Saucymynx
Bronze Member
- Joined
- Dec 25, 2018
- Messages
- 90
- Tractor
- LS MT7 101 Farmall 656 Ford 2610 Farmall 140. JD 670
Curious as to what you all might be paying to have a woven wire fence on wood posts put up? Thanks
To add to M59's suggestion, let us know what the fence will be used for; e.g, horses, cattle, sheep, etc.Saucymynx, Don't quite know how to answer this as your question is missing several key points
1 What length of fence?
2 Type of metal fence including height as fence cost vary widely. Anti climb is many times more expensive than basic cattle fence.
3 Wood treatment type, length and cross section of post.
3 What kind ground and topography? Flat and sandy vs rocky and hilly all drive labor and machine needed for install
Help us help you.
Thanks. Wood posts, 5 inch line posts spaced every 8‘. 6“ corner posts. All posts 0.60 cca. H Braces every hundred feet. Red brand sheep and goat, fencing, 48 inches with monarch knot. Rolling land. Sandy loam with some rocks. Looking for price per foot. I’m asking because I was just charged $20 a foot for labor alone. I supplied all the materials as well as the tractor with post auger and cordless staple gun. Total bill was $19,000 for 1100 feet. Again, that is just the labor. Needless to say, I was a little surprisedSaucymynx, Don't quite know how to answer this as your question is missing several key points
1 What length of fence?
2 Type of metal fence including height as fence cost vary widely. Anti climb is many times more expensive than basic cattle fence.
3 Wood treatment type, length and cross section of post.
3 What kind ground and topography? Flat and sandy vs rocky and hilly all drive labor and machine needed for install
Help us help you.
Thanks for your thoughtful response. Great information. I am very happy with the fence install (see my previous response) but the labor charge I thought was exorbitant. I have just picked up a Danuser Post driver and I’m going to finish it up myself.To add to M59's suggestion, let us know what the fence will be used for; e.g, horses, cattle, sheep, etc.
You can develop a pretty good estimate of materials once you define the type and use of the final design. Your extension agent will have good fence material designs for free. And they are good ones, based on many years of ag experience.
For example, woven wire can come in different gauges and a mixture of those gauges. So can barbed wire, if used. The "openings" can be 12" or 6" for woven wire, depending on end use.
For my own farm use with cattle, I buy woven wire only in "Number 9" gauge top to bottom (meaning no smaller gauge wire in between). I also buy only Class III wire (what old timers call "triple dip") - meaning a heavier coating of galvanization on the wire. Also use only Class III barbed wire and steeples. (OK, maybe outside of KY...staples).
That is a little more expensive on your wire, but it pays dividends long term. It doesn't rust for a long, long time. It is quite strong as well. Well worth it in a storm that takes down trees and they then take your fence to the ground. Case in point (one of many) - a week ago, I was roused from a nice cup of coffee by my wife returning to the house, saying, "Honey, I can't get out..." I didn't even ask, just opened the shop and grabbed a chainsaw and she was out and gone. The fence - no real problem even though almost down to the ground. Pulled a couple of bent t-posts, stretched the fence back up, tightened the barbed wire with a type of tensioner I use, and used the claw of a hammer to re-tension horizontal wires in the fence. Took about 30 minutes. If that had been lighter gauge wire, it would have snapped and I would have to "fence mend," which is like you become a metal seamstress. Yeah, Number 9 is worth every penny to me.
One caveat: don't ever let some Jake Leg drive fence steeples tight into the post. A long fence stretches several inches in cold to hot temps. A good woven, or page wire, fence is really like a moving, flexible net barely touching the posts. And those little "bumps" in the wire - your contractor should understand you never tighten/pull those out of the wire completely. They allow some give to the final product. Your materials list from the extension agent's office will probably cover that as well.
So, as M59 suggests, define the type of fence and use and I'm sure others on here can give their advice as well. Mine is mostly limited to some years of experience with cattle. But you can come up with pretty good estimate of your materials cost on your own. After that, you can find a reputable installer (or a farmer...) and discuss the project in more depth as to labor, machinery, etc.
Best of Luck.
So about $10/foot all in?Ours was about 0.75 mile. Metal posts, with wood braces and support posts every 5th or so. $28k all-in.