing]

Drive em

[@SWiFence]

We drive in clay all the time.

[@TheRadiantAerynSun22]

@@SWiFence Thank you!

[@RitzWood32]

I always thought you guys for ‘for concrete’ but this video makes it seem like tamping dirt is better?

[@SWiFence]

We do a lot of work with concrete. What we hate is concrete + wood. It's just a recipe for failure. We avoid using wood when we can.

[@nathan1837]

He is in Australia he doesn't need to worry about frost 👍

[@tag5504]

Help! Single gal doing this. My 6x6 cement posts failed this Spring after about 6 years. So tamping is next. I do however have clay dirt. Should I add something like gravel for drainage or something? So many different opinions. It's hard work and pretty costly and want to do it right as much as possible, lol. THANKS for any and all advice 🙂

[@SWiFence]

I don't feel like you need gravel. We test that in this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jHy5hGpohbGombc and it does gather moisture, but I'm still unconvinced that it's necessary.

[@tag5504]

@@SWiFence quick response! THANKS 🙂

[@kennethbolton951]

My guess that mixing concrete powder with the dirt allows the dirt "voids" to tighten for strength without "setting" per se so it still allows for "porosity". Makes upside down sense. Also takes some moisture content out of dirt for better dry tamping.

[@HAXMAN]

Better be careful or Big Concrete is gonna send their goons after you. It was no doubt them who first started lobbying for using concrete when setting posts. 😂

[@SWiFence]

🤣🤣

[@embededfabrication4482]

Desert caliche just use water to soften the earth for the dig, then back fill and add water to get it to pack.

[@oby-1607]

They have concrete posts in Australia that can withstand a post driver. Best of both worlds as the post is concrete and not around the wood post. And don't know if the Australian has to worry much about frost where he is, unlike in Wyoming.

[@kennethbolton951]

In high humidity equator climes and hurricane prone areas concrete posts and telephone concrete poles are a common necessity. The Romans mixed ash from volcanos and made pier posts and columns that are still around 2,000 years .

[@GingrBreadMan]

keep using concrete keeps us vinyl guys busy lmao

[@gregmize01]

TIMbah!

[@kennethbolton951]

I guess that not all information is : "Set in Concrete"

[@fryefencecurbscapingllc9817]

I disagree with concrete being bad for the post. Every rotted wood post we pull the wood is rotted at ground level where the dirt is and still in tact where the concrete is. The research I did shows there is a bacteria (or something like that) that lives in the top few inches of the soil that causes wood rot. This is just my opinion, and we all have those. Thanks for the video again

[@barkershill]

Absolutely agree . I have removed hundreds of fence posts that have rotted off right at ground level but if you dig down you find the end that is deep in the ground is as solid as the day it went in even in very wet soil . Also I have seen DIY books and vids telling you to put gravel in the bottom of the hole “as this will add drainage” which to my mind is just a scaled down idea of putting old bricks in the bottom of a well to keep it dry

[@JoseGonzales-ul9sv]

Dirt will rot anything faster than concrete mix so thats why all over the world is use concrete

[@Asgro]

I agree, I'm super confused...

[@SWiFence]

I would say that's a misconception. Concrete is used because it's easy and fast.

[@finallyfriday.]

​@@SWiFenceCement is cuz "that's how my daddy always did it." Have done fences for 35+ years I see less rot when no cement is used. And if wet Cement is used there is less stability since no compaction is done cuz you can't compress a liquid. Dry pack or nothing.

[@codynewell1135]

You’re completely wrong lol

[@finallyfriday.]

@@codynewell1135 If historical and empirical data means nothing to you consider physical evidence - wood and concrete, being two different materials, expand and contract at different rates which quickly separates the two. The concrete now prevents that moisture from draining away from the wood speeding up rot. In bare soil the water drains away, it is not encapsulated around the end of the post. Which is why metal posts that are driven don't rust.. Also the caustic nature of concrete deteriorates the wood. Having pulled posts for 35+ years I've seen the undeniable difference. But I will say the information you provided ("you're completely wrong lol") does shed a lot of light on the subject and has me re-thinking the matter.

[@NoahDevine91]

Great review video Mark and Dan, I have seen some videos in the u.k like this but have never in person seen this technique. In New England a lot of people will just use dirt and compact wood posts but not with cement and that’s one way to use a level😃