Gatepost fun

[Blackpuddin]

A 6x6in wooden post supporting a five-bar gate has done what all wooden gateposts do, ie rotted away at the base.
It was Postcreted into place. Having dug all of the rotten wood out I'm now looking at a 6x6in Postcrete-lined hole. Needless to say the new post isn't sliding conveniently into that.
Can PHers confirm that the only way ahead is to somehow dig out the old Postcrete and start again from scratch? Or is there an alternative?
Thanks in advance for any labour-saving suggestions.

[smifffymoto]

Dig out or replace with a round galv post and add more postcrete.

[Blackpuddin]

smifffymoto said:

Dig out or replace with a round galv post and add more postcrete.

That's not labour saving I've got the replacement wooden post and we're not going to be living here for ever so I will be sticking with that. Is there a good method for digging out such a small and deep hole? PS I don't have a pneumatic drill.

[Huzzah]

No idea if it'll work but have you tried greasing it? Worked a treat with some long fencing nails.

[Blackpuddin]

Huzzah said:

No idea if it'll work but have you tried greasing it? Worked a treat with some long fencing nails.

No, but I did have a half-hearted go at chamfering the corners, knowing it was never going to work but doing it anyway.
We do have friendly farmers round here who have tractors with post pinging-in attachments. Have held back so far on asking them as I'm scared that (a) they'll laugh at me for thinking it will work in the first place and (b) trying to wedge the post into the existing hole will be a one-shot sort of thing that could go horribly wrong.

Edited by Blackpuddin on Friday 15th November 07:59

[wolfracesonic]

By how much is the new post too big, too big to chisel a bit off without compromising the strength ? Apply some fresh preservative to affected area if you do this.

[Unexpected Item In The Bagging Area]

Rather than making the existing hole bigger, what about making the post smaller ie. planing it down to fit?

[Blackpuddin]

wolfracesonic said:

By how much is the new post too big, too big to chisel a bit off without compromising the strength ? Apply some fresh preservative to affected area if you do this.

Sorry, my last post crossed with your two above.

[essayer]

Buy or borrow a sds drill and break up the postcrete

[Blackpuddin]

essayer said:

Buy or borrow a sds drill and break up the postcrete

Was wondering about this, I do have a Makita cordless drill but not an SDS one, I guess mine won't be up to the task.

[LordLoveLength]

If you force the post in the postcrete will just split.
Options are saw the post thinner by a good bit so it drops in and a small bit of concrete then poured to fix it,
Or a wedge in the hole, chain it, and lift the postcrete up by levering from above. It should lift out as a single lump easier then smashing it in situ.

[Blackpuddin]

LordLoveLength said:

If you force the post in the postcrete will just split.
Options are saw the post thinner by a good bit so it drops in and a small bit of concrete then poured to fix it,
Or a wedge in the hole, chain it, and lift the postcrete up by levering from above. It should lift out as a single lump easier then smashing it in situ.

Sawing the post and trickling a bit of crete round the top was whizzing round my head too, it sounds like the least onerous option, thanks.
Here's a pic for interest.

[spikeyhead]

A few taps with a big digging bar should smash the postcrete into lifetable bits

[wolfracesonic]

If you go down the ‘reducing size route’, rather than trying to futilely squeeze concrete into a barely there gap, make the post a mm or so narrower than the hole, plumb it up and pour down some kiln dried sand around it: friction can make for a tight fit.

[Blackpuddin]

spikeyhead said:

A few taps with a big digging bar should smash the postcrete into lifetable bits

You'd think! I've given it more than a few taps, it's like iron.

[Blackpuddin]

wolfracesonic said:

If you go down the ‘reducing size route’, rather than trying to futilely squeeze concrete into a barely there gap, make the post a mm or so narrower than the hole, plumb it up and pour down some kiln dried sand around it: friction can make for a tight fit.

Yes, shoving Postcrete into a small gap was going to be my next concern, thanks.

[WyrleyD]

After replacing posts twice I decided to do something different and used concrete column blocks to build two posts. A column block is typically a square block with a single square hole, these can be stacked to create columns with reinforcement inside. It wasn't a quick job though and it was tricky getting the hinge pins in the right place but it worked well and they are still there ten years later (not my house anymore though). If you've got the patience and time it's a maintenance free option. I dug out as much of the concrete that was holding the wooden post and then formed a new level concrete base on which the column blocks were stacked then filled with reinforcing and concrete.

[Skyedriver]

Hang the gate on the opposite post and drop a smaller post in here.

[Turn7]

Skyedriver said:

Hang the gate on the opposite post and drop a smaller post in here.

Good plan

[Blackpuddin]

WyrleyD said:

After replacing posts twice I decided to do something different and used concrete column blocks to build two posts. A column block is typically a square block with a single square hole, these can be stacked to create columns with reinforcement inside. It wasn't a quick job though and it was tricky getting the hinge pins in the right place but it worked well and they are still there ten years later (not my house anymore though). If you've got the patience and time it's a maintenance free option. I dug out as much of the concrete that was holding the wooden post and then formed a new level concrete base on which the column blocks were stacked then filled with reinforcing and concrete.

Way beyond my skillset sorry, interesting though!