How do I fence across a creek or water?

   / How do I fence across a creek or water? #1  

TxJack

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May 5, 2009
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Houston, TX
I'm about to put in a barbwire fence. The problem is that there is a creek that runs through the property. Any advice on the best way to fence across something like that? The creek isn't huge, but it does have a lite flow and when has no problem rising with heavy rains which brings on a "battling ram" of debris. I would like to run cattle on this land so I don't want them being able to escape via the creek, but also not put up something that the next flooding will take with it.
 
   / How do I fence across a creek or water? #2  
Creeks can be difficult. I’ve seen a lot of different ways people have attempted to close the gap, but none are maintenance free. Recently I saw one way that looked promising, over an ankle deep creek. The fence spanned across the creek at normal level (it didn’t drop over the banks), and then old tires were hung from the fence using a single piece of wire, down to the water. The tires were enough to keep the cattle in, but would move when the water rose and debris built up. Now, you couldn’t hang tires off of barb wire, but if you could run a long piece of pipe across the banks, that would support the tires. Of course, certain cattle have a way of finding things like that, but it’s an idea. Another idea would be a cheap gate across the creek. The debris would still build up, but being able to open the gate would make it easier to clean up. Just a couple ideas, our creek isn’t large enough that we ever had to worry about high water and debris.
 
   / How do I fence across a creek or water? #4  
I'm about to put in a barbwire fence. The problem is that there is a creek that runs through the property. Any advice on the best way to fence across something like that? The creek isn't huge, but it does have a lite summer flow yet has no problem rising with heavy rains which brings on a "battling ram" of debris. I would like to run cattle on this land so I don't want them being able to escape via the creek, but also not put up something that the next flooding will take with it.
I hunt a large cattle ranch (carefully) and have seen similar of what you are describing but have only seen it in the late summer when the creek flow is steady but low. It has two sections of either aluminum or galvanized corrugated steel which swing from the top barbed wire strand and lay up against the bottom barbed wire strand that lets the corrugated pieces swing downstream during the flow but holds back any cattle proding during low water by the bottom strand being upstream from the corrugated panels.
 
   / How do I fence across a creek or water? #5  
I'm about to put in a barbwire fence. The problem is that there is a creek that runs through the property. Any advice on the best way to fence across something like that? The creek isn't huge, but it does have a lite flow and when has no problem rising with heavy rains which brings on a "battling ram" of debris. I would like to run cattle on this land so I don't want them being able to escape via the creek, but also not put up something that the next flooding will take with it.
Put a post on each side of the stream as close as possible and string your barbed wire...drill a hole in the bottom of each post and run a length of galvanized cable through it fairly close to the ground...build a fence panel out of pressure treated furring strips and hang them from the spanning cable with eye hooks...it presents a fairly heavy obstacle but will swing up and out of the way if the stream rises...I use this method on 2 streams on my property and have had no maintenance issues as it is self cleaning. I also left a couple of feet of slack on one side of the post with a clamped eye in it in case I ever need to take up some slack with a come-a-long. You can place a couple of short posts on the upstream side to keep the cattle from pushing it open (only swings one way).
 
   / How do I fence across a creek or water? #6  
we have tended to huge heavier guage wire, eg power line cable for the fence in that part, and have a post, or log, laying horizontally under the fence in the creek. The log/post swings and 'floats' downstream with flow.
Nothing to get you out of checking every crossing after big rain though.
RB
 
   / How do I fence across a creek or water? #7  
Poor mans way in KS.: Set good solid posts on both sides of creek. Put standard wire gate across the creek. If wide might need some of those stiffeners that I see on a lot of the fences. We just used light wood posts to keep the wire strands seperated. Tie one end of the gate with bailer wire(lightwire) tie the other end with number 9 (heavy) wire. Purpose was for the light wire to break and let the entire gate swing downstream dumping the debris. Worked sometimes and all that had to be done was close the gate and wait for the next flood. Other times the whole works would be gone. Can't beat mother nature, if she wants your fence, it's gone.
 
   / How do I fence across a creek or water? #8  
The way we did it was a sturdy post each side of the creek and wire lines with tires tyed to them to the water. Tirers would ride the current and fall as needed.:thumbsup:Dave
 
   / How do I fence across a creek or water? #10  
A swinging gate (panel). Basically an "H" brace on each side of the creek. A steel cable stretched tight between. This is only a couple of feet high (depends on estimated water flow. Regular barb wire above gate. Hang a swinging gate from the steel cable. As the creek water accumulates debris the swinging gate will pivot to allow the debris to flow past but is low enough to prevent cattle from going under the fence.
 
 
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