The way people set post depth now drives me nuts

I mean, back in the day, we'd always go a solid 2 feet down for a 6-foot wood fence, especially in places with frost like upstate New York. Now I see crews setting 4x4s in maybe 18 inches of concrete and calling it good. That extra half foot of post in the ground is what keeps a fence from leaning after a few hard winters. I learned that from an old timer named Frank on my first job in '08, and I've never had a call back for a leaning post. Does anyone else still stick to the old rule, or am I just being stubborn?

3 comments

3 Comments

grant4781mo ago

Ever wonder if the concrete mix is part of the problem too? I see guys using a soupy bag mix that can't hold up, even with a deep hole. Maybe the old rule needs good concrete to actually work.

evan_cooper731mo ago

Eh, I've seen plenty of posts set in that bag mix last for years though... how much can it really matter?

max_brown1mo agoTop Commenter

Ha, maybe I'm just old and stubborn too... but @grant478 is onto something, that weak concrete is like setting a post in oatmeal.