Concrete pots to brace cattle panel

Thinking about how low the arch would be with a seven foot width at the base I like the idea that you suggest here:

Were you looking to do something like this?
image

2 Likes

A few years ago, I found this chart. So I was going off of this but adding height of the pot were I to brace it with concrete filled containers.

1 Like

Nope. I do that in my vegetable gardens. I’m brainstorming how to put one on my trex deck. No raised beds.

Make the arch how you want it with ratchet straps… ( I learned this the hard way of trial and error).

If you can use screws then p clamps work well. Find them in the electrical etc areas of Lowes/HD etc.

image

If not screwed down a frame would have to be made.

I use the arches for my bird feeding stations. they enjoy them.

2 Likes

Can you elaborate on the ratchet strap use?

1 Like

Put a ratchet strap on each end a few holes in… then tighten or loosen to the desired width. Makes doing it by yourself much much easier and the outcome as well.

So if you want one 50 inches wide and tall you just measure and ratchet to that desire. If you want one 60 inches wide and not as tall then measure and ratchet or loosen to that desire.

If you just want to put one up and whatever happens happens then omit the ratchet straps and measuring… and make sure that the helper holds it long enough and correctly.

I think there are videos on it on Youtube.

3 Likes

@Eme What do you want to put on yours?

I think @krismoriah is using the rachet strap to bend the panel and hold it arched before he has screwed it to a frame or screwed it down using the p-clamps.

That is really clever and I will be using the rachet strap trick!!!

If you really want to affix something to the deck, I’d decide if it is worth the cost of the 2-4 boards you would put holes in (and check to make sure they still make your color of TREX). The boards are not hard to replace if you can get the right board.

People often attach umbrellas or pergolas or shades to decks, so there are instructions for attaching those things to Trex decks.

2 Likes

That was what I suspected, but thank you for clarifying. That is clever!

1 Like

Cattle panel/fence nails.

images

Cheap and effective. There are barbed versions for extra holding power.

3 Likes

Thank you! We used something similar, but shorter last year, not very stable. These look better.

1 Like

Some of them have been standing for a decade. Which is amazing for 2 x 2’s. You just have to tap them in modestly to keep them from splitting the wood. No hard banging. We also learned to hold the nails with needle nose pliers to get them started. Sure saves the fingers…lol

4 Likes

Excellent tip. Thank you!

1 Like

True. I just used these for my ā€˜cattle panel’ puppy containment unit :crazy_face: I obtained 3 pups and made a shelter for them on my covered porch with cut cattle panel as a door and pallets for walls. These made a good hinge for that cattle panel door. I ran out of these- which i used most of int the chicken house.

I like screws better than hammering things in… and the self tappers are handy… as i prefer my impact more than a hammer.

image

3 Likes

I use cattle panels cut in half (4 feet by 8 feet from a 4x16 foot panel.) To make them stand up, 4 feet or 8 feet high, I use rebar. First I push a 10 foot piece of rebar which has been bent in the middle to form a suitable angle (usually 90 degrees or less) so the two ends are deep enough to allow the rebar to stand. Then I position one end of the panel so that it’s perpendicular to the standing rebar, and touching the high point of the angle. Then I use nylon cable ties to hold then together. I put another piece of bent rebar at the opposite end of the panel. It takes only a few minutes, since all my parts are being reused. They could stay up all year, but I usually relocate them each year. To disassemble just cut the cable ties. To be extra secure I anchor the panel along the ground with ground staples or anything heavy… If you cut a 16 foot panel in half you can also leave cut ends to push into the ground on the 8 foot tall type. I use the 8 foot tall panels for climbing crops like beans or cukes Never had one tip over. Rebar isn’t cheap, but neither are cattle panels. Plus they last a lifetime.

I used to use T-post clips to attach cattle panel. The farm supply store that sells the cattle panel gives them away with the panels.

But one year I used zip ties temporarily, which evolved to using them permanently. They last more than a year.