Any fencing experts, the chain link variety?

[Larry Edgerton]

I have to put up a chain link fence around my garden to keep the elk out, 6' heavy fence.

My question is do I have to use concrete around the posts? I will have about 4' in the ground and will be digging the holes with a 10" auger. I have a load of crushed drain stone on the property that I would like to use around the posts as its already there, so free. Thoughts?

I am building a greenhouse with a cold sink per Ryan Mooney's suggestion that will be on one corner that the fence will hook up to. Enclosure is 40' x70' with double gates so I can get my tractor in there to till.

Thanks, Larry

[Rich Engelhardt]

What's the local code?
Is this permanent?
Are you going to pull permits?


Around where I live, we can pretty much do what ever we want - but - unless we use tubes and concrete & someone finds out, we have to take it down and - - use tubes and concrete...

[Wes Mitchell]

I put up a 1 mile long, 10ft high deer fence at the orchard I worked at. We put 4" x 14' posts 4 feet in the ground with no concrete. The corners were 6" x 16 foot posts sunk 6 feet in the ground. Looking back, we probably would have added some concrete to the 6" corner posts, especially in some of the moister areas, but for the most part just making sure they are very well packed did the trick.

[David Weaver]

Unless the elk start using the fence as a rub like cows and goats do, I can't imagine why you'd need concrete if you set 4' deep. You could concrete the corner posts if anything.

We staked a goat fence about a foot and a half deep (it was cattle panel) with two fat goats, and though they're not elk, they never loosened the stakes (Which do have the advantage of a steel plate on them) in years and years of rubbing. They did ultimately stretch the fence between stakes, but the stakes stayed where they were supposed to.

[Judson Green]

I'd suggest NOT using concrete. The concrete will tend to trap moisture around the pipe encouraging rust.

At the bottom of your post hole place a flatish rock (a paver, broken chunk of concrete), then fill the rest with tight packed traffic bond (tamp every 6-8"), leaving at bit at the top for soil if you want grass. The TB (traffic bond) will allow the water to drain away and still be very stable.

If you do decide to use concrete, only use it at the top 12-18" of the post hole.

[John Upton]

At the bottom of your post hole place a flatish rock (a paver, broken chunk of concrete), then fill the rest with tight packed traffic bond (tamp every 6-8"), leaving at bit at the top for soil if you want grass. The TB (traffic bond) will allow the water to drain away and still be very stable.



Judson, Your use of Traffic Bond must be a regional thing. What does it consist of ? Here we have 1/2 " & 3/4" which is no rock larger than 1/2 & 3/4. Pea gravel, self explanatory. AB 3 or chat which is rock dust with no rock larger than say 1/2.
Limestone is the primary product around here.

[Judson Green]

Judson, Your use of Traffic Bond must be a regional thing. What does it consist of ? Here we have 1/2 " & 3/4" which is no rock larger than 1/2 & 3/4. Pea gravel, self explanatory. AB 3 or chat which is rock dust with no rock larger than say 1/2.
Limestone is the primary product around here.

Guess it would be like your AB 3, we've got different sizes of it. But after looking at this website I might be inclined to use the "open graded base" sounds like it would pack just as well and provide better drainage. Don't think ya can really go too wrong with either.

http://www.halquiststone.com/aggregates_trafficbond/index.php

[Larry Edgerton]

Thanks for the replies.

I talked to a friend of mine that is a high line contractor, and they set those huge steel power poles in stone, no concrete. I'm thinking my fence will be ok. Cost is an issue these days and I already have the crushed stone on site.

Larry

[Shawn Pixley]

What?!? I thought we were going to talk about foils, sabers, epees, rapiers, broadswards, katana, tachi, and hand and a half swords.

[Chris Walls]

Larry
We live in an area where the deer will destroy a garden quick. We fenced ours with 12' cedar poles , peeled and set about 3-4 feet and the back filled with gravel, tamped. We put a large stone at the bottom for each pole to stand on. The fence is 8' tall page wire. Got it from a fencing supplier near Clare Mich. It's been about 8 years now still strong.
Chris

[Larry Edgerton]

Hey Chris.

I tore out a wolf pen for the fencing so I already have all the poles and cross bars. I'm on the edge of the Pigeon River Forest down here[TROLL!] so have elk. They will walk right through any normal fence, so I am going to add a electric wire as well.

Larry

[Chris Walls]

Larry
The page wire we put up is a very high tensile strength wire , about 12 gage i would guess. You almost cannot bend it with your hands. I had to use my tractor as an anchor to be able to stretch the fence with a come-a -long. Big barbed staples
and fence tensioners on the diagonal at each corner.
It has held up very well. I made a gate large enough to drive the tractor through and we keep it closed as much as possible, just use the man trap walk way. Good luck , it is worth it to keep the larger animals out of your garden, it hard enough to get any kind of good harvest and so we try not to let it go to the deer.

Chris