Installing Fence Posts In Rocky Soil

Pull the shovel handle backward.

Installing fence posts in rocky soil.

Gather or stack rocks and secure them with net wire or make a cage and put rocks into it. Measure out the fence line and mark on the rock where each post is to go. Level the post with a construction level and adjust the post as needed from side. Dig down to the rock use a masonry drill to drill a hole and bolt or pin an anchor right into the rock.

This saves countless hours in labor especially in rocky or hard soil. Add at least 6 inches of gravel around the post and tamp it down firmly. In some terrain where it s not too steep and there are surface rocks you can create an aboveground cage of rocks as a brace to anchor the fence in lieu of brace posts. At each mark use a rock drill to cut a series of holes in a circle and inside the circle.

Drive the blade of the shovel straight down into the soil of the post hole walls with your foot. Wood preservatives are toxic so follow safety recommendations on the label. Well i don t have any fence building experience but i wonder if you could anchor the fence posts with guy wires like the power company does on their poles. How i dug post holes for my fence in rocky ground.

Post drivers can make fast work of installing fence lines as well as in making repairs to existing fences. A jack fence is probably the easiest above ground fence to build thomas says. Today with advances in hydraulics and new manufacturing methods posts can be driven into the ground without digging a hole. Straighten the walls of the post hole using a round point shovel.

Installing a post once meant digging a hole. A strong gust of wind can sometimes tip over a whole section of fence. Treat the two ends with a non water based brush on wood preservative such as copper naphthenate. Place the post in the center of the hole.

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