Broken gate post repair

[DeusXM]

One of my small gate posts (1m tall) has snapped in half just below the soil line, with no clear sign of rot. I suspect someone has bumped it with a vehicle.

I'm trying to repair it but I'm coming up a little stumped about the best approach.

First, I genuinely don't know if it has a concrete base but having done some initial digging in the top layer, I can't see it.

Second, the post is a weird size - 145mm x 145mm.

I've been looking at the following approaches - thoughts? I know the 'proper' option is 'dig out the old post, put in a new one and entirely rehang the gate' but I'm trying to find a quicker and simpler option for a gate that receives very limited use.

1: Fence repair spike - looks straightforward, but do they only come in 100mm x 100mm as a max size?

2: Concrete spurs - could I simply reposition the top of the post on its cracked area and drive in a concrete spur (maybe two, on different sides, for additional reinforcement)?

3: If there isn't a concrete base, and the break is below the soil line....could I just dig out the hole, reposition the top of the post on the break, and then fill with postcrete over the break line?

 

[JohnD]

snapped in half just below the soil line

wooden posts do that, it's just one of the results of putting wood in contact with damp earth.

the size you quote might be planed down from a nominal 6"

spikes are useless

If you want to re-use the remains of your old post, you could dig out the hole and put in a concrete repair spur, on the side away from the road. Saw off the bottom 6" or so of your old post, soak it in wood preserver for a day, and bolt it to the spur so that it is several inches clear of touching the ground or concrete, or having rain splash up on it. You can paint the spur with dark brown masonry paint (preferably before sinking) to help it blend in to the stained timber.

you may as well buy two spurs, since the other one is of similar age and is also buried in the ground.