mitchell.shane•2mo agoProlific Poster

Compared T-posts vs wood posts on a 200-foot job last week

I put in 30 T-posts on one side and 30 treated wood posts on the other for a customer's horse pasture near Springfield. The T-post side went up in half the time and saved about $80 in materials, but the wood posts looked way better and felt sturdier. Has anyone else found a good middle ground for strength versus looks on field fence jobs?

3 comments

3 Comments

noah_black2mo ago

My buddy down in Ozark tried something last year that actually worked pretty well. He used T-posts for the main runs but put wood posts at the corners and every gate opening. Said it cut his labor by a good bit but still gave those heavy duty spots the SOLID feel you need for horses leaning on them. The fence looked decent too because the wood posts really pop where they matter most. He was REAL happy with that compromise and said he'd do it again on his next job.

the_diana2mo ago

Hold up, wait a minute. T-posts in the MAIN runs for HORSES? I can't wrap my head around that. My neighbor tried that exact setup with his mare and she leaned on one of those T-posts wrong and the whole section buckled like it was aluminum foil. I've seen those dinky little posts bend sideways from a stiff wind let alone a 1200 pound horse rubbing on them.

cole_mitchell577d ago

I read an article from the University of Kentucky equine extension last year that actually tested T-posts for horse fencing. They said the biggest problem is what you saw - the posts just don't hold up when a horse leans or rubs on them long term. The recommendation was to use wood posts no more than 12 feet apart if you want it to last more than a season with horses. Your neighbor's experience sounds exactly like what they warned about in that study. It's not so much the initial strength but how those skinny posts bend over time with 1200 pounds of pressure hitting them from different angles.