Fence: can I do it?

[Laminarman]

I purchased an additional piece of property to square off mine and to keep some nuisance ATV's and drinking parties off my land. I now am faced with 1,000 feet of open space in a field to mark as posted (straight shot). I was thinking of just placing post with a digger and putting posted signs on them. Then I thought I might like to put posts in and put a fence in- either flesh tearing barbed wire or some other material. It's 1,000 feet, I have a tractor and PHD, and I'll be working alone. Is this an easy task? I've never done it. Dankashein (sp??)

 

[madozerman]

what makes you think you can't do it??get started dude,,rome wasn't built in a day!

 

[hudr]

I have built a lot of fence by myself. It is MUCH easier with 2 people, but it can be done. Down here in Tx, we normally put up at least a 3 post pipe corner set in concrete. We also put a single pipe/concrete combo every 50ft. But then we are holding in Longhorn cattle. You may not require that kind of strength. I say have at it if you have the time. The biggest part is all the walking back and forth when you are stretching the wire. Oh, yeah, and steel is EXPENSIVE right now so wire, t-posts and everything else is pretty high. Good luck!

 

[JoeinTX]

Absoutely you can... I've built a lot of fence by myself in one day and 1000 feet isn't a terrible amount. Build some good corners (eight feet pipe-three feet of that cemented/driven in ground) and if you're tieing this into an existing corner be sure to include your "deadman" so that the corner won't pull inward on itself. If all you're trying to keep out are people, then 3 or 4 metal/barbed wire fence will be plenty for the time being. One t-post every 20-25 feet will be good and your choice of metal twist-style staves or wood staves spaced between the posts and......ouila....you've got a nice, new fence.

 

[Gatorboy]

Probably the cheapest solution is to put up a 4' High-Tensile fence. You can run wood posts every 100' or so with T-posts in between spaced at about 20-25'. Run 3 or 4-wire's, the ATV's won't be able to get through -- no need for flesh tearing barbed wire.

You can use 8' posts for the end's and corners and 7' ones for line posts. I put up a 6' high 8-wire fence last fall to keep deer out -- so far so good.

 

[Laminarman]

Thanks everyone. Gatorboy, did you drive those metal T posts with one of those hand held divers? I was thinking of cedar posts so it looks more country-ish with wire strung between it. Everyone here tells me NOT to use concrete as it heaves with the frost, but rather to just bury it real deep in the hole and pack it good. Thanks.

 

[creeper]

1000' will be gravy. Go for it and as everyone else said..... build your corners or ends with over kill and that will let you space out the rest of the post. 4000' of high tensle is only $80, you may need to mark it with ribbon a couple of places for safety.

 

[Gatorboy]

<font color="blue"> did you drive those metal T posts with one of those hand held divers? </font>

Yes, about 60 of them in an 8-hour period. They don't have to go down too far (8"-12"), the T-posts are to just keep the wires from sagging and keeping the spacing accurate.

 

[Dachshund]

Not a problem! Set your corners and deadmen about 3" deep and tamp, tamp, tamp! Then stretch a wire along the ground between them (don't have to be super-tight - it's for a guide). This wire will show you where to drive your line posts, or you can take paint and mark the ground at where your holes for wood post are to be dug. I'd go at 12' to 15' spacing with the posts, but that's just me! Especially if you are going for looks. That would make it 70+ posts to tamp (strongly recommend steel posts, tamping is no fun) 8^) . I got 2 sections about 1050 feet long here in Nebraska you can come learn on /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Soundguy]

What'ca waiting for. I recently had to fence in one of my pasture fronts to prevent acces from the same.. atv/partiers.

Starting about lunch time, working till dark, I managed to put up 333' of 3 strand barb wire on t-posts. I used wood corner and brace posts, as well as wood gate hinge and latch posts. i hand dug the wood posts, and used a t-post slide tool to hand plant the t-posts. I used a tractor jack that will work as a fence stretcher to stretch my wire.

I used long ?(cant remember size) nails for the brace to corner posts, as well as brace10 wire for shoreing up the braces. Unails for the barb wire.

My only tools were the post hole digger, a regular framing hammer, a fence plier/hammer combo tool, a shovel and machetti.. and a cordless drill and pipe wrench to help hang the hing pins for the 12' tube gate i put up.

The framing hammer comes in handy as well as the fence tool, for stretching the fence.. if you are nimble.. you can tension the fence with the framing hammer, using it as a cam and lever against the post.. then use the fence hammer and a unail to secure the wire..

It was a full day work, including the trip to TSC for materials. I recommend long pants and a good pair of leather gloves. Also.. pay the extra 6 bucks and get a barb wire roll, handle. it lets you unroll the wire easilly.. just clicks in to the top of most barb wire rolls.. like gaucho.. redbrand etc.

If you go wood post.. you could go wood board later.. or stick to t-post and build up yer arms.. and use barb wire / field wire, or 2x4 / no-climb wire.

I've found that barb wire is the most discouraging for human pests.. whereas 2x4 is best for small animals.

Soundguy