It's one of those times when having a large back yard with a fence on two sides with no one on the other side is a disadvantage. Hurricane Ike didn't faze it during the early phases of the storm, but by the time the winds shifted and started coming out of the southwest, the ground was good and wet, so it could push the fence posts to an angle. None of them went all the way down, and none of the sections of fence boards was damaged. It just all leans. So, it has to be straightened up.
That's not quite as easy as it sounds. Because the ground was wet, the soil shifted. The posts can't be just pulled back to their former position. At least not without some preparation and some work.
So here is the method I've found successful.
1. Because the fence sections are leaning, I first remove the weight of the fence boards as a section by removing the 2 x 4's from the post. I've gotten to where I can do that pretty quickly.
2. More difficult and time consuming is digging the dirt out that has filled in to allow the post to move. It's not quite as bad as digging a new hole, but close. I don't have to go all the way down, but I do have to clear out to a pretty good depth.
3. Finally, I hook up my riding mower and pull the post back upright, then using the weight of the mower to hold it in place. (Most of the posts won't move with me just pulling or pushing on them myself -- thus the mower.)
4. I then fill the gaps around the post and concrete with dirt, and using a small sledge and a 2x4, I tamp the dirt around the post.
5. Finally, I reattach the fence sections.
I have 27 of these leaning posts to do. The good news is that I now have a method and am getting faster at getting it done. Still, it may be a while...
That's not quite as easy as it sounds. Because the ground was wet, the soil shifted. The posts can't be just pulled back to their former position. At least not without some preparation and some work.
So here is the method I've found successful.
1. Because the fence sections are leaning, I first remove the weight of the fence boards as a section by removing the 2 x 4's from the post. I've gotten to where I can do that pretty quickly.
2. More difficult and time consuming is digging the dirt out that has filled in to allow the post to move. It's not quite as bad as digging a new hole, but close. I don't have to go all the way down, but I do have to clear out to a pretty good depth.
3. Finally, I hook up my riding mower and pull the post back upright, then using the weight of the mower to hold it in place. (Most of the posts won't move with me just pulling or pushing on them myself -- thus the mower.)
4. I then fill the gaps around the post and concrete with dirt, and using a small sledge and a 2x4, I tamp the dirt around the post.
5. Finally, I reattach the fence sections.
I have 27 of these leaning posts to do. The good news is that I now have a method and am getting faster at getting it done. Still, it may be a while...
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