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Saw a huge difference in post stability after switching to 80lb bags of concrete instead of 60lb

I put up 30 feet of cedar privacy fence at a house in Manchester last spring. Used 60lb bags for the first 10 posts and they felt solid at the time. Went back six months later on a repair call and those first 10 posts had shifted almost 2 inches from frost heave. The other 12 posts I used 80lb bags for were still perfectly straight. Anyone else notice that extra weight makes that big a difference on frost lines?
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2 Comments
butler.abby
Has anyone else seen that much of a difference with the heavier bags? I did a retaining wall in Tennessee and used the 80lb bags for the whole thing after learning my lesson on a smaller project... they just give you that extra weight that fights the frost way better. Those 60lb bags are fine for light duty stuff but anything with depth calls for the big boys.
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michael_craig
Wait, did you notice any difference in how the 80s settled compared to the 60s? I did a similar wall in Ohio and the 60lb bags I started with just didn't lock in the same way... the frost heave pushed a couple of the lower ones out of alignment after the first winter. Switched to 80lb for the repair and those things barely budged even with the freeze-thaw cycles we get here. That extra weight makes a real difference in the base layers especially, feels like they grip the ground better.
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