AU626609B2

AU626609B2 - Post supports

Info

Publication number: AU626609B2
Application number: AU45351/89A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Georg Peter Manske
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1988-11-18
Filing date: 1989-11-20
Publication date: 1992-08-06
Anticipated expiration: 2009-11-20
Also published as: AU4535189A

Description

6266- COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA Patents Act 1952 p -S Cm DIZC 1 IE T' :-p ml~i w S IE (P;:.tent Applications Nos. PJ 1554 and PJ 3694) 6* a COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR THE INVENTION ENTITLrZD:- "POST SUPPORTS" The following statement is full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it know to me/us:i- 2 This invention relates to post supports.

This invention has particclar but not exclusive application to post supports used for the purpose of preventing posts such as star pickets from sinking into the ground and for illustrative purposes reference will be made to such application. However, it is to be understood that this invention is not limited to such use and could be used to support posts having various cross-sectional configurations.

Star pickets and tubular steel posts tend to sink into the ground over extended periods of time as a result of the weight of the fence supported by the post. This is due to their relatively small transverse cross-sectional area. The subsequent decrease in the height of fences poses problems for graziers in particular, as the decreased height of such fences may permit grazing animals and unwelcome predators to cross over the fences. Accordingly, it is current practice S to periodically dismantle such fences to enable the existing posts to be repositioned. This is a tedious and costly operation.

This problem may be alleviated by utilising post supports in ti. form of a base member which may be placed on the ground at the base of the fence post to be supported and by utilizing the pair of upstanding projections which may be positioned on either side of the fence post to support the lower wire strand. Such post supports determine the height of

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3 the lower strand of a multi-strand fence and of course this set height may not be the most suitable height for each application.

The present invention aims to alleviate the abovementioned disadvantages and to provide a post support which will be reliable and efficient in use. Other objects and advantages of this invention will hereinafter become apparent.

With the forgoing and other objects in view, this invention in one aspect resides broadly in a post support assembly of the type including a support pad and post engagement means on the support pad for axially locating the support pad relative to the post to be supported, characterised in that the post engagement means is operable for adjustable engagement with a post to be supported whereby the support pad may be axially located by the post engagement means at any position along the post. The post engagement means may be of any form including clamps and the like, however, preferably the engagement means is a length adjustable strut engageable with the post remote from said support pad. In a further preferred embodiment,, the strut is supported on the support pad and is engageable w.th an aperture in the post.

The support pad may be a plate like member of any suitable shape and may include a plurality of projection which in use may be embedded in the ground. The plate like member may also include an aperture or an open ended opening formed therein through which the post may pass c3 be inserted.

j '-cIV L :if 4 The post engagement means may be a length adjustable strut such as a metal rod or tube, one end of which may be attached or is attachable to the support pad member and the opposite end being attachabli to or engageable with the upstanding post.

Where the upstanding post is apertured, the upper end of the strut may be passed through an appropriate aperture. For this purpose it is preferred that -ne post engagement means be a length of wire or the like deformable member which may be formed manually on site to t. j appropriate length.

Alternatively, various fasteners may be used to permanently or releasably secure the free end of the post engagement means to the upstanding post.

°In an alternative embodiment the post engagement means may include a collar which may be placed around and secured to the 15 base of the upstanding post above the support pad. The collar may be permanently or releasably attached to the support pad.

Alternatively the post engagement means may be crnstituted by an integral portion of the support pad or an associated pawl adapted to lock the support pad to the post. For example the support pad may include a resilient tongue extending upwardly therefrom and adapted to engage a side portion of the po-.t whereby the tongue will not prevent downwards movement of the plate along the post but will prevent return movement of the plate along the post or sinking of the post in use. Furthermore the plate could be provided with an oversized aperture whereby it may be tilted to lock onto the post to prevent further downwards movement of the post.

r 3 4a In order that this invention may be more readily understood and put into practical effect, reference wiill new be made to the accompanying drawings which illustrate preferred embodiments of the invention, and wherein:- Figs. 1 to 5 are diagrammatic perspective views of various forms of post support assemblies constructed in accordance

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o o Qoo a a* o arr o° a o o o a a a if cC-- L i -;i preferred embodiments of the invent' n-,-an awherein:- Figs. 1 to- e diagrammatic perspective views of ^a-r fzrmg -e f--p ost---ppor -^ssemb ies--eens tj^t e in -a eedamee with the present invention; Figs. 6 to 7 illustrate another post support assembly constructed in accordance with the present invention, and i Figs. 8 and 9 illustrate aids for removing and/or placing star pickets from or into the ground.

0Q 04 The post support assembly illustrated in Figs. 1 to 7 are adapted for use with a star picket 10 having a series of 0 ooo spaced apertures 12 formed in one web 11 whereby fencing wires may be connected to the post (o 15 The post support assembly 13 illustrated in Fig. 1 0 0 0 0 0 includes a ground abutment plate 14 whicu is adapted to surround the base 16 of the post 10 and a support strut 17 004040 0" which extends upwardly from the plate 14 and engages within a 0e444 Sselected adjacent post aperture 12a for locating the abutment '20 plate 14 relative to the post. The ground abutment plate 14 is substantially rectangular and has an opening in the form of an open ended slot 19 formed therein. The open end of the slot 19 is adapted to be closed by the a closure member formed with a pair of deformable tabs 22 which may be inserted in corresponding slots 23 formed in the place 14 and bent back against the underside of the plate 14 so as to CC,

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3 secure the closure member 20 to the plate 14.

The support strut 17 is secured to the base plate 14 by a saddle 26 and is suitably formed from a length of heavy gauge wire. The upper or free end 27 of the support strut 17 is so formed that it may be inserted through a selected aperture 12a of the post 10 to extend back against the web 11 so as to prevent withdrawal of the strut 17 from the aperture 12a and to permit compression loads to be transferred through the strut between the plate 14 and the ,ddle. Preferably 0 000000 °10 the stem 28 of the support strut 17 is straight and is o oo 00 00 adapted to abut the web 11 to prevent the stem 28 from feeding through the aperture 12a under load.

0oo 0 In use, the axial load placed upon the post 10 is 0oooo transferred through the strut 17 to the supporting plate 14 which has a relatively large bearing area capable of reducing o0o sinking pressures to an acceptable level.

0o o Fig. 2 illustrates a post support assembly 30 which is S similar to the embodiment illustrated in Fig. 1 and wherein there is provided a ground plate 31 and support strut 32.

The ground plate 31 is formed with an open ended slot 38 and two apertures 35 and 36. The support strut 32 includes a wire stem 33 having its lower end 34 secured to the ground plate 31 by passing it through both apertures 35 and 36 then folding the free end back against the plate 31, as illustrated. The other end 37 of the support strut 32 is passed through aperture 12a and described above.

0 7 Fig. 3 illustrates a post support assembly 40 which is formed with a collar 42 which is releasably attachable to the post 10. The opposite ends 44 of the collar 42 may be bolted together about the post so as to clamp thereabout. In use, the ends 44 bear against the closure member 20 to gain additional bea.ing area.

Fig. 4. illustrates a post support assembly 50 formed with a collar 52 having opposed return portions 54 which are adapted to be bolted together and overhang an adjacent edge 4 1 0 g10 of the plate i4. The return portions 54 include projections :0 56 which may be embedded in the ground 15. A wedge (shown in dotted outline at 58) may be driven between the post 10 and the collar 52 so as to secure the collar to the post. The apex 59 of the wedge 58 may be embedded in the ground In the post support 60 illustrated in Fig. 5, the 9c99 o° aperture 61 substantially conforms to the shape of a star 0oo picket. Each arm 62 of the aperture 61 is provided with an inwardly directed tongue 63 adapted to engage the adjacent 0 0 side face of the picket 10. The tongues 63 are resilient and o 9 00020 flex when the support 60 is slid along a picket so as to 00 0 permit downward movement of the support 60 while engaging fictionally with the webs 11ii. The tongues 63 jam against the picket thereby preventing any return or upward movement of the ground plate 64 relative to the post Thus when the post support 60 is slid along an erected post to engage the ground, it will form a relatively large 8 ground bearing pad which will prevent independent sinking of the post into the ground. Accordingly the post support will greatly enhance the weight carrying capabilites of the post Figs. 6 and 7 illustrate a post support 70 which is similar to the embodiment illustrated in Fig. 1. HowEver it is formed with alternate mountings 71 and 72 for the strut and the open end of the slot 75 includes two opposing deformable tabs 76 formed integrally with the edge of the slot 75 and which may by bent from a position at which each tab extends upwardly from the surface of the base plate 74 to a position wherein each tab 76 lies in the plane of the base plate 74.

The base plate 74 also includes a pair of opposed flanges 78 depending from opposed side edges of the base plate 74 which, in vse, locate within the ground. The strut 1 tmounting 72 includes a locating aperture 81 through which the strut may pass and a notch 82 in the side edge of the base plate 74 adjacent aperture 81 and in which the tail 79 of the strut may be engaged to form a stable connection to the base plate 74.

Tht support strut 73 may be formed in situ form a length of heavy gauge wire. The upper end of the strut 73 passes through a selected aperture 12 in the post 10 and is folded back against a web 11 of the post In use, the ground plate of the post support is slid I n t (t 4( o #4 0 4 44 9 along a post to engage the ground and the supporting connection is formed automatically in the Fig. 5 embodiment or made by clamping the collar thereto or connecting the strut thereto so that axial loads imposed on the posts are transferred to the relatively large area base plates. To increase the surface area of the ground plate 14, the cover plate 20 or the tabs 76 may be disposed operatively in the plane of the base plate.

Fig. 8 illustrates a channel shaped bracket 90 which may 10 be pinned by pin 91 to a web portion 11 of a post 10. The bracket 90 includes an abutment so as to provide an jacking abutment 92 beneath which a jack 93 may be engaged to force the post 10 from the ground.

Figure 9 illustrates a bracket 95 attachable in like manner to a post 10 and having a jacking pad 96 and an apertured handle 100 connected thereto. A chain or the like may be shackled to the apertured handle and connected to the linkage of a tractor to pull the poEit from the ground.

The lifting aids described above may be used to elevate 20 existing pickets which have sunk and of course the elevated post may be maintained at that or close to that height by fitting a post support as illustrated in Figs. 1 to 4 and Figs. 6 and 7. This will enable a fence to be elevated without removing the wires from the post.

It will of course be realised that while the above has been given by way of illustrative example of this invention, *944o *o 44 4 .4,44, 4 444,44 444

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i-jall such and other modifications and variations thereto as would be apparent to persons skilled in the art are deemed to fall within the broad scope and ambit of this invention as is defined in the appended claims.

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Claims

1. A post support assembly of the typ including a support pad and post engagement means on said support pad for axially locating said support pad relative to the post to be supported, characterised in that said post. engagement means is operable for adjustable engagement with a post to be supported whereby said support pad may be axially located by said post engagement means at any position along the post.

2. A post support assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein said 10 wherein said post engagement means is a length adjustable strut o 04 °o engageable with the post remote from said support pad. o o o <t S 0

3. A post support assembly as claimed in claim 2, wherein said strut is supported on said support pad and is engageable with 0 .0 an aperture in the post. 0 0 0 09 0strut is a wire strut formed in situ.

7. A post support assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein said post engagement means is a clamp assembly which may be selectively clamped to the post. 6. A post as claimed in any one of claim 5, wherein said clamp assembly includes a collar adapted to be clamped about the post. j' 12 7. A post support assembly as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein said support pad is plate-like and is formed with an opening adapted to accommodate the post.

8. A post support' assembly as claimed 7, wherein said support means includes an inclined tongue extending into said opening and adapted to engage a side face of the post.

9. A post support assembly as claimed in claim 7 or claim 8, wherein said opening is an open ended recess. 0 0 e o s o° 10. A post as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, 10 wherein said ground abutment member is formed with projections adapted to penetrate the ground. 11 A post substantially as hereinbefore described with 0 0o° reference to Figs 1 to 7 of the accompanying drawings.

12. A post removing aid substantially as hereinbefore 1L described with reference to Figs 8 and 9 of the accompanying drawings. DATED THIS Fifteenth DAY OF May 1992. GEORG PETER MANSKE by PIZZEY COMPANY PATENT ATTORNEYS "1 I