FIXING CEDAR SNAKE FENCING

[inveresk]

I'm currently fencing an area of paddock that will be used for horse pasture. Some of the ground has shale only a few inches below the topsoil and the shale is too deep to break through for posts. I'm thinking of using split rail cedar snake fencing in these areas so I can abandon the posts. I'll have around 100 feet in all.

There are some illustrations of split rail fencing for stock online but there's none around our island. As it's likely to suffer a deal of wear and tear from contact with the horses, I thought I'd ask if there's anyone who has used split rail fencing for this purpose and how it stood up.

Most of the cedar snake fencing I've seen is fixed using long galv. spikes, olylog fasteners or rebar. Any tips or advice on how best to secure the rails so they're not a running sore in terms of maintenance would be appreciated.

 

[Mousefield]

I'm currently fencing an area of paddock that will be used for horse pasture. Some of the ground has shale only a few inches below the topsoil and the shale is too deep to break through for posts. I'm thinking of using split rail cedar snake fencing in these areas so I can abandon the posts. I'll have around 100 feet in all.

There are some illustrations of split rail fencing for stock online but there's none around our island. As it's likely to suffer a deal of wear and tear from contact with the horses, I thought I'd ask if there's anyone who has used split rail fencing for this purpose and how it stood up.

Most of the cedar snake fencing I've seen is fixed using long galv. spikes, olylog fasteners or rebar. Any tips or advice on how best to secure the rails so they're not a running sore in terms of maintenance would be appreciated.

We have some cedar fencing but only for decoration. Tied it with wire to keep it together. I know up in the Cariboo area, were we used to holiday, they use a lot of it, some for live stock including horses.
You could use, as you mentioned, long spikes or rebar. I think if you tied it well with wire it would stand up to hard use.

 

[wroughtn_harv]

An alternative might be a technique we use in concrete parking lots and across limestone and rock.

What you need is a large construction compressor that can run a jackhammer. You also need a rotary hammer. A rotary hammer is a sixty pound jackhammer that rotates as it hammers down. You can rent the hammer and compressor but you'll have to buy the bits, they're not expensive. Get a bit a little bigger in diameter than your posts.

It's a very efficient method of making post holes in hard material like concrete, slate, or limestone. Keep in mind you don't need the holes to be as deep as what you would need in dirt or clay.

 

[AchingBack]

A ripgut fence doesn't require posts to be set in the ground. Are you familiar with how to build one? I've searched the web for instructions, found only a picture of one. Years back, Mother Earth News published an article on how to build them. http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:...T45cVM&t=1&usg=__eQiO7uQP4BbyTFRLtfSfzh8uZ9A=

 

[studor]

I would not use a cedar snake fence for holding horses (although lots did). I think you would be better off with a tripod or jack leg cedar rail fence.Try below for an article on construction
www.backwoodshome.com/articles/geissal45.html

 

[Egon]

A wire cage filled with rocks would also work as a post.

Shouldn't just free standing posts in the zig sag fashion and fastened together with rails support itself?

That is not I in the picture.

 

[inveresk]

Thanks for the various thoughts and ideas. Good food for thought.

I want to avoid drilling, so some sort of assembly that avoids sinking posts is a must.

Egon made a clever suggestion which I haven't seen anywhere else. Posts included in the construction at changes in direction, even though they're not sunk below ground, should stiffen the structure considerably and I'll work up a detail on that basis.

The two altenative fence types hadn't occurred to me and both would certainly be stronger than cedar snake. They seem to use more material (which I already have on order) but they're a good reserve solution if I can't make the cedar snake work.

 

[Egon]

Anchor points or hold downs could be made by drilling a rebar size hole and then cementing in the rebar.

All it would take is a 1/2 inch rotary hammer drill and a long bit of maybe 3/4 inch size.

Even just a plain rotary drill would work. Would not take much for a trial hole.

Picture shows my rotary 1/2 in Makita drill and some holes made in granite.