Wood Privacy Fence VS Hurricane Simulator: How Much Can It Take?

Ever wondered if your wood privacy fence could withstand a hurricane? Today we torture-test two different sections of wood fence to see where the failure point is, and just how much extreme wind they can take before falling apart.

[WiseOnion]

The horizontal has gaps for wind to pass through, it minimizes pressure significantly than the non-gap vinyl fences you tested before.

[davida]

I always coat my 4x4 fence posts with roof cement where the concrete /ground contacts the post.. I’ve gotten 15 years on my posts without rot/break

[chargermopar]

Here in Miami the coral rock assures your posts do not move in the ground at all. Having spaces between boards like you do reduces wind resistance. Hurricane Andrew dropped every fence including concrete block walls without columns. You need to try a pre-fab concrete fence next!

[newenglandman]

You knocked it out of the park! While I enjoyed the vinyl fence tests and I'm sure you had a lot of fun making them, the horizontal-type is exactly the kind of fence I'm wanting to put on a property that gets New England winter and spring winds as well as winds off water. I really appreciate this test and the details you provided; they have firmed my decision and are going to be very useful to me.
... these test videos have been obvious dog whistles to your world-domination comrades controlling the Halliburton Hurricane Machine. I listen to public radio; I know these things.

[rogerbettencourt]

Well done, again, Olson boys! More test please.

[sassafrasvalley]

Fellers, I’m impressed! Y’all took a deck, stood it up on its side and attacked it with a Gator chasing boat!

What did you think was gonna happen? Didja suspect that gators were gonna try to run through it? Or, were you ‘uns maybe thinking that a square dance would break out and boot scootin’ cowboys would knock it over to reclaim their dance floor?

I mean for heavens sake guys, there’s nary a man who is sober and builds an upright deck… they gots to be horizontal. Gators can’t climb that high and cowboy boots ain’t worth piddly at dancin’ on the wall!

So fess up… were there a few brewskis involved in the design of this test? If so, that would explain why it was such a good danged video!

[deprived]

I guess I went little over kill on my fence posts. 3 1/2 deep 12 inch wide holes with 3 80# bags of cement for corners and 2 80# for line posts. But in my de-fence it is in heavy clay.

[matthewwhittle]

Have the ask if you tried the tool call NW quick pool? I work for a company that did small fun jobs from new fence job, and repairing broken fence post, and this tool save backs got to try if you haven't already.

[RichardKinch]

Most of the concrete is wasted and does nothing for wind resistance. The concrete should be all the the top of the buried post. In engineering terms, what you have is a cantilever beam with ineffective fixturing. There is no loading from side to side, only against the face. The middle of the concrete column doesn't move, so is doing nothing to support the post. Think of how metal T-posts are set directly with a flag only at the top of the buried section, not the whole length.

It would be cheaper and more effective to have some braces temporarily installed for hurricane conditions, to make a strong truss instead of a weak cantilever. Ground anchors and straps would do fine.

[matthewwhittle]

What would happen if you mix concrete, b4 you put it in the hole?other than the dry pack and than put water on top. I found out by fixing a lot of fence, that dry pack don't mix all the way, and on the bottom will still be dry still, or weaker than if you mix it

[justindavis]

I'd like to see how they tied down the airboat.

[jonahhex]

Wondering about affect of flooding on the fences. Seems fire, flood or hurricane wind is Florida’s hazardous as opposed to earthquake California