Yeah, I had to make that same decision at lowes. I chose the pea gravel and it packs them pretty tight. Same as the drainage gravel I'm sure. I only bought a few bags to test it out since I'm setting 26 post and buying that much gravel in bags from lowes or anywhere else would have cost at least $150. I got the same amount from a concrete supply yard for $35. I have a truck so I saved quite a bit but it still would have been cheaper than bags if I had them deliver it. thanks

My old charger died of old age. Then my new-old charger died of old age. Those were both real chargers, but our circumstances have changed. We is hobby farmers now. So I bought a 5-acre charger. Continuous type. It fried my duck. I took it back. Got a pulsing, four acre charger. My doe kids investigate it by mouthing it - they find it uninteresting, then wander off. Before I take this charger back, I thought I'd do an extra good job of checking out the system. All fence wires are off the ground. No grass touches the wire. Old, dry, dead tumbleweeds festoon the fence... but they have never been a problem before. I measured the resistance between the ground-wire at the charger and the ground at the charger: 5M Ohms (Seems like a lot). The morning after a rain, I measured the resistance between the ground and ground, my probes being about a foot apart: 1M Ohms. Resistance between ground-wire and ground-rod: dead short. Resistance between ground-rod and earth about a foot away: 1M Ohms. Replaced my hot-wire from charger-to-fence with some same material as fence - used NOALOX Anti-Oxidant Joint Compound. Used NOALOX on copper ground wire to ground-rod. ...All this, and I can't make the tester illuminate, but I can feel the fence tingle when it pulses. So this morning I called the manufacturer of my new-old charger that I had liked so well. I asked, what is the maximum acceptable resistance to ground. The answer was "less than 400v." ....(Puzzled pause.)... Two different customer support people told me "less than 400v" at total of three times. (My brow furrows.) Does this make any sense to you? Additionally, I was told that the illuminating testers (I'm using their's) can't measure that low. I have to get a digital tester. I agree, their little neon tester doesn't test below 500v. I also read that 500v is the MINIMUM required for short-hair animals, while 2000v is MINIMUM required for long-hair animals. The Customer Support people are telling me I can tolerate a MAXIMUM of 400v. Does this make any sense to anybody? They won't address the resistance. The best I get is "you need three ground-rods." I ask for a number in Ohms and they say "three ground-rods." I admit I have sandy soil, but I have one eight-foot copper rod with a brass clamp and 18g copper wire, it has been raining off and on for a week, and we've been running a hose on the ground-rod for the last twenty-four hours. The resistance is the same when I stab my Multimeter's probes into a damp spot in the driveway and when I measure between the ground wire and ground... but they want me to install two more ground-rods. (Have you heard about the State - someplace in the northeast part of the country - that passed a law requiring psychiatrists testifying as expert witnesses to wear a robe and pointy hat with arcane symbols sewn to them? The Legislature wanted the Jury to be reminded of the psychiatrists' track record.) So, why does talking to Customer Support make me feel like I'm talking to a psychiatrist? I had the store test the newest charger before I bought it; 7000v. I installed it when I got home. The does kids came to me, across the fence, stopping along the way to mouth the hot-wire. Disappointing. The next morning, twelve-hours later, I brought the charger indoors and tested across the lugs: 3500v. Does this make any sense? And, yes, I'm wearing rubber soled Red Wings when I feel it tickle me. So I guess I'll go try it barefoot. Help, please. And thanks.

Well the contract is signed and looks like closing will be November 24th or sooner. We will be keeping in our dog (soon to be dogs), chickens and ducks. There is a small fenced court yard type area the will keep the dog in until we fence the whole 5 acres. What I want to keep out is who ever has been avoiding the sugar sand in the grove by driving down the side of our property. We may get a horse or two at some point but no time soon. So I think at this point we will use the free metal posts and alternate with wooden posts. Then relace the metal posts as needed with wooden posts later on. I'm still unsure on the spacing. I think I may go measure a couple of current neighbors fences to give me an idea. They both have cows. Also looks like we will use the 4"X4" wire since it will keep dogs in or out whatever the case. I just want to prepare now for the possibility of larger animals later. Now if I can only decide on what trees to plant....

Yes - the bike rack/fence post support thingie would be on my side of the fence. Both sides look nice, designed to pretty much look the same on both sides. If it works if I can get down deep enough to sink the metal post it will be the perfect solution -stabilize the post AND give us secure place to lock bikes (bike thieves run rampant around here). If not - I wonder, what if I just expand the concrete slab that the post is sitting in, make it larger/wider? Right now its about 2 feet thick but only about a foot wide! I think if it was wider it wouldn't be so moveable. say about 2 x 2 feet square - or larger? Might frost heave up and down but oh well. The posts on either side of it (8 feet distance) are securely sunk down 42 inches. Re: what to use for metal fence post - thinking either black or galvanized iron pipe - 2 inches - attached to the fence via 90 degree elbow at the top and 1 or 2 T joints. Is a 2 inch pipe for plumbing going to be as strong and rigid as a galavanized fence post made specifically for that purpose? Or are they pretty much equivalent, just one is marketed for plumbing the other for fence posts? Those pipe fittings just screw on correct? No glue or welding required? Klem - the brackets you refer to I think are for wood attaching directly to the metal post. I don't think I can get the metal post right up close the wood one, not without drilling through the concrete and gravel that is directly below the wood post That's why I was thinking of having the metal post be 6 inches from the wood one and then attaching it 2 or 3 places via the pipe fittings/flanges. However if it would make for a significantly more secure and stable fence Im willing to give it a go! Ive invested so much time and effort into getting this fence right - what's a few more days, weeks, months. Maybe this will be done by 2016. THANKS ALL!