Barbed wire fence

EddieWalker · Oct 13, 2004

I'm sort of thinking about doing something like this also. I'm totaly ignorant about it and had a few basic questions. I'm thinking sheep wire and noticed it comes in 49 inch by 333 foot rolls.

My question is how far in do you put the t-posts? I'm thinking preasure treated corners and H braces. Also, how far apart do they go? I've never put a t-post in the ground and was also wondering if those spring loaded post pounders make a difference or not. They are only a little more money. I was also wondering if you just start the t-post with a pounder and use the font bucket to knock it in?

My soil is red clay with maybe a foot of loam in places.

Thanks.

Eddie

Gatorboy · Oct 13, 2004

wondering if those spring loaded post pounders make a difference or not. They are only a little more money. 

Yes, they are well worth it. I put in 60 7' T-Posts and started using a sledgehammer and standing on a step ladder. I bent the heck out of the top of the post and even got a piece of metal in my eye that came off on one of the swings. Anyway, each post needed about 100 hits to get it to the depth I needed. I did 3 and said, enough of this. I bought a $21 T-Post pounder and what a difference. I did the remaining 57 posts in about 6 hours. The driver does all the work and it hits the top of the post flush.

 I was also wondering if you just start the t-post with a pounder and use the font bucket to knock it in? 

You don't get a fast enough fall from the bucket to make this practical -- and the downward force really isn't very strong to be able to "push" it into the ground. I think the T-Post pounder is the way to go.

TBAR · Oct 13, 2004

( I was also wondering if you just start the t-post with a pounder and use the font bucket to knock it in?
)

Depending on the size of the tractor and bucket this is feasible. Fill the bucket with rock, dirt or even better a bundle of t-posts and the weight will just push them in.

However, due to their small size, you might not be able to do this with a CUT though.

TBAR

Soundguy · Oct 13, 2004

I just put up 333' of barb wire fence a couple weekends ago. Did it in 6 hrs.. and that counted loading the trailer up.. hitting TSC for supplies, and then the work.. say 5 hrs of work.

I used meatal t posts.. and got a 20$ post pounder, 1000' spool of nylon string, some 5/8 corner posts, and 3/4 brace posts. and some brace10 wire, unails and 20d nails. I use a small drill which ran off an inverter hooked to my truck battery to drill the lag holes for the screws on the tube gate. Had a hand saw for trimming the brace posts.

I sunk my 4 corner posts with the post hole digger, and tamped in ( I ran my fence straight, and had a corner post at the ends.. and a corner post on either side of the gate.) Each corner post had an angled brace post from the corner post to the ground.. the brace post hole was dug a foot or more deep into the ground. I nailed them and used the brace wire to support the posts. Strung my sting pulled it tight.. I went with 16' centers i think on my posts ( 14? ) and for measuring, I took a 16' piece of string, and tied it around the tight string.. I made the knot tight so that I could walk and pull the string with it fully extended. I marked the string with orange marking paint and then walked and pulled the string till the end lined up with the last orange mark, giving me pretty close to my desired spacing. I then dropped my tposts off along the fence line, and then went back and walked the line, and lined up a post with the paint.. got her plumb, and then pounded her into the ground. About every 5 posts or so ya gotta stop to catch yer breath. Once they were all in, I wrapped my first strand of barb wire around the post and stapled it good.. then used that neat fence roller 'T' handle to unroll the first strand . I used my tractor jack from tsc as a line tensioner. the nose at the top rotates horizontal to verticle on a bolt for just that purpose.. to use it as a puller. Once tight. I let it set a few minutes to make sure it doesn't give any, then nailed her down. Went to the next strand.. etc.

Had i made a longer run I'd have used 'H' braces, in the middle of the run and on the corners.. but as it was , this was just a 3 strand fence to keep pesky neighbors jid's ATV's outta my pasture front.

Have fun.. good luck and wear jeans and leather gloves.. chaps if ya got them too. That fence unroller 'T' handle and a pair of fence pliers is 15$ at TSC, and worth every penny. Fence pliers are a must when fencing.... has hammer, u puller, 2 wire cutters, crimp / brabber, and pliers. Short runs of fence like between a small gate and a post can be tensioned with the fence pliers and a regular hammer.. just rool the fence back on the pliers, as the top of it is curved.. use it like a lever.. have your u-nail ust tapped in and run the wire thru it.. tension it by using the pliers as a lever.. then nail in with your other hand/hammer.

Soundguy

Soundguy · Oct 13, 2004

I tried both the spring loaded one for 34$ and the solid one for 20$ and honestly liked the solid one better. It is louder.. but it weights less.. and let me tell you.. after weilding that monster all day, your arms can feel the 2-3 pound difference.

Side benefit is the next day your hands are strong enough to make diamonds out of charcoal.. course you can't extend your arms for a couple days!

Soundguy

Gatorboy · Oct 13, 2004

course you can't extend your arms for a couple days! 

You've got that right! I'm glad I finished pounding all the posts in on one day -- the next morning pounding more posts was the last thing I wanted to do!

JazzDad · Oct 13, 2004

I recently watched some guys pushing t-posts in with an FEL. They had a length of pipe that went over the post (to keep it from bending) and the pipe had handles so the guy on the ground didn't stand under the bucket.
We don't want to read about your fencing project under the safety forum! /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

Gatorboy · Oct 13, 2004

We don't want to read about your fencing project under the safety forum! 

I didn't use a FEL to put in my posts -- the safety police can rest easy! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

KubotaSteve · Oct 13, 2004

Eddie,
I used the cattle fence from tractor supply. I think it was 47" by 330 feet long. My dad and I put in over 100 T-posts in a day plus hung 3 gates and stretched and secured 850 feet of fence in a day. I used railroad ties as my corner posts (they were free and brand new ones). I didn't steal them /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif, a friend of my wife's allowed the railroad to use his field as a staging area and they gave him several thousand ties some of which were brand new. He gave her a 100 of the best ones. Anyway, we made our own fence stretcher out of a 2x4 which worked better than the store bought one. Just cut the 2x4 in half and drill 4 holes in it and put half on each side of the fence and tighten the bolts and use a chain and cable puller or tractor to tighten. I used 6 ft T-posts and left them at about 52" out of the ground. If your ground is soft you may have to go with longer ones. By buying over 100 T-posts at tractor supply they knocked $.25 off each post. Good luck!

EddieWalker · Oct 13, 2004

Thanks for all the advice. I'm still unclear about the depth to set the t-posts. 20 inches sounds like it should be good enough.

So should I plan on 2 feet in the ground an buy 6 foot t-posts for a 4 foot fence?

Will the fence material I choose recomend spacing of t-posts and H braces?

Is there a general rule of thumb for these distances?

Once again, I plan on using a field fence with six inch squares.

Thanks,
Eddie