How to Put In Metal Fence Posts

Steel fence posts typically last longer than wood.

There are two different kinds of metal fence posts: T-posts and tubular. You pound T-posts into the ground with a post pounder while you must cement tubular posts into the ground. A tubular post can be square or round in shape. You can buy premixed bags of concrete at most home improvement stores. The amount of concrete needed will depend on the diameter of the post. The hole dug to accommodate the post needs to have a diameter three times wider than the post.

Things You'll Need

• Post pounder
• Level
• Tape measure
• Shovel
• 5-gallon bucket
• Water
• Premixed bagged concrete
• Stirring stick

Instructions

T-post Installation

1. Set the bottom end of the T-post on the spot where you want the post erected.

2. Hold the post at a slant and place the open end of the post pounder over the top of the post.

3. Raise the post so that it stands straight up and down. Use a bubble level to ensure its straightness by placing the level on top of the post pounder. When the bubble in the level is centered the post is straight.

4. Raise the post pounder up and slam it back down to drive the T-post into the soil. Pound the post into the soil until you bury the tips of the side flanges, near the base of the post, beneath ground level.

Tubular Post Installation

1. Measure the width of the post with a tape measure. Multiply this measurement by three to determine the width of the hole you'll be digging. If the post is 6 inches wide then make the hole18 inches wide.

2. Measure the width of the hole on the ground surface using the tape measure. Measure in two perpendicular directions and then connect the dots to draw the circle.

3. Dig down 1 1/2 to 2 feet removing the dirt with the shovel. Place the dirt in a wheelbarrow and haul it away from the work area.

4. Pour 1/2 of a 50 lb. bag of premixed concrete into a 5-gallon bucket and add water to the mix while mixing it with a stir stick. Mix water in until the cement is the consistency of chunky peanut butter. Follow the mixing directions on the product label for specific mixing ratios.

5. Pour the the concrete into the hole. Push the mixing stick down into it to settle it in the lows of the hole.

6. Place the post down into the hole so that the bottom of it submerges into the cement. Mix the other half of the concrete and add it to the hole. The thick consistency of the concrete will hold the post upright in the hole but if it doesn't, lean the shovel up against the post to keep it straight up and down. Use the level to ensure it is straight. Continue adding concrete until the hole is filled an inch above the soil surface.

Tips & Warnings

• Concrete cures at 10 percent a day. Wait 7 days so that the concrete has cured to 70 percent before attaching the fencing to the post.