Privacy fence building question

[brushtrooper]

I am in the Corpus area and looking at building a new fence and extending it to enclose the whole yard. After seeing the damage from the hurricane Harvey I am not going with 4x4's/ 18-24" deep thing. My thoughts are using 6x6 treated on 6' center, then using 3 stringers using 2x6"s and then nailing pickets to the stringers. Post will be at least 3' deep and maybe more if I can get deeper, then concreted in. I have seen some use the galv. posts like used for "hurricane fencing". Does anyone have experience with those post's? My goal is for this to be the last fence I have to build at this home. I live in a neighbor where the standard is the 6' or so standard privacy wood fence. Weather next week looks good, I most likely will burn a vacation and get this over with.
Opinions/advice?

[Kingfisher789]

I would use thick wall pipe for the posts.

[mpotts]

that kind of fence will catch all the wind I would use metal post.

[Mambajeep]

Just built mine this last summer. Thick wall steel post. 80 lbs concrete on each. Very sturdy

[JayB]

I got to tell you my 4 x 4 wood post fence was standing and all the metal post fences we're on the ground when a tornado came thru.
I dug a little over 2 ft deep, added about 6" of stone then set and sloped the concrete to shed water. 2 x 6 kicker with 2 x 4 rails. Post set 6' on center.

oh look...what is that?

[tkuehn5410]

I would use thick wall pipe for the posts.

And it will last 3x longer, and likely be around the same price as the super sized posts...I also have a fence company in the windy town known as Lubbock, and we use the schedule 40 pipe for most posts and do on a 8' center, but if you're in the country, then corner posts should be on a 6' center. Mid posts are immaterial unless someone drives a truck or mule thru them. I always do the 9' posts, even in corners, and can add this is for a 7' privacy fence. Other BIG piece of advice is to add a 3-4" by 9-12" concrete footing for your fence. I'm paying my concrete guy 3 bucks a foot for a 4" footing, and I set posts before he comes and pours. Typical order is: 1. Set corner posts with 1/2 bag quickrete 2. set sectional posts next day with laser level so they are straight. 3. Concrete guys pour. 4. rails, pickets and finish

[Goldeneagle]

If you go with pipe, use some very thick walled. The street that runs east to west behind my house is very open to north winds. Almost all of the pipe post fences are leaning. The wood posts are still straight.

[super_dave]

If you want it to withstand the wind, 4x4’s are the way to go. They will flex with the wind and are as strong if not stronger than the cheap thin wall pipe used. It will kink at the ground when flexed.

The best way to get it to withstand the wind is to stagger the pickets so that the wind can blow through them.

Sounds like you’re trying to over engineer something that is pretty simple. Definitely go deeper with post. Like 3-4’ but as long as you don’t use landscape timbers and those cheap 2x3 pre made panels you won’t have to build again.

[Geezy Rider]

I built mine with 4x4 square tubing 14ga. cemented in. And alternated the slates to allow air flow. Don't know that it'll hold up to a hurricane but it's stood against so pretty stout straight line winds.

[kyle1974]

my fence got knocked down in harvey, and every single post was rotted right at the ground, which is where they all snapped off.

When I rebuilt it, I had the fence guys go from 8' center to 6' center, and also make sure there was concrete coming slightly above ground level. I think the posts sitting in wet soil made them rot out faster. hopefully now that the posts aren't in direct contact with the ground, they'll last longer and won't rot at the bottom.

I think that expecting a wood fence to last a lifetime is a longshot, they just don't hold up forever.

[gonehuntin]

If I was building a fence on the coast I would use heavy wall 2 3/8 drill stem for fence post and fill them with concrete and put them on 6 ft spacing. Standard fence rail brackets will still work with the drill pipe. Bury my post no less than 3 to 4 feet deep and attach 2x6 rails with carriage bolts to the fence brackets. Then I would attach the pickets with #6 ring shank nails. Then pray all this would hold up to a hurricane.

[brushtrooper]

Thanks for the replies and advice. I did change the post's to 4x4 treated, buried 3'6" belled at the bottom and each hole filled to top with concrete. These average 6-7 each of the 80lb bags of concrete each. My corner that I will hang a big gate on, I used one of the 6"x6" post at 4' deep then I the auger to drill another hole about 2' to the side the weight will be hanging. I trenched from the post to the new hole and secured a dead man to the post. The dug about an 18" perimeter at about 14" deep. Then filled with concrete. At my count it was 12 bags of concrete for that corner post. I have concrete to ground level and trowled at angle for drain. More posts to come tomorrow.