Metal Fence Post Repair

[BGlidewell]

I have 60 metal fence posts on 4' centers that were bent at the ground by a tornado that passed by. I have detached the fence posts from the fence rails in sections long enough to bend the posts back at the bend point with a heat tip and re-attached the fence so it is straight again.



The repair has annealed the fence post so it is weakened and I have to permanently brace it somehow. (I have it temporarily braced) I have thought about adding more posts, but this is an existing fence and digging holes will be unlikely as the space to get into the hole is occupied by the fence. The fence was also just finished in time for the tornado.



I could add another post a few feet outboard of the fence line in front of every or every other post and make a truss to the original posts which would be even stronger than the original fence but I cant help but think there might be something better I could do...



any ideas?

 

[Scrappy]

why not pull them and replace them with new and drive the new in?

 

[Allnew2Me]

You could cut them off at the bent area and insert another piece of pipe with the OD that matches the ID of the post and weld it in place. It would only need to be a foot long or so. Weld it halfway into the existing post stub and then slip the post you cut off onto the smaller pipe and weld that in place. A plug weld would look the best if that was an issue but is more work. Also, welding would compromise the galvanized finish. You could probably do it a post at a time without taking too much apart.

 

[BGlidewell]

why not pull them and replace them with new and drive the new in?

Thanks.

driving a new one in would mean re-using the existing holes. These holes are below the existing fence line. The poles are in 6"x3' concrete. Pulling that plug past the fence would mean taking the fence down to get each plug out which would mean +$10,000

 

[BGlidewell]

You could cut them off at the bent area and insert another piece of pipe with the OD that matches the ID of the post and weld it in place. It would only need to be a foot long or so. Weld it halfway into the existing post stub and then slip the post you cut off onto the smaller pipe and weld that in place. A plug weld would look the best if that was an issue but is more work. Also, welding would compromise the galvanized finish. You could probably do it a post at a time without taking too much apart.

this is a good idea but the OD and ID are impossible to match up. I had thought about swagging a smaller ID pipe down the bent posts with a ram but I can not find any pipe that would fit tight enough. Plus, some of the bent pipes have been creased and some of the bends are at 0" elevation, not much to grab...

 

[InfernoB]

How bout pouring cement down the existing pipe?

 

[fest3er]

You could slice new pipe in half (lengthwise) and apply the halves lengthwise to the old post inside/outside and use u clamps, band clamps or even stout hose clamps to hold 'em together. (The gaps want to run 'with' the fence line to minimize their effect on the compressive/expansive strength of the material. ) The right amount of half pipe should add sufficient strength to the existing post, and four clamps each should be adequate. Be sure to apply anti-seize to all parts to minimize and dissimilar metal-on-metal corrosion.

 

[BGlidewell]

How bout pouring cement down the existing pipe?

you're the third person to recommend this the other two are highly skilled and experienced trades people. Thanks

 

[BGlidewell]

You could slice new pipe in half (lengthwise) and apply the halves lengthwise to the old post inside/outside and use u clamps, band clamps or even stout hose clamps to hold 'em together. (The gaps want to run 'with' the fence line to minimize their effect on the compressive/expansive strength of the material. ) The right amount of half pipe should add sufficient strength to the existing post, and four clamps each should be adequate. Be sure to apply anti-seize to all parts to minimize and dissimilar metal-on-metal corrosion.

This is a method I had not thought of, thanks.

I ended up putting 1. 5' 13ga square tube with a . 5"re-bar welded to a flat side to keep it tight down the pipes 2' below and 2' above the weak areas. We had 80+ winds the other day and the fence help up. I will probably add some cement as I get the chance.