When Building a Fence, Does the Spacing of the Posts Really Matter?

The short answer is “Yes”.  The post spacing of the AB Fence is critical when you consider the stability of the system.  Let’s draw on a comparison like when you were a kid and you stuck your hand out the window of a moving vehicle. Now some of us never grow up and I continue to do this as I fight traffic. 

When you have your hand is pointed forward you feel very little wind resistance.  However, the moment you raise your hand up you feel all the wind pressure trying to push your arm back.  When you are changing the position of your hand you are changing the tributary area the wind can hit. 

This is the same thing for the panel length.  The longer the panel length the more area of the fence the wind can hit and each post needs to resist that pressure.  If this pressure is to great then the spacing will need to be reduced.  This is one of the key design elements when engineering the AB Fence.

There are other things to consider besides the stability.  This includes grade transitions along the fence.  It is easier to step the fence up and down at a post location.  On steep transitions the easiest thing to do is decrease your post spacing. 

For more information on post spacing, as well as other important aspects of design, please reference our Installation Manual for Allan Block fence.