Re-setting a leaning fence

[MisterBoy]

I have a fairly modern fence that seems to be in good condition, but it is leaning and several of the posts are just flopping around. It's quite long and on uneven sloping ground but is a back corner of my property so not too important - I could just prop it up if it came down to the only option being to redo it.

Is there a way to re-set the posts without taking the fence down?

 

[opps]

Are you talking about wooden fence posts? If they are loose then they will eventually need to be replaced. They tend to rot at ground level where the air and bacteria can have a "party". I have known people to drive metal stakes in next to the post but my impression is that it is a short term fix.

If you do in on a not windy day, you can dig the old post out, put the new post in, using postcrete. Once that has gone off you can connect the fence to the post.

 

[MisterBoy]

Are you talking about wooden fence posts? If they are loose then they will eventually need to be replaced. They tend to rot at ground level where the air and bacteria can have a "party". I have known people to drive metal stakes in next to the post but my impression is that it is a short term fix.

If you do in on a not windy day, you can dig the old post out, put the new post in, using postcrete. Once that has gone off you can connect the fence to the post.

I believe the wood hasn't rotted but will have to investigate further - it looks almost brand new but they left the previous fence lying on top of it and the weight/wind/poor installation has done the rest.

The kind of post 'transplant' you mention sounds good. I suppose it could even be done in between or close to existing posts if the look isn't important, or sister a new post to a a failed one if it has rotten below ground?

 

[Old Salt]

You can get short concrete posts with holes for securing whats left of your wooden posts. Dig hole adjacent to the wooden posts, set short concrete post, screw through to broken wooden post.

https://www.avsfencing.co.uk/concrete-fence-repair-spur-1220-x-100-x-100mm/

 

[MisterBoy]

I don't think the posts are broken, but I've not had time to check more yet.

 

[Old Salt]

Probably rotted at the base if they have been in for a while.

 

[MisterBoy]

Probably rotted at the base if they have been in for a while.

I think it's still quite new - the rest of the wood looks pristine and it's treated. It moves like the posts are just loose in the earth but I need to clear ground ivy and have a dig... not a job I particularly look forward to!

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

If they are just leaning due to being in too soft ground, not deep enough, or badly set initially....

You can straighten them a little at a time - if leaning away from your side, by attaching a rope to the top, the other end on something else fixed solid and apply some tension. Leave a few days, retension, rinse and repeat until the post is vertical.

If leaning towards - wedge a piece of timber between something solid and the post, gradually over time, force the high end of the timber down.

 

[JohnD]

You can put a screw-in metal stake (or, better, two) and run a rope to the post, with a pulley, and put a constant pulling force on it. It will gradually move over time. Keep adjusting the rope to keep the force up as it moves.

I think the stakes are intended for dog leads, or possibly marquees.

Once you have it in place, beat down the ground around the post very hard. You can use another post in a plunging action. If the fence has moved due to prevailing wind, I'd leave the rope in place.

Edit
Sorry I didn't notice Eric's reply.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

I think the stakes are intended for dog leads, or possibly marquees.

I have three or four of those around, which I purchased for extra security for my caravan awnings in storm conditions, but they are also sold as lashing points for dogs/cattle etc., in otherwise open fields. If the op imagines a corkscrew, wound from 8mm chromed steel, with a handle on top to screw it into soil. Because they screw into the soil without disturbing in, they hold much better than a traditional peg hammered into soil. The only effective way to get them out, is to unscrew them.

 

[MisterBoy]

Actually as it happens I think I saw one of those recently, it was quite a surprising looking thing. I was offered a couple by someone giving away a polytunnel but had no idea what to do with them - should've taken them!

 

[Lower]

I don't think the posts are broken, but I've not had time to check more yet.

Are the posts set into concrete or just into the soil?

 

[Why Not Indeed]

Do these techniques work for a concrete post set in concrete? I have a gatepost next to the house that is now leaning towards it, probably due to a large beech a few metres away, and would love to get it parallel with the wall again.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

Do these techniques work for a concrete post set in concrete? I have a gatepost next to the house that is now leaning towards it, probably due to a large beech a few metres away, and would love to get it parallel with the wall again.

It depends why it is leaning. If it is just due to wind and give in the soil, then yes. If the growth of a tree root has moved it, then probably no -unless the tree root is removed first.

 

[MisterBoy]

Had a proper look today since it's nice out. Though the posts look pristine, they are indeed rotted and snapped at ground level. Only a few years old too which is a bit worrying. It looks like they might have been done without postcrete though.