[markriley9999]

hi all

i'm new to this forum and i'm hoping that someone can help me.

i need a new fence around the boundary of my 16 acre field, so around 1000m.

There is good access all around the field and it is relatively flat.
The soil itself is a bit of pain as it has a lot of gravel in it.

we're looking at just over 550 posts.
with 2 rails and stock fencing - and possibly some barbed wire along half of the length.

i'm keen to get a feel for what sort of labour costs i can expect for this work and how long it'll take (assuming a 2 man team, with a tractor and post knocker).

any thoughts on this would be hugely appreciated!

[juliem]

half the battle will be finding someone with a tractor/post knocker who can do this type of work.Labour costs about £200 per day for man and tractor would have thought.
Think one chap could do it. My chap recruited his wife in the final stages to help with knocking stapes into barbed wire.
Mine was a cash job.I bought posts etc and painted ends in old oil/disposed of old posts/barbed wire.It's the post knocker your really paying for...wonderful things.

[alang]

Depending on how much free time you have or an extended timescale you need to have it done by, i would have a bash at this yourself. But there again i'm not scared of a little physical work lol

[Zyg]

Additional, related question to OP.
Do I need to drill holes for the 3" to 4" posts or just ram them in? The smallest auger bits I can see are 4", so I guess the smaller posts would end up loose!

[mab]

Additional, related question to OP.
Do I need to drill holes for the 3" to 4" posts or just ram them in? The smallest auger bits I can see are 4", so I guess the smaller posts would end up loose!

I use a solid iron bar ~ 5' long and ~1" diameter with a vaguely pointed end to make a pilot hole - throw it into the ground & waggle it and throw again 'til I get it at least 18" in - sometimes have to try a few inched further along the fence line if I hit a really big stone - then stick the post in the hole (generally stands by itself long enough for me to get the rammer over it).
I've only got info of limited relevance to the OP's question though:-When the forestry adjacent to my 'wilderness' was re-fenced the (very) professional fencers asked for access over my land (our shared boundary was the stream); they had about 600m to do, stock fence and top wire, 2/3rds was accessible by 4x4 quadbike - just - for the rest everything had to be lugged by hand.
4 man team. They cut a trail through the wilderness (was basically a steep 7 hectare thicket) down to the stream, cut through shrubs/briars/trees on the line of the new fence, rammed in the posts by hand (even the 8" strainers! - using a massive rammer with all four of them wielding it together), ran the stock fence and wire zinging tight and tidied up after themselves. All in it took them less than 3 days - I was impressed.
I did ask them how much they charged even though I knew i couldn't afford it (as I had about 1000m of stock fence to do) and I seem to remember it was £7.50 / m. But that was over 5 years ago and in west wales. Did it myself in the end - only took me 3 winters  - but most of that time was clearing the old fence and the thickets of gorse, briar and blackthorn - once you get into it the fence goes up quite fast.

[Maysie]

I have just dug out our last fencing invoice (Sept 2018):

Labour Only (ie excludes materials): They are VERY good at what they do. 
3 Man gang with tractor and post basher. 

Erect Post and wire Stock fence with strainers etc: £2.45/m
As above, but with larger posts at closer centres, plus two rails: £6.50/m
Add electric wire and isolators to fence: £3/m

Gates hung are extra.  Our ground is sloping and very rocky in places. 

Hope that helps. 

[Penninehillbilly]

We paid by the metre as well, worth getting someone in to get that fence taut, and they will advise on strainers and corner posts etc. He wrote out what we needed and we ordered it.
Certainly worth it for a boundary fence.