How to Install a Fence Post Fast
Erecting a wood or metal fence is usually a time-consuming chore, which starts with the laborious process of installing each fence post individually, and the quickest way to install a fence post is to set the post in compacted dirt. The alternative to compacted dirt is to pour concrete, which in turn means waiting for the concrete to harden to complete the installation and finish the fence. Compacting dirt around the base of the post requires some extra labor, but requires several minutes instead of several hours to finish. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Dig out the post hole to a depth equaling 1/3 of the average length of your fence posts. Use a mattock to break up the toughest dirt and a post hole digger to remove the dirt and create a reasonably round post hole. Pile up the dirt just outside the hole as you go.
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Put the fence post into the hole and hold in an upright and level position. Check that position for straightness by placing a level along the length of the post and adjust accordingly.
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Push dirt from the dirt pile back into the hole using the shovel, filling the hole about halfway.
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Tamp the dirt down with an iron tamping rod. Keep tamping the dirt until it is thoroughly compacted.
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Add more dirt to the hole and tamp that into a compacted mass. Keep repeating the process until the hole is completely filled with solidly compacted earth.
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Tips & Warnings
If you do not have a helper to hold up the fence post while you work, you can hold the post with one hand while shoveling and tamping with the other. This might be a little awkward, but is much faster than building a frame to hold the post in place. Once half the dirt is tamped down, the post will support itself and you can finish the job with two hands.
Compacted dirt might not be enough for fence posts that must support extra weight, such as gate posts. These posts should be set in concrete.
References
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Creatas/Getty Images
