How to add support for a gate post?

[tigerzen]

I have a Picket gate where the non-hinged post could use greater support. It's the latching side and appears to not have been driven deeply enough into its hole. While it's in no danger of falling down it could use greater support and while digging the post out and re-tamping or adding concrete would be the best option I am wondering if there are any other options that I could explore. 

[Jason]

Hi @tigerzen,

I'm sure the community will be able to provide the help you need. It might assist them to see what you are working with. Could you please share a couple of photos?

Thanks,

Jason

[EricL]

Hello @tigerzen 

There are a few options to add extra support to your post. One of the most common solutions is to dig deeper into the soil. However, please be careful when digging deeper as there may be local utilities such as sewer or electrical lines running underneath. Making the hole bigger also adds stability to the post as a wider concrete footing prevents the post from leaning.

You can also externally support the post by using angled timber braces to the front and back of the post. This would be an exposed type of support as you'll need to dig two extra holes to the front and back of the post so that the brace can be concreted into the ground as well.

Let me call on our experienced members @Dave-1 and @Jewelleryrescue for their recommendations.   

If you have any other questions we can help with, please let us know.

Eric

[Dave-1]

Afternoon @tigerzen 

Wobbly posts are a pain 😕 A few pics would be good to get yto know the setup for sure. 

Otherwise, how far is the post away from other posts?

Are their trees about?

Is a concrete area its near?

Dave

[tigerzen]

Thanks guys for the suggestions. Here are some photos. I'm pretty sure the post isn't buried too deep in the ground and there are pipes near the base which limited how far we could dig. 

[EricL]

Hello @tigerzen 

Thanks for posting those extra photos of your post. I would hold off digging in that area as there is a gas meter right next to the post. If you can't dig down, I suggest building square formwork around the post and filling it with concrete to create an above ground footing. this should provide extra support for your post.

If you need further assistance, please let me know.

Eric

[tigerzen]

Thanks very much Eric I'll look up how to do this.

[MitchellMc]

Hi @tigerzen,

Apart from the footer and the connection to the ground, you might like to check how well that panel is connected to the fence. It appears that the fence was replaced somewhat recently, and I wonder whether the panel was re-attached in a strong enough fashion. I'd recommend locating the horizontal fence rails, which you'll be able to detect from the pailing fixings. Adding a couple of heavy-duty angle brackets fixed into the fence rails and then into the panel will go a long way to shoring up the fence post. 

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell

[tigerzen]

You have good eyes Mitch! The panel is attached to the rail with some skewed screwing, it's not sufficient and I like your idea of L brackets.

[MitchellMc]

In that case, I'd recommend those brackets to try and stabilise the top of the panel/post. You can then look to see if work will also need to be done on the footer. 

Mitchell