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Talk with a homeowner changed how I approach gate posts
I was putting in a gate for a guy named Mike last Tuesday and he asked why I always dig the post holes so deep. I told him it was just how I was taught, never really questioned it. He showed me this diagram from some old farm manual he had, where they used a concrete collar at the surface instead of a deep footing for gates. At first I thought it was crazy, but he walked me through the math on frost heave and leverage. Now I'm rethinking my whole method for gates under 6 feet wide. I still dig deep for big drive gates, but for pedestrian ones I might try his way on the next job. Has anyone else run into homeowners calling out old trade secrets like that?
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