This 8-foot corner brace post, sold in quantities of 2 or more, is suitable for bracing the corners of 8-foot deer fences against sideways stress caused by snow, falling trees, and other impacts.
Besides the 2.5-inch diameter center post with a sleeve and cap, this product includes two side support posts that get mounted on the main post and that reach the ground at an angle. It also includes gear for attaching the side support posts to the center post and for attaching to a sleeve in the ground in such a way that cement footings are not needed.
Specifically, the support posts come with sleeves that are installed in the ground vertically. These sleeves attach to the side posts via 10-inch lengths of pipe (that get inserted into each sleeve) and specialized attachment gear. In this way, these side braces become attached to the vertically installed sleeves, an arrangement designed to strongly resist any sideways stress coming down the fence line without requiring any cement footings.
These corner braces are not needed for fences less than 100 feet long. However, they may be needed for longer fences, especially ones placed in snow-prone areas. They may also be needed for short fences if those fences employ a top support wire or tensioning system to make the fencing run straight, because such arrangements can create a significant pull upon the fence.
An alternative to our 8-foot corner brace post, especially for longer fences, is provided by earth anchors and attachment wire. In contrast to the the expensive and highly visible corner brace, earth anchors cost little and once in the ground are practically invisible. People tend to avoid them because they expect to have attachment wires hanging outside the fence line. However, such outside wires can be avoided by moving back one post from the corner, using two earth anchors, screwing the anchors in right along the fence line, and attaching them to the top the posts one post back from the corner. In our opinion this provides a far more affordable and effective solution than a brace post.