Diggin It
Super Star Member
^^ Have you looked at the pre-fab sections from the big box stores? They're not exactly cheap, but if you do it yourself they may come in less than the $12/LF the contractor wanted.
Advice on fencing type and installation
- Thread starter Atchuuu
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herm0016
Platinum Member
The wire is about 350 per 200 feet at tractor supply. posts are about 15 each. I had it installed and it was 8k installed. but our prices for labor are sky high compared to most of the country. 8 ft or longer posts every 8 feet, 2 sacks in each hole and very difficult digging around here. 2 walking gates and a 12 ft ranch gate.
Fuddy1952
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What the fencing company said doesn't make sense because like you said the 3 rail won't keep coyote or dogs out either. Imho I would think you don't have to have just one type of fence everywhere.
If you have a tractor already and time I would consider a PTO digger, do it yourself. I'm installing lots of fence by myself. It's not that hard to do. I'm working on this section now.
If you have a tractor already and time I would consider a PTO digger, do it yourself. I'm installing lots of fence by myself. It's not that hard to do. I'm working on this section now.
woodlandfarms
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I think something no one ever says is that fencing is a maintenance item. I have only seen one fence in my life that was not a maintenance requiring fence and it was to hold elephants in. I guess what I am getting at is that it will require repairs no matter what you use.
OP
Atchuuu
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How many LF did you install?
Great job and nice looking property.
True.
Fuddy1952
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Here's a few more pictures. If you have the time, digger it's not that hard to fence. I made a stretcher, 8ft 2x4 cut in half, four carriage bolts. I did buy a T post driver, $32.
Old fence in foreground I'm taking down.
Old fence in foreground I'm taking down.
herm0016
Platinum Member
460 feet
OP
Atchuuu
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Wow - That is high. That's $17.50 LF
RUSTBUCKET BRONCO
Bronze Member
That's funny that they said its not a farm fence. Kinda says a lot about them right there. I use to have horses but now its goats. My fence is all electric, Yep the wires are on the inside. I bought my rolls of wire in rolls of 4000' for about $100 a roll. I have 15 acres that the exterior is all 5 strand High tensile electric. All my corners are utility poles that are 4' deep averaging about 12"+ in diameter. The really nice thing about this type of fence is if you put springs on the line it will bounce right back up if a tree or something lands on it. A couple years ago I had a tree do a direct hit on the fence and once I cut it off the fence it just sprang right back in place. Here is a picture of one of my gates That gives you an idea of the general construction. 
Last edited:
prof fate
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Fence options...
Wood - you can do PT or green wood. Here you can get raw mill cut maple cheap and on a fence rail it will last decades. Painting means more maintenance...so leave it to weather to a natural gray.
Posts need to be PT or a species that is resistant to rot. Locust is common here and I've got some 40 year old untreated posts still in use. Pt isn't like it was 20 years ago. I've had it rot right in front of me, in less than 5 years.
The fastest way is ot drive them into the ground - you either need a big tractor or rent a skid steer with a post driver. If you have rocky soil you may bust a few going in.
T-posts are good, not as 'pretty', but functional. Will last a long time. They sell power drivers to make putting htem in easier - from the back of pickup is handy.
Wire - Hi-T (hi tensile) is very popular here, and other than adjustting the tension once in a while it's maintenance free. Can be elec or not. Can be bare wire or coated wire. Can be barbed, but nobody here uses barbed wire anymore. Elec is better.
Page-wire (square wire fencing) - it's a ***** to keep the weeds/grass/trees out of it. It's almost always install to the ground and theres' no way to mow or weed whack under it, so you end up spraying weed killer. If anything does grow into it, it really sucks to get it out. Will last a long time. Some folks like it - I detest the maintenance of it.
We have one pasture with t-post and 2 lines of elec fence, and another larger one with 'step in posts' (looks like rebar). Issue we have is deer knocking it down, breaking the insulaters, breaking the wire, etc. Nice thing about the step in posts is the fence is nearly invisible - aesthetically pleasing.
Chain link is similar to page wire in the mower/weed aspect. Here it rusts and to look nice it need spray painted silver (or whatever) every few years. A maintenance issue, unless you like a rusty fence. Personally I think chain link is too urban/industrial for a rural application.
Durability of the fence is a thought - you most along it and whack a post with the deck, weed whack the base of the posts, deer or such hit the fence.
Maintenance - weed killing/mowing, painting, cleaning, etc
Repair - it WILL break - guaranteed. We had a LOT of trees and limbs come down over the past 3 days and our wire fence is cheap and easy to fix. Splice a wire, replant or straighten a post. A wood fence is broken - cost and tools needed to fix, and if the wood is aged the fix won't match. If it's like now, and a painted fence, it won't match till May when it's warm enough to paint again.
Hi-T is VERY hard to break, but if it does it's a good bit of labor to fix as the wires often surround the entire pasture and it takes equipment to tightent the wire on installation.
Chain link - next to me a commercial outfit with a chain link fence..tree wne down on it, the top rail bent badly. DOn't know baout the posts (can't see them). Again, more work to repair.
What are you keeping in or out? Just about everyone will have good or bad stories about a type of fence - horses getting a foot caught, deer (they take down and snap off my neightbors page wire 4x4 PT posts). I've seen them take down chain link fence too.
There is no perfect fence.
Wood - you can do PT or green wood. Here you can get raw mill cut maple cheap and on a fence rail it will last decades. Painting means more maintenance...so leave it to weather to a natural gray.
Posts need to be PT or a species that is resistant to rot. Locust is common here and I've got some 40 year old untreated posts still in use. Pt isn't like it was 20 years ago. I've had it rot right in front of me, in less than 5 years.
The fastest way is ot drive them into the ground - you either need a big tractor or rent a skid steer with a post driver. If you have rocky soil you may bust a few going in.
T-posts are good, not as 'pretty', but functional. Will last a long time. They sell power drivers to make putting htem in easier - from the back of pickup is handy.
Wire - Hi-T (hi tensile) is very popular here, and other than adjustting the tension once in a while it's maintenance free. Can be elec or not. Can be bare wire or coated wire. Can be barbed, but nobody here uses barbed wire anymore. Elec is better.
Page-wire (square wire fencing) - it's a ***** to keep the weeds/grass/trees out of it. It's almost always install to the ground and theres' no way to mow or weed whack under it, so you end up spraying weed killer. If anything does grow into it, it really sucks to get it out. Will last a long time. Some folks like it - I detest the maintenance of it.
We have one pasture with t-post and 2 lines of elec fence, and another larger one with 'step in posts' (looks like rebar). Issue we have is deer knocking it down, breaking the insulaters, breaking the wire, etc. Nice thing about the step in posts is the fence is nearly invisible - aesthetically pleasing.
Chain link is similar to page wire in the mower/weed aspect. Here it rusts and to look nice it need spray painted silver (or whatever) every few years. A maintenance issue, unless you like a rusty fence. Personally I think chain link is too urban/industrial for a rural application.
Durability of the fence is a thought - you most along it and whack a post with the deck, weed whack the base of the posts, deer or such hit the fence.
Maintenance - weed killing/mowing, painting, cleaning, etc
Repair - it WILL break - guaranteed. We had a LOT of trees and limbs come down over the past 3 days and our wire fence is cheap and easy to fix. Splice a wire, replant or straighten a post. A wood fence is broken - cost and tools needed to fix, and if the wood is aged the fix won't match. If it's like now, and a painted fence, it won't match till May when it's warm enough to paint again.
Hi-T is VERY hard to break, but if it does it's a good bit of labor to fix as the wires often surround the entire pasture and it takes equipment to tightent the wire on installation.
Chain link - next to me a commercial outfit with a chain link fence..tree wne down on it, the top rail bent badly. DOn't know baout the posts (can't see them). Again, more work to repair.
What are you keeping in or out? Just about everyone will have good or bad stories about a type of fence - horses getting a foot caught, deer (they take down and snap off my neightbors page wire 4x4 PT posts). I've seen them take down chain link fence too.
There is no perfect fence.
