How to install a METPOST/Fence Spike like a pro! 

I'm going to install six of these and your tutorial has given me the confidence and knowledge to tackle this. Superbly presented and excellent communication. No music in the background drowning out the speaker, what a joy.

… brilliant! By far the easiest clear fast and effective advice on this - and I have looked at sooo many - thanks !

Hi. Thank you for really clear instructions. 2 of our posts ended up a bit turned compared to the fence line, so we attached the cut off long piece of pole and 2 long screws attached to the new pole inserted into the spike to turn the spike a bit and bring it true to the fence line.

A day later update. I installed the six spikes following the instructions in the tutorial and so pleased with the results. What did we do before RU-vid. Crooked fence post I guess.

It feels like you have a scientific mindset (limiting movement uncertainty, gravity doing the work, etc). Subscribed!

I live in NC, USA. The red clay here can get like cement. I have used these before. Now starting a new project that needs 8-of these. To simplify driving, this time I am either going to use an old 1" x 16" long masonry bit or a 1.5" dia. garden auger to drill a pilot hole in the ground first . By trade I'm a machinist & we most always drill pilot holes to start for larger stuff so I figure if it works on steel a pilot hole should help guide the post holder while driving it in. BWY, GREAT vid !

As we approach the biggest DIY weekend of the year and busiest A&E weekend, I am grateful for finding this video. Thanks Sheriff; you saved me pain and set me up for success. :)

Thank you for this! On maternity leave about to section off our garden for my little one and this is a job I’ve not tackled yet but you explained it really clearly :)

Thanks. I have a similar job putting in offset fence post support brackets for a leaning timber fence and have never used a sledgehammer so I found your technique quite instructive.

The most informative post spike video.

Excellent video, Sheriff! I'll be replacing my mailbox and this definitely helps 👍🏻👍🏻

Great tip about the spike rotating as you drive it in 👍

Thank you for the tutorial, took the nervousness from me starting ny project! Got it done like a breeze :)

I really like how you explain DIYers in plain language without fancy music or promotions. Great video. keep on truckin !

Depends very much on the state of the ground! If grounds too hard best to manually dig half way down before you start setting the metpost, and backfill and compress ground around it later. Helps to get the the post straight.

Many thanks for posting this video. Great tutorial! Now I just need to unmount one anchor and do the rest as you are showing, but looks like you saved me from failing drastically ;) cheers! Greetings from Poland!

Yes, done it this way, turned out nicely.

one of the BEST How To vids I've ever seen. Thank you for the tip on the rotation of the post upon swinging ...wouldn't have realized that! Also, thanks for the great sound...really helps! I do need to drive in my post on a slope and worry just a bit if the bottom of bracket will come all the way down to the level of the soil...but I think this is the solution I'm looking for...just building a kids tree fort/ deck extension. THANK YOU

Great guide mate - top tips in there and really well explained 👍🏻

It is so nice to find simple, brief instructions, just with the absolutely nessesary piece of information. Cheers mate!

Mate this is my project this weekend and your advice has helped sooo much! Thank you.

You saved my day ... brilliant ...thank you

I did 32 of these 10 years ago when building my fence. What we did when we where planting those. One would tap and the other would align it. It becomes a 1 minute job. Never thought of doing this by myself. Great video !

MUCH easier than trying to insert a large wooden post into the earth AND it won't rot away. Great video, thx!

Thank you for putting this video up. Here goes!

Thank you for this. I’m a women in my 30’s and this answers all my questions. I’m going to try this. Thanks

Thank you for the post, really clear and well explained!

Looks great. Im just about to do this today, wish me luck! ....... Update, sorted! It was a touch tricky to build the fence by myself. I get the bit about the post slightly turning as you hit it, but I think that it doesn't matter whether you are left or right handed, it will turn clockwise or anticlockworse, regardless of the way you hit it. One of mine is a touch too rotated, unfortunately, but the fence looks pretty good, though. Many thanks for this video.

Boom, thank you for the tutorial. Much appreciated!

Excellent Video. That has given me the confidence to have a go myself!

Excellent instructions.

Cheers mate, it worked a treat. Didn't swear either.

THANK YOU for this video!!! l am replacing my fence by re using the 4x4 post. This will save me so much time and money. And comments welcome l was planning to plumb in dry concrete then wet the concrete to harden.

Thank you and it looks easy

I was having a lot of trouble digging holes. I would always hit a root or a stone. Yet somehow these drive in easily. These literally saved me hours of digging post holes by hand. The twisting is annoying. 1 post would always turn the wrong amount. I had to pry the post up and re-drive it 4 or 5 times to get it strainght and it was still much easier than digging.

I have found the best way is to start the hole with a length of pipe , knocking it down and wriggling from side to side a bit. Then use that pilot hole for the meatapost spike and give it a few knocks adjusting to plumb as it goes down.

Thanks, great tips and really well explained, have subscribed 😀

Really helpful, thanks. Would be good to see how you set out for the next post as I am planning to use fence panels.

The magic of the internet. I don't even know how I got here but this is just what I needed to know. Thank you.

Great video and great explanation!

Doing posts in 🇨🇦. Nice confirmed some questions. nicely done

Loved it !

I'm doing this tomorrow, thanks for the guidance Sheriff.

Super-useful - thanks !

Spot on, by eye. You also need to get your level on the fence post, more than half way up.

Thank you - very helpful

Thanks for the video. How would I then install gravel boards?

Godsend mate, I got a job to do for a man that wants a handrail aside garden steps and the surface is flagstones that are not sturdy enough to hold an anchor for a free standing post . That metpost is going to save a world of donkey work.

Excellent Video, thank you sir!

Awesome, great tutorial, thanks for sharing, I have 7 to do soon and I will use your advice :)

Great tutorial. Thanks!

You are amazing lots of information I got Thank you

Well done: right to the point!

Right to the point, thank you soo much

amazing tutorial

Excellent! 👍

Brilliant constructive video, Well done

Such a good video thank you 👍

Thank you that was excellent.

very helpful. thanks!

Thanks for sharing!

Awesome...easy enough for even “Me”

Great video thanks

Very good advice. My problem is stony ground and I mean stony. Half way down my metpost got stuck. I don’t see any other solution other than pulling it back out and driving some kind of long chisel into the ground to break up the stone.

Additional tip: If the post doesn't stand perfectly vertical you can wedge something solid between the base of the post and the holder part of the spike on one side.

Hi. I'm about to put a fence up in my garden for the first time in my life. You just explained I to me nicely. Thank you

Thank You!

Thank you for this calm, authoritative and informative video. Now, all I need is a sledge hammer.

Thank you..much appreciated

Excellent.. thanks

Using a longer off cut with a drive all metal post knocker works good

Nice one!

Building a wooden cabin on the side of my caravan. Ground quite hard as its dry and it only rains a few days of the year. Is it better to use these than concreting the wooden posts into the ground?

Appreciate the tips. Question? Where can I fine them. And how much they cost ? Thank u sir

Well done

Thank You

That made it look very easy (mine are for a big wooden house sign). I think the biggest problem for me wil be London clay as hard as rock an all that looking easy sledgehammering is going to be very hard, never mind that I have a sign which is much shorter wood on one side but at least i now feel there is a chance I can get it into the ground unless it proves too hard and the old ones won't come out from near by so knowing my luck there will be a load of concrete near there too from the old ones.

The seating of these metposts was very helpful. However,I'm making a short fence where I'll be using 4 of these metal posts. How do make these posts line up parallel with each other? ie, if I get behind the first post, I want to look down the fence line and see only the first post, as it is so perfectly aligned with the other 3 post, that it hides them. Hope that made sense.

Brilliant 💖

Top man!

Hi, I'm looking to make a raised multi level deck (1m and 1.5m high platforms) as a childrens play area and will need to support a small playhouse as well. Would it be better to use one of these fence spikes or concrete? Which is generally more secure?

Wow you are an absolute master teacher. Every detail carefully explained. I need to do only 1 and I had no idea where to start!

is it strong enough to hang a gate off a 75mm x 75mm post using this kind of spike?

Ok, I love the concept. Thank you. What happens when you hit an obstruction? ( don't say move it as the pergola needs to be in a specific location) Can these be concreted in rather than hammered as I have often encountered rocks while attempting to drive fence posts.

You helped me lot! Grts from Belgium. Ps I miss Cornwall 😢

Thanks for this video! I was about to do some fencing with anchors in concrete. I wonder if there's any appreciable difference between the strength of that method compared to this one, because metposts seem a whole lot easier.

So I'm putting in 2 trellis screens, got the idea with the post spike, thanks! Best way to fix the trellis panel to the post to hold it secure without damaging it?

Great video. Are these strong enough to hold up a waist-high, freestanding, 4x4 timber post for a metal garden gate?

Any tips for getting a cut off out that gets stuck?

Great demo, thank you. I was going to drive mine flush with the soil, so, mistake averted. Yeeee Haaa Sheriff! Also, can I ask for further suggestion, as my post (3x3) will not be in the support all the time (will remove occasionally), can you suggest how I would both disguise the top of the support and prevent it from being a tripping hazard? Thanks V much in advance.

Thanks, really clear and easy to follow. Can these spikes be used to reinforce an existing, rotten-bottomed post? If so, how do you get them in underneath? Tip on shooting video like a pro, avoid seeing tripod and mic wire in shot and shoot close ups rather than cropping :-)

Good Video, straight forward, only thing missing is underground rocks and roots. They always throw me off .

What would you recommend for anchoring a pergola? I don't want to cement in as I'd like the option to take with me since I rent. I stupidly didn't think of anchoring when I bought the kit. I was thinking to secure it to the fence so those posts help but no clue anymore what to do.

I like that trick of yours, turning it one 8th of a turn before hitting it. It's little things like that, that you pick up from experience.

I need to fit 3 posts i the existing holes (it was the only place I could it them due to overspill pipes as my garden backs onto a stream)I’ve already dug them out but I’m considering using spikes with postcrete so I can dismantle and change them if I need to as opposed to having to dig them out again, I’d appreciate any advice? Thanks in advance

I don't have sledge hammer and the ground is made of clay, I wonder is mallet would be enough to hammer this in?

Similar product, but would a 45mm post word with a 50mm anchor? As in would the anchor bolt up snuggly enough around a post 5mm smaller than the internal dimension? Cheers!

I would use longer spikes,the longer the better...also you have to do this as you go along instaling the fence panels so not much space when you are next to it...it will never be perfectly straight,but does the job.fast set concrete is a longer lasting option

Can you pound it back into the ground if it starts heaving due to frost? I have one that's lifted about an inch after 3 years of being fine and wanted to know if it was safe to just pound it back down.

Hi there great tutorial i was going to ask if i use concrete gravel boards and buy the clips that attach them to the posts how does that work if the metal is above ground so obviously it won't screw to the post ? Or would that only work with digging holes and concreting them in and having the wood exposed to screw the fixtures on?. Im definitely using spikes though so would i have to use wood gravel boards?