For those in the know, difficult soils is a collective term used for acidic, saline and alkaline elements that can corrode steel at a great rate.

“Steel posts that last for decades are often rapidly reduced to rust below the ground and at ground level due to difficult soils mostly where you can’t see the problem”, says Matthew Stinson, national sales manager Whites Group.

He says it’s a hidden problem that’s only evident when the fence fails. Dig a little way into the soil and you’ll find that a steel post that looks great above the ground, is considerably eroded.

A soil classification map of Australia quickly shows significant tracts of prime grazing and farming land across Australia are vertosols (cracking clay soils) which are acidic, and sodosols with distinct surface and subsoil layers and which are ‘sodic’ or alkaline.

Stockpost’s dual barrier coating protects against corrosion. 

These are particularly prevalent in western Queensland, NSW, Victoria and parts of South Australia. When you consider dryland salinity hazard zones, Mr Stinson said the effect is even more widely spread across the country.

Answering the call for a better fence post in these areas is the Stockboss fence post with its unique corrosion-resistant wrap that has been independently tested to perform up to three times longer than traditional coatings.

Featuring Barrier-shield technology, the corrosion-resistant polymer wrap combines with the bituminous coating to form a dual barrier against difficult soils. The wrap material is bonded to treated steel for an exceptional seal.

Acidic and alkaline elements corrode steel fence posts at a rapid rate. 

“It then extends 100mm above the ground for additional protection against differential corrosion (DC) in the critical zone above and just below the soil line,” said Whites Group research and development manager Brian Gray. (DC is known to create weak points at ground level through a combination of oxygen concentration and corrosive elements).

Mr Gray said Stockboss has been tested in the lab and the field. Lab-testing in a controlled salt-spray environment to 1500 hours, and field testing in various soils around Australia has resulted in a post with superior corrosion protection.

Stockboss, with the corrosion-resistant wrap and black bituminous coating is available in 165cm and 180cm lengths and slings of 200 (bundles of 10).