Electric Fence Posts, cont’d
Studded Steel T-posts: These posts may weigh either 1.25 or 1.33 pounds per inch, may be either painted or galvanized, and come in a variety of lengths. The ones offered here range in length from 5 to 9 feet (see products 09-20 thru 09-23 and 09-20A thru 09-24A). Our painted steel T-posts, which have received a double coat of paint, are very durable so as long as their painted surface is not seriously breached by rough contact with metal wire or other metal objects. They thus work very well with plastic insulators and provide a good economical electric horse fence alternative to galvanized T-posts. Both galvanized and painted T-posts make excellent line posts for many varieties of temporary and permanent electric fence. They can also be used alone on the corners and ends of electric fences that are under little tension; but as the number of insulator runs, fence length, and tension on the fence increases they need to be braced–either by other T-posts and special Wedge-loc™ bracing parts (see products 09-96 thru 09-98) or by earth anchors placed in the ground outside the fence and attached to the T-post with a wire or cable (see products 09-62, 09-63, and 16-11). T-posts can also be covered with 5-foot vinyl sleeves (product 09-94T) that give them the appearance of vinyl posts. This cannot be done with corner, end, and gate T-posts braced by the Wedge-loc™ system, but in that case one can use braced or unbraced wooden corner and end posts, which can be covered with their own vinyl sleeves or painted white to match the vinyl sleeves on the T-posts.
Wooden Posts: These posts, used to support all manner of farm fence, typically consist of pressure-treated 4x4 timbers or round posts at least 6 inches in diameter. If properly treated or derived from wood that endures well when buried, these posts can last indefinitely. Massiveness is their main drawback. It makes them hard to ship (which is why we don’t offer them). It also means they are best driven into the ground by huge truck-mounted post drivers, a process that disturbs the area of the fence line and is quite expensive. Another difficulty is that wooden posts must be inserted deep enough (typically 42 to 48 inches) to anchor the above-ground portion of the post and also to get below the frost line. Even so, substantial and prolonged sideways stress of the sort placed on ends and corners can sometimes cause these posts to tilt if the soil is light, and so it may be worthwhile to counter such stresses with earth anchors (see products 09-62 and 16-11) or H-braces.
