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On Thu, 31 Aug 2006 13:25:40 -0700, "Ook" Ook Don't send me any
freakin' spam at zootal dot com delete the Don't send me any freakin'
spam wrote:

This is a somewhat different topic from my fence thread. I'm going to be
mixing concrete soon for setting fence posts. Any advice on how to mix it,
what goes in the mix, where to get the stuff from? Or any good websites on
this topic?

Are you sure you really need any concrete?
I have some wind break fences that lived through 2 hurricanes and a
half dozen close calls and they are just 4x4s in tamped dirt holes. If
you use a 2x2 and tamp the dirt back in around the post on 3 or 4"
"lifts" they get real solid right away and immovable in a year or two.
I made a nice tool with the 2x2 by knocking the corners off with a
hatchet (rounding off about 6" of it) and wrapping the "handle" part
in hockey tape.

It rains a lot here. Lots and lots. Soil is a bit soft, I'm afraid that
without the concrete the posts would be likely to wobble. Don't really know
for sure, as most people sink their posts in concrete. I think a post in
concrete lasts longer then a post in web muddy soil, but again I'm guessing.

Will a post in concrete last longer then a post sunk in the dirt? What is
the life expectancy of a post in dirt or concrete? I'm using 4x4 pressure
treated, ground contact rated.