DEER FENCE INSTALLATION: EARLY STEPS 4
Preparation Middle Steps: Anchors, Supports, and Adjustments Finishing Touches, Gates, and Maintenance
EARLY STEPS, CONTINUED Round Metal Posts, continued Should you face the difficult task of setting your posts in a solid rock face (rock ledge), use a Hilti drill with an 18-inch x 0.5-inch “All Masonry” bit to drill three holes 12 to 18 inches into the rock. Then pound half-inch rebar 30 to 36 inches long all the way into those holes with a sledge hammer or post driver so that about 18 inches of rebar is left sticking out of each hole. Place a sauna tube over these lengths of rebar, arranging things so that all three lengths of rebar are at least a few inches in from the edge of the sauna tube. Before filling the sauna tube with concrete and setting your post in the center, put some big dents in the bottom 12 inches of the post with a hammer so that it cannot turn or come out after the concrete has hardened. Another tactic is to drill half-inch pairs of holes through the post in both directions, one pair about 2 inches up the post and another pair 8 to 10 inches up, before setting the post in the concrete—allowing concrete to enter the post and hold it firmly. Round Metal Posts with Drive Sleeves 
We also offer 1-5/8 inch round metal posts with 2-1/2 foot drive sleeves (such as item 15-03E). These are a little easier to install, because nobody has to get on a ladder. Instead, one inserts a heavy drive cap (item 15-03C) into the open end of the sleeve and hits it with a sledge hammer or heavy hammer to drive the sleeve into the ground. See Video: Installing Round Metal Posts with Drive Sleeves 
When the sleeve is halfway in, remove the drive cap and insert the post (which is 8 or 8.5 feet long, and which can be inserted only 1 foot into the sleeve). Now apply a carpenter's level to make sure the post is straight. (The post will be able to move back and forth in the sleeve a little, but this small amount of movement can be stopped later). Then remove the post, replace the drive cap, drive the sleeve three-quarters of the way in, put the post back in the sleeve, and check it for straightness again before driving the sleeve all the way into the ground. If the sleeve needs adjustment at any point to keep the post straight, place the drive cap on top and hit the drive cap (not the sleeve!) gently with the sledgehammer (if such a thing is possible) so as to move it in the right direction. There is likely to be some play in the post when it is finally seated. To eliminate this, pound two galvanized nails into the space between the post and the sleeve. These nails should be separated from each other by roughly a quarter of the distance around the post. |
McGregor Fence Co. 508-888-8305