4 miles 4 board horse fence. Rec: nail gun and fasteners requested Scrail vs Paslode

[Streetcar]

Had a son of a friend work on one of the big horse farms in George town. Their fences were all nailed.
Does not work there now

 

[Stimw]

A friend and I put up a simple shelter for horses in my pasture.
I have a 120 V compressor that I found on trash day and repaired.
I also have a Honda EU 2000 generator.
We used the gen to power the compressor to use the nail gun!
It doesn't take much of an air compressor to run a nail gun.
I also have one of those air palm nailers from HF. BEST TOOL EVER!
The head has a magnet in it and it worked great for rafter bracket nails.
And the HF nail gun works great too.
Those screw/nails will cost a fortune!

 

[s219]

I helped put in a fence this summer, and we used my siding nailer (coil gun) with 2.5" ring shank galvanized nails. Worked very well and those SOBs do not pull out without a major fight. Was also thinking about using my framing nailer which can handle 2.5" up to 3.25" nails, but it has so much kick/recoil I thought it would be awkward and bounce the fence post. Plus, the coil gun holds a lot more nails than a framing nailer can.

 

[GLyford]

I have never had good luck with square drive, the driver bits all wear out too fast, they mangle the screws, and then you can't get them out...at that point, why even use screws since you can't retighten them or get them out again?

If you are going to use screws into PT, then a coated deck screw with a torx head will at least let you maintain it later. The newer ones with the notch ground in the tip are very easy to drive. But for quick production, I can't help but think any sort of nailer will serve you better as long as you can shoot a coated or galvanized nail suitable for decks/PT.

For maintenance later, a cordless recip saw to pull the old, a screwgun and a box of deck screws will be a smaller bundle for grab-and-go.

 

[mapper]

I really liked square drive screws, until I got a hold of a box of torx head screws. My preferred type now!

 

[Ford850]

I really liked square drive screws, until I got a hold of a box of torx head screws. My preferred type now!

I agree with this 100%.

 

[EddieWalker]

Ring shank nails are great for the first few years, but since each board is just a little different then the other, you will find that some nails hold wonderfully, while others get loose. It's the nature of wood and nails when used outdoors. I will never rely on nailing anything that is exposed to the elements.

If I was building the fence, I would use screws with the star drive. Currently, DeWalt has the best driver tips that I've come across. They are silver in color with a yellow stripe around them. I normally do not like DeWalt tools or accessories, but my Home Depot guy talked me into giving them a try, and he was right. They really are better then anything else out there.

Then get a good quality impact driver and two sets of batteries. There is no wrist strain with an impact driver, they just make a lot of noise, but they take zero effort to use. I personally like Makita the best, but anything else in that price range is probably alright. Cheap tools are cheap for a reason.

Besides holding better then nails, you can adjust a board with screws, pull them together and best of all, undo them if you see that you've made a mistake. Using ring shanks on new wood will just about guarantee destroying the wood trying to get them out.

Since you are spreading this out over several years, it's also easier to just grab some screws and the impact driver to get a little bit done at a time.

 

[rustyshakelford]

I vote for hiring this out and letting someone else kill them self with 50k nails. None of this project sounds fun or pleasant in the least. Also, there’s going to be a large amount of maintenance with this style fence. How much more would the pvc be?

Brett

 

[Barnbuilder]

I've been using Maze nails for years. They are hot dipped galvanized and the largest collated nails I've found. If its not hot dipped it isn't going to last. Also have spiral shank and stainless steel. I use them on fences with 2"x6" and 2"x8" boards. About $75/1000.

Ring Shank P.T.L. Nails | Treated Decking | Maze Nails

 

[Deere Dude]

Torx head and square heads with long screws give me nightmares . I go through so many drivers it is not cost effective. The only screws that worked for me as far as deck screws were #3 Phillips head. I would use a Milwaukee 1/2" drill on them and bury them with any of them slipping or breaking or chipping. The problem is I bought a 25 # bucket full one time and I am down to about 10 screws left and cannot get them anymore. I even tried Fasten-all but was a no go. Somebody must make them yet.