Drive them. We drive hollow steel posts straight into the ground with a post driver, then cut each one clean just above fence height. A slim steel post gives frost very little to grab, so it doesn’t jack out of the ground every spring, and the fence stays straight for its lifetime.
The posts decide whether a fence is still straight in ten years. In Manitoba, the thing that moves posts is frost.
Why Frost Moves Fences
When wet ground freezes, it expands and grips whatever is in it, pushing it up. That push is called frost jacking. It happens every winter, and over time posts creep up, lean and pull the fence out of line.
Why Driven Steel Posts Work
A hollow steel post driven into the ground has a small surface area, so frost has very little to grab and push on. The post stays where it was driven, winter after winter. Ground that drains water away from the fence line helps even more.
How Deep They Go
Residential posts are installed up to 3′4″ deep, and longer posts are an upgrade that adds another 12″. The driver damages the top of the post, so we drive each one just above fence height and cut it clean.
Spacing and the Line
- Even spacing. Each run is measured and divided evenly instead of leaving a short section at the end. Residential chain link is spaced up to 8′ apart (6.5′ with privacy slats); commercial up to 10′ (8′ with slats).
- A straight line. A string line across the top shows how the fence will look before the height is set. On sloped ground the top follows the grade instead of leaving gaps.
- Working around obstacles. If a rock or buried line blocks a post, the run is re-divided, adding a post if needed, so the spacing stays even.
What About Gate Posts?
Gate posts on a fence are driven like the rest, and each gate hangs off a post that’s tied into a fence section so it can’t lean. Automatic gates are a different job: their posts carry the whole gate and operator, so they’re engineered for the gate.
See the whole process step by step: how we install residential chain link and commercial chain link.