Replacing Fence Posts at the Farm
A big fence project continues at my Bedford, New York farm.
So many of you have commented on how much you love the 100-year-old white spruce fencing that surrounds my pastures. I purchased all the antique railings from Canada, and when the fences were built here, we used new cedar uprights to support them. They've held up so well, but after 15 years some of the posts are now deteriorated and need replacing. It's a tedious process and has to be done by hand so as not to disturb or damage the antique wood, but Pete from my outdoor grounds crew is doing an excellent job.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
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- I have lots of fencing here on the farm. This antique fencing surrounds all my horse paddocks and various trees. The antique pasture railings were constructed into a split rail fence, but now many of these cedar uprights are wobbly and no longer support the railings as they should.
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- And here’s why – look how they have deteriorated. Here, one can see how deep the cedar posts were in the ground – digging them out took time.
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- Here’s a closer look at what has happened over the years – these posts were definitely in need of replacing.
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- My stable manager, Sarah, marked all the paddock posts that need replacing with a piece of red pruning tape.
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- As Pete got to each post, he first removed the tape. These posts will be chipped and repurposed as wood chip dressing at a later time.
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- Pete dug around the posts by hand using a post hole digger, a hand tool used to manually dig deep and narrow holes in order to install fence posts. A post hole digger is also known as a clamshell digger, because of its resemblance to the seaside shell.
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- Some of the uprights were so worn, they broke during the removal process.
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- Here is the inside of one hole – one can see the remaining piece of the post still wedged in pretty tightly.
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- Pete secures one end of a chain to the piece stuck in the hole and the other end to a crowbar.
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- Using the new post for leverage, Pete just pulls out the old, deteriorated base.
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- Here’s Pete with what he just pulled from the hole – this piece is three feet tall.
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- All the new uprights are piled nearby for easy access.
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- Each hole is more than three feet deep. The new posts will be very secure here – and no cement is needed. Pete digs a little more to make sure the bottom is level.
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- Fernando carries over a new post and places it into the hole.
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- Pete turns the post so that the nicest side faces out.
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- And then it is backfilled with a shovel.
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- Next, Pete cuts the post, so it is just a bit higher than the topmost railing.
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- Pete uses our STIHL chainsaw. STIHL designed and built its first electric chain saw in 1926 and 94 years later, it is still one of its best pieces of equipment. This one is run on an AP 300 S Lithium-Ion Battery, which is powerful and compatible with a wide range of other STIHL tools.
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- In just a few minutes, the post is cut.
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- This post should last another 15-years or more. It is made of cedar. Cedar is extremely durable and holds up well to outdoor weather conditions.
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- This project will take some time to complete with all the fencing on the property.
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- Here are some of the old posts pulled in just one day. Pete was able to replace nine posts. There’s a lot more to do, but I’m so very pleased with all the progress. Thanks, Pete!
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