How can I stabilize a wobbly gate post mounted with a base? [closed]

Question

The post is attached to concrete using Simpson Tie 4x4 post tie. The top of post flexes a good 2-3 inches when gate shuts against it. How can I stabilize it?

Answer 1

Having tackled a similar project, with similar results, I think I can offer an answer, at least for the Simpson product I was using.

I'm assuming here use of the Simpson E-Z Base 4x4 post base, as pictured below. This is available in home supply stores in the US, such as Home Depot and Lowes.

Simpson's product page for this product is the only one I could find on their site that didn't specifically say not to use it for a fence. I think the issue with the others was that they just use one central bolt to connect the base to the concrete, so they are apt to rotate if the post isn't part of some more complex structure (like a pergola). This one uses 4 bolts, so its not going to rotate.

Their product web page actually shows pictures of it being used as a fence gate strike post, so it seems fair to assume its usable in fences, within their guidelines. The guidelines in question appear to be:

The E-Z Base and E-Z Spike products should not be used for solid fences in excess of 4' in height or that are unprotected from wind forces. These products are not rated for uplift loads, and should not be used with posts for overhead structures or any other structure that requires resistance to wind uplift loads.

So what I'm taking from this is that if you use it with a fence, that's OK as long as the fence either isn't a heavy privacy fence, or its not higher than 4'.

What I found actually trying to use these is that the name ... is a bit misleading, and there are multiple things a DIY'er trying these for the first time can do that will result in a wobbly post.

First off, drilling and inserting the anchors. My first instinct was to just stencil the holes with a pencil, and then remove the base and drill the 4 holes out with a hammer drill. The problem with that is that hammer drills aren't exactly precision instruments, and the odds that you can drill out all 4 holes, drop the anchors in, and then the bracket will drop right down over those anchor bolts, well you'd have to be a lot better skilled than I am. When I tried it, I could only get it down over 3 of them. The fourth hole had to be re-drilled, and of course when I did that its anchor bolt didn't anchor to anything (because the hole was now too wide). You might figure 3 being tight should be enough to make it stable, and it mostly is, but there's still a teeny bit of wobble in the base. It probably didn't help in my case that I had to "level" the base with washers under the low sides.

The solution to this I found is to drill the bolt holes with the base in-place, and drop the anchors in (without tightening them) as you go. You might have to pull the base up to finish the holes after you get them going, depending on the kind of clearance your tool has with the sides of the base.

The other wobble issue these have is with the posts inside of the post brace. Posts get screwed into these bases from the 2 sides. I found if my posts don't fist snugly inside the base, they tend to wobble front-to-back (along the axis of the wood screws).

I started using "premium" (not rough) cedar posts from the same Home Depot. Sadly, they were much smaller than the post base. What I found to fix this was wedging some 1/8th inch wide zink-plated "mending" plates in between the wood post and the sides of the base. I think its best to use ones that are thin enough to not interfere with those two rows of flanges.

I found the 6 inch ones and the 4 inch ones fit best. 4 inch is probably better, as the 6 sticks out over the top of the base a bit. My last cedar post I used 2 on each side. On the first side they dropped right in, on the other I had to tap them in a bit with a hammer. That made the fit snug enough that the post wasn't wobbling inside the base.

These things are a couple of bucks each. At 4 per post that isn't ridiculous compared to the $40 or so the cedar post is costing. Still, it seems like it might be better to just buy posts that fit snugly to start with, no?

So I did some research at Home Depot. Their 4x4 cedar posts are are all loose on these Simpson post braces. The 4x4 "rough" cedar posts are all too large. The 4x4 pressure-treated pine either fit nice and snugly, or are too big. Doing a bit of research, the #1 complaint you see in reviews of these post bases is that the posts didn't fit in them. So my conclusion here is that probably the best way to use these is to use pressure-treated pine, but make sure it fits one of these before you buy the post, and make sure you aren't trimming your one known-fitting side off your post when you trim it .

Nominal cedar 4x4's with the zink mending plates will work, if you really want to spend 4x more money on a type of post that the post base clearly wasn't designed for.

Answer 2

I don't think I've ever seen a Simpson product that's intended to hold up a gate post. They're all designed to lift a post up off the concrete, but not to support it laterally.

Take it all apart and put a longer post in the ground, like nature intended.

Answer 3

There are many variants of Simpson Strong Tie post supports. Most bolt into the concrete pad or have legs embedded into the fresh poured concrete. The post is nailed or bolted to the tie. The compliance is likely at that joint, and you can up-size the through bolts to tighten things up. If the compliance is actually at the pad to Tie, the fix is more involved as it could involve getting into the concrete. Can you provide pics of your specific Simpson Strong Tie configuration to assist?