Footing a Dip Post on a Wood-Post Garden Fence with 12-Gauge Wire: A 4-Foot Steel Foot at 45 Degrees, Six Wraps, and Upward-Angled Staples

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Drive a 4-foot length of steel fence post into the ground at 45 degrees against the base of the lifting dip post, then lash the two together with 6 tight wraps of 12-gauge galvanized wire. Re-staple the fence wires to the dip post angled upward, with two staples where the dip is steep.

How do you stop a fence post in a low spot from pulling out of the ground?

Add a foot to the dip post: drive a 3- to 4-foot piece of steel fence post at 45 degrees at its base and wire the two together. For slight dips, hanging rocks from the post or bracing it with wire to its neighbors also works, and staples on dip posts should angle upward.

The BC Ministry of Agriculture's wire fence construction factsheet says posts in the bottom of a dip get an uplift force once the wires are tensioned. Its fixes include adding weight, oversizing the post, wire bracing, and footing it with a 3 to 4 foot length of steel post driven at 45 degrees and wired to the post.

The BC fence wire stapling factsheet says dip posts see upward wire pressure. It angles the staple upward into the post there and double staples on steep dips.

Choosing the Fix by Dip Size

Dip Fix What it takes
Very slight Add weight Rocks wired to hang from the post
Slight to medium Wire-brace to the next posts Two 12-gauge wires, top of dip post to base of each neighbor
Slight to medium Foot the post One 4-ft. steel post at 45 degrees
Narrow and deep Over-fence the gully Main wires run straight over; a loose dummy fence below
Wide Separate fence section End braces on both sides of the dip

For the foot, a 4-foot piece driven 3 feet along its length at 45 degrees reaches about 25 inches below grade, since 36 x 0.707 is about 25.5.

Materials and Tools

  • Hillman 12-gauge utility wire, about 8 feet per footed post
  • One 4-foot piece of T-post or an old steel post per dip post
  • A sledge or post driver and a scrap block for angled driving
  • 9-gauge fence staples and a hammer
  • Fencing pliers, gloves, and safety glasses

Footing Steps

  1. Confirm the lift. Look for a post standing taller than its neighbors or soil cracked around its base.
  2. Ease the wires. Pull the staples on the dip post so it can be pushed back down.
  3. Seat the post. Drive or tamp the post back to its original depth.
  4. Start the foot. Set the 4-foot steel piece against the post base, angled 45 degrees so its tip runs under the post.
  5. Drive it. Drive it about 3 feet, leaving 12 inches exposed beside the post.
  6. Lash it. Wrap the 12-gauge wire around the post and the foot 6 times, just above the soil.
  7. Twist it tight. Twist the two tails together with pliers until the wraps bite, then tuck the ends.
  8. Re-staple upward. Staple each fence wire with the staple points angled upward into the post.
  9. Double the steep ones. On a steep dip, add a second staple to every wire.

Check the post again after the first hard freeze, when uplift is at its worst.

Mistakes at Dip Posts

  • Staples angled downward pop out as the wire lifts
  • A foot driven less than 3 feet has too little grip to hold the post
  • Loose wraps let the post slide up along the foot
  • Over-tensioning a fence across a deep dip lifts every post in it

Tension work on long runs is in pulling a 100-foot run of 4-foot woven field fence to 250 pounds. Staples that loosened while the post lifted are reset with re-stapling loose woven wire to wood line posts.

A dip that still leaves a gap under the fabric can take a mesh strip sized from the hardware cloth mesh size and gauge guide.

A wire that broke while the post lifted gets a Western Union splice on a broken woven-wire line wire.

FAQ

Can I use concrete instead?

Concrete adds weight, but a foot is cheaper and works on driven posts.

Does a T-post fence need this?

Yes. Steel posts in dips lift too, and the same foot works.

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