Can You Pound Metal Fence Posts Into Frozen Ground?
If you live in an area that gets snow in the winter, you might already know that it’s tricky (and expensive) to install fence posts in concrete in the wintertime. If you do try to do it, you need special heating systems to keep the ground warm enough for the chemical hardening process of the concrete to happen.
That’s not ideal for most fences. However, you might be wondering if pounded posts are an option. The question is, can you pound metal fence posts into frozen ground? Here’s what you need to know.
Yes, But You Need the Right Posts and the Right Pounder
The good news is that it is possible to pound metal fence posts into frozen ground. However, you do also need to have the right kind of fence posts and the right pounder.
Ordinary thin wall metal fence posts will tend to simply deform or “mushroom” when you try to pound them into frozen ground. If you want to do this, you need to upgrade your fence posts to Schedule 40 pipe, which is strong enough to take the pressure from the installation process.
You will also need a professional grade post-pounder. Hand-held or machine-mounted will work, but it needs to have a lot of power to install metal fence posts in frozen ground without burning out the motor. Buy or rent the best and most powerful post pounder you can find if you plan to install fence posts in the winter or spring before the ground melts!
Expect to Pay More for Your Fence
While it is possible to pound metal posts into frozen ground, and there are many fence companies in colder areas that will do it, you can expect to pay a little more for your fence.
The type of pipe that needs to be used for this kind of project costs more than typical residential or commercial fence posts, and it requires special equipment.
Fence companies also tend to be slower to install fences in the cold simply because crews struggle more and need to spend time warming up between periods of work.
However, while it may cost more to have your metal fence posts pounded into frozen ground, fence companies usually aren’t as busy in the winter, so they can usually get your job done faster.
Beware of Settling
One of the biggest problems for any fence is what is known as settling. This usually happens when your soil is not properly compacted before your fence is installed, but it can happen when it rains and for other reasons.
If you happen to have expansive soil and your ground freezes in the wintertime, it is very likely to settle once it thaws in the spring. That’s because the water or moisture in your soil does the opposite of most things when it gets cold – it expands instead of contracting.
This does tend to happen less with pounded fence posts because there’s less for the moving earth to push against, but you might find that you need to have your fence adjusted slightly when spring does roll around.
