Base for a fence post

Abstract

A base for a subterranean fence post which includes a body with a ground-engaging surface and a mechanism for mounting a lower end of the fence post to the body wherein a footprint of the surface is sufficient to provide lateral support to maintain the post in an upright orientation and a mass of the body is sufficient to stabilize the upright post.

Claims

1. A fence comprising: a plurality of combinations, each combination comprising a respective super terranean fence post and a base for supporting the super terranean fence post, the base comprising: a body having a ground-engaging sheet of material; a first plurality of spaced apart steel beams which extend in a first direction, fastened to the sheet of material; a second plurality of spaced apart steel beams which extend in a second direction, stacked on top of and fastened to the first plurality of beams; the super terranean fence post comprising a plate fastened to an upper surface of the second plurality of beams and a vertically extending fence post which is fixed to the plate; at least one ground-engaging foot member positioned underneath the sheet of material which foot member is adjustable to accommodate an uneven ground level during the erection of the super terranean fence post; and a shell which covers at least the first plurality of beams and the second plurality of beams, wherein said combinations are positioned so that said vertically extending fence posts are spaced apart from one another, and a plurality of fence panels, each panel having a metallic mesh sheet which is positioned between and fixed to a respective adjacent pair of vertically extending spaced apart fence posts.

2. The fence according to 1, wherein the shell is made from sheet metal or mesh material.

3. The fence according to claim 1, wherein the at least one ground engaging foot member is a length of a beam.

4. The fence according to claim 1, wherein a footprint of the sheet of material is sufficient to provide lateral support to maintain the vertically extending fence post in an upright orientation.

5. The fence according to claim 4, wherein the footprint has a minimum width equal to at least one third of a height of the super terranean fence post.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The invention is further described by way of examples with reference to the accompanying drawings;

(2) FIG. 1 shows a base, from a first angle, for a superterranean post for a fence;

(3) FIG. 2 shows the base of FIG. 1 from another angle.

(4) FIG. 3 shows an attachment mechanism for attaching a fence post to the base of FIG. 1;

(5) FIG. 4 shows, as an example of a variation of use of an attachment mechanism, a lateral support member attached to the attachment mechanism of FIG. 3.

(6) FIG. 5 shows a first embodiment of a shell used to cover a body of the base of FIG. 1;

(7) FIG. 6 shows a second embodiment of a shell used to cover a body of the base of FIG. 1;

(8) FIG. 7 shows a fence that was erected using several bases of the kind shown in FIG. 1; and

(9) FIG. 8 shows a fence base according to FIG. 1 which includes a foot member for adjusting the base relative to an irregular ground level.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

(10) FIGS. 1 and 2 show a base 10 for a subterranean post 12 used to erect a fence structure 14.

(11) The base 10 includes a body 16 with a first layer 18 comprising a plurality of lengths of I-beams 20 and a second layer 22 comprising two lengths of I-beams 24 which are stacked on top of and transverse to the beams 20. The body 16 is supported on a foundation 26, e.g. a steel plate, which forms a ground-engaging surface and which defines a footprint of the base 10.

(12) Each I-beam length 20, 24 respectively comprising an elongate member 27 with a web 28 extending between two spaced apart flanges 30 and 32.

(13) The second layer 22 includes three intermediate I-beams 20A, 20B, 20C which are mounted parallel to the beams 20 with respective ends 34 and 36 (of the intermediate beams) fitted between the flanges 30 and 32 of the beams 24 to define a surface 36 to which a mounting plate mechanism 38 (FIGS. 3 and 4) is attached.

(14) The mechanism 38 comprises a plate 40 with a plurality of apertures 42 for receiving bolts 44 used to fasten a flange 46, located at a lower end 48 of the post 12, to the plate 40 which is an upper end or surface of the base.

(15) FIG. 5 shows an embodiment of a shell 50 used to cover the body 16. The shell 50 comprises a box 52 constructed from sheets 54 of metal. FIG. 6 shows a shell 50A which comprises a box 52A constructed from panels 54A of mesh. This is non-limiting.

(16) The various components used to construct the base 10 can be transported to a site where the base 10 can be assembled. Alternatively, the base 10 can be transported to the site as a whole.

(17) In use, a fence 56 (FIG. 7) is erected by laying down (or assembling) a plurality of bases 10 on a ground-surface according to the desired layout of the fence 56 and attaching to the mounting plate mechanism 38 of each base 10 a flange 46 of a respective fence post 12. Fence panels 58 are then mounted between and secured to the erected fence posts 12.

(18) The fence panels 58 are made from a high density metallic mesh which has substantial mass and rigidity. Thus when the panels are fixed to the posts, the panels materially add to the stability, and hence the effectiveness of the erected fence.

(19) A footprint of the base 10 is dimensioned to ensure that the post 12, on the base, is securely kept in an erect orientation. The size (area) of the base and the substantial weight of the base 10 (due to its size and the material used to manufacture) serve to stabilise the post 12 on the base. The area of the base is typically one-third of the height (H) of the fence post 12.

(20) The base 10 supports the entire weight of the post 12 and it is not required to plant the post into a concrete pedestal to obtain a high level of stability.

(21) To adjust the footprint according to uneven ground levels i.e. to ensure that each post 12 is vertically installed, foot members 82 (FIG. 8) can be used to lift parts of the foundation 26 where necessary.