Agriculture, Dairy, & Hops

Sonco’s galvanized steel hop trellis system uses 4-inch square, 11 gauge tubing as posts, with end and perimeter posts anchored and cable strung between them for the bines. Because of the steel’s yield and tensile strength, the layout needs about half as many posts as a wooden system. The Designing and Installing a Hop Yard Trellis System guide on this page covers post spacing, anchoring and cable layout, and a hobby-scale version is also available.

With Sonco’s 4-inch square 11 gauge galvanized posts, spacing of 90 feet is possible, compared with 28 to 56 feet for wooden poles. The wider spacing halves the number of posts and reduces anchors and labor for the same acreage.

Yes. The galvanized steel system lasts about three times longer than a wooden pole trellis while using half as many posts. Steel does not rot, shrink, split or warp, needs no termite treatment, and the zinc coating protects it at and below the ground line, where wooden poles fail first.

Use a post that cannot rot. Galvanized steel tube is protected by a zinc barrier and, on Sonco’s triple coat products, by a conversion coating and a clear organic top coat that seal the zinc against corrosion. That protection is what lets steel posts stay in service at the ground line long after wooden posts have to be replaced.

Yes. Sonco’s in-line galvanizing uses 99.9 percent pure zinc that is lead-free, so it will not harm livestock. The triple coat finish is smooth and shiny rather than rough like commercial hot-dip galvanizing, and it resists the corrosion found in barn environments, which is why it is the preferred choice for dairy stall manufacturers.

Yes. Triple coat tubing can be bent, welded, and swaged without deformation of the coating, which is why it is used for farm gates and dairy stalls. The finish eliminates the need to paint or add secondary operations after fabrication.