How to attach fold-down clothesline to metal fence posts?

Hi Team.

I'd like to install a fold-down clothesline to the fence shown below:

It's a colorbond fence which sits on concrete sleepers. The width of the sleepers is 2.4m, and the distance between the edge of each post is approximately 2400mm as well.

I've found a clothesline that I like, and the distance between mounting holes is 2260mm.

Now, I appreciate that while the fence panels themselves will hold the weight of the clothesline, adding a few loads of wet clothes is basically a disaster waiting to happen.

I also don't particularly want to install mounting posts bolted into the concrete slab below either.

What I'm thinking of doing is inserting timber strips - perhaps a 90mm x 22mm decking pine piece into the rail in front of the fence panel, screwing that into the rail, and then screwing the clothesline mounting bracket into the pine.

Any thoughts on whether this will work? I'm worried that although the timber pieces will help hold the clothesline up, the shear forces through them may cause the rails to bend and eventually fail.

I suppose the other alternative is to screw in some framing pine to the posts and then screw the clothesline brackets onto that.

All advice is much appreciated.

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Comments

JacobZ

Hi @SyedAhmed,

Thank you for your question and welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community, it is fantastic to have you with us.

I'd say the framing pine is the better of the two options. This is structurally graded timber whereas the decking pine is not rated in the same way to support loads vertically.

Weighing up the potential risk of damage to the fence from under supporting the clothesline and having a personal tendency to over engineer when dealing with the unknown, I think this is the better option of the two.

Ultimately, either option will support the clothesline better than the fence panel, but my thinking is always better to be safe than sorry.

Let me know what you think and if you have further questions, please don't hesitate to reach out.

Jacob

SyedAhmed

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/44536#Comment_44536

Thanks for the helpful reply Jacob. My gut instinct was the same - that structurally graded timber was the way to go.

I have a follow-up question: would it suffice to attach two 90x45 framing pine posts to the fence posts, running from the floor to the top of where each clothesline mounting bracket will be, or should I also run a piece of timber across horizontally and attach it to the top of each of the timber posts? It would add some rigidity to the structure, but the posts will be screwed into the metal fence posts and I'm not certain if there's any other benefit?

MitchellMc

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/84400#Comment_84400

Adding a horizontal member could assist @SyedAhmed. It might add some support and, at least, help evenly distribute the load of the washing between both uprights.

Mitchell

SyedAhmed

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/107228#Comment_107228

Great, thanks @MitchellMc, will add the horizontal support.

One more question please: what would be an appropriate outdoors paint product to use? I'd like to paint it all in Monument so that it matches the fence and sleepers and "recedes" into the background as much as possible?

MitchellMc

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/120850#Comment_120850

Any exterior paint would be fine, @SyedAhmed, but I recommend Dulux Weathershield, which can be tinted to Monument.

Mitchell

SyedAhmed

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/129293#Comment_129293

Great, thank you. Will post an update once I receive the clothesline and have put it up.

On a related note, which screws are recommended to attach the timber posts to the metal posts? Timber is 45mm thick and the steel posts are ... well, the regular folded metal fence posts.

EricL

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/134648#Comment_134648

Hello @SyedAhmed

I propose using Zenith 10G x 65mm Galvanised Countersunk Head Metal Screws. My best advice is to drill pilot holes on the timber piece to make it easier to drill into the steel. I recommend a gap of 300mm per screw along the length of the timber post.

If you need further assistance, please let us know.

Eric

SyedAhmed

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/138104#Comment_138104

Thanks Eric!

SyedAhmed

Thought I'd post an update on this mini project.

I created a frame using some left over H3 treated 90x45 pine. Cut out some notches on the posts so that the horizontal beam could rest on them and added triangle off-cuts to add rigidity and surface to screw the clothesline frame into.

Primed everything, and was about to pre-drill and screw everything together when fortuitously the carpenters arrived to do some work. Got them to nail the frame together using their Paslode nail gun (I so want one but have zero need for it), and then they also helped me attach it to the fence posts using bugle screws.

Need to apply final coat of Monument paint to finish it off.

Happy to report that it's very sturdy and has been getting a workout with lots of bedsheets and quilt covers in the recent hot sun. Also approved by SWMBO so happy life.

JacobZ

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/46565#Comment_46565

Hi @SyedAhmed,

Nice work!

It looks functional and sturdy, and with a coat of paint, it will blend in nicely.

Thank you for sharing this update, it's great to see it is working well.

Jacob

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