the post are very rustic almost like a tree in half do they have to have concrete around like normal fencing because the posts are morticed for the rails i have a 3 ton excavator with a small bucket any advice from an expert would be highly appreciated
Cheap foreign labor? We never put concrete in our posts, but the ground's pretty hard here.
Have put up a lot of fences... but not necessarily an expert. Good sources on the web in many DIY places... but in my opinion: A lot depends on the type of soil you're putting the posts in, and the climate. Dry climate and rocky soil would be less dependent on adding concrete. Moist climate and/or sandy soil would require something more substantial. And, it also depends on how high the fence is going to be and what you intend to keep in or keep out. In any case, would likely recommend treating the bottom couple of feet of the posts with a tar or creosote before installation to prevent rot and moisture penetration (Regardless of whether you use cement or not.) My experience, in rocky soil and an alpine climate, involved using a post-hole attachment on an International Harvester, a spud bar to break up rocks, and a supply of rocks to tamp back around the post once it was dry set. Six inches of large gravel in the hole. Insert post. Tamp large rocks around post with spud bar. Fill with dirt. Tamp some more. No concrete. Posts that loosen with time can be readily re-set. A slightly improved option, is to set the corner posts and gate posts in concrete and dry set the others. That works pretty well and saves some $$$. If you're going all out: treat the posts, drill the holes, bed with gravel, set the post, fill with concrete, slope the concrete away from the post, use bracing as necessary to maintain plumb. Can do a bunch or a few at a time that way. Make sure to cover the concrete with plastic as it dries to slow the drying and reduce cracking. Good luck. I'm sure there are lots of other good/better ideas as well. One nice option = the poly/vinyl fencing. Less weight. Very durable. Comes with instructions.
