fencing 100 acres

[sandman2234]

I live near about 1000 acres of bottom land, or partial swamp land, and the fourwheelers have recently started to invade it. They are tearing thru the trees, building paths and then making mud trails out of them. Three of the outermost lots, a total of about 80 acres is privately owned and the owners are HOT. One lives on the property, and tells the 4wheelers to stay off his property. They pretty much do. The other two don't live near the property, and when they do visit, the cops usually end up coming with them to get a request to keep their property from being vandalized. Pretty much the opinion is, when the first person is caught on the property, they will have to pay for the damage done to the property, or get a trip to the jail because they will press charges. When I see the 4wheelers, I usually tell them the owners wishes but it doesn't stop. There is usually about 50 fourwheelers and a bonfire out in the woods on Saturday night.

And you wonder why property owners want to put up fences and keep them out? You should see the damage they are doing to this property, along with the ones that are killing the deer and leaving everything except the backstrap and hams for the buzzards. Really gets on my nerves when they drag them up near the edge of the woods to skin them out and the wind carries the smell over to my house. Night hunting and killing out of season aren't ways to keep neighbors happy.
Rant off, back to the subject matter!
If the dozer isn't available, a skidsteer with a mulcher might be another way to clear the fence line. I am too cheap to pay one of those, so I would probably just work on it with my bush hog.
David from jax

 

[Soundguy]

I used Gaucho brand wire and trees have fallen on it without breaking it. .

I've had the same experience.. I also used gaucho wire, and I had a car hit my front fence.. actually ran down the line sideswiping the fence and took out about 3 t-post.. shaved one off at area of impact, and layed a couple more over..

Wire fence stayed up.. though it did push all the barbs together on a section about 10' long on one strand!

All I did was tap in 3 new posts and remove the bent ones and extractt he base of the shaved off one, and reclipped the fence.. no restretching needed. At the time it was just a 3 strand fence to keep kids/atv out. I later moved animals into that paddock and thus added a 4th strand and then restretched the wire and all is good.. bee there for? 5-6ys now.. no issues..

Wood post corners.. using H and angle braces.

Soundguy

 

[dmccarty]

Dmccarty, I do NOT recommend the Wedge-loc fencing system where you use clips on T posts to make corners. Been there, done that, a lot of work that just comes apart so very easily...... All of the corners/braces I put in I have had to redo a different way... It sounded like a good idea, I agree, but really, really doesn't work.

DANG! Not what I wanted to hear but its what I was afraid would be the case. I was going to buy a few of the pieces and try it on my temporary garden fence.

So now I'm back to a post pounder or a hydraulic auger....

The Post Pounder is a single tasker but puts in posts fast.

The auger can put in fence posts, plants, and build pole barns. But it takes more work to put in posts. Sigh.. Tain't a good answer.

Both cost money I don't have to spend.

But as I widen the path around the property a fence has to go in to keep, or try to keep people out. Its not optional.

Thanks for the info.

Later,
Dan

 

[txdon]

If I had to do it over again and I had hard ground I would get a air driven t-post driver. My neighbor has hard ground and loves his after setting thousands of post. It's not tractor driven (darn), but it is light enough to carry and set on a t-post. He uses his with a small air compressor and generator in the back of his truck. It will save your back - manually driving t-post is tough on your back and shoulders- I know. Justification for the expense for those that need it - I spent a lot more on medical than the $450 the driver cost.
Link:
Post Drivers

 

[dmccarty]

Using one of the Tpost air hammer was what I had planned on using. I have a generator that attaches to the DR and a small air compressor. Figured I could make up a special pallet to hold the generator, compressor, tools, wire, and Tposts so the tractor could haul of this out in the woods.

If my bone cracker saw me pounding in Tposts he would have a fit. And he knows where I live.

I suppose I still would use the Tposts for the line posts with wood for the corners and supports...

Sure would be nice to just use T posts. <sigh>

It just can't be easy.... Or cheap...

Later,
Dan

 

[texasjohn]

dmccarty, the following tehnique is recommended:

high tensile wire for everything, either barb or smooth

high voltage, low impedence fence charger on at least one smooth wire. Smooth wire is made hot. Use a 100 mile charger only... the smaller ones don't work well.

5 strands minimum, 3 barb and 2 electric, or that and more barb

T posts for the line posts

SECRET: DRIVE T POSTS WITH YOUR FEL... see photo below, use a pipe sheath to keep T post from bending and to get all same height unless you hit rock.

Corner braces shound NOT be a true H brace where the cross bar is
centered. Cross bar should be as near the top of the brace posts as possible and distance between corner and brace post should be long... recomment 7+ feet

You need to put in a corner post and TWO brace posts with cross bar as indicated

Sink corner and brace posts 4 feet in ground.. it's about twice as good as just 3 feet

You should use rachets to tension each strand of wire... leave in fence to take out slack later

use a rachet on your corner brace wire.. leave in fence for taking up slack later.

I've tried numerous T post spacings for the line posts... I've settled on putting a post every 5 of my steps... am 5'10" tall... further distances over time result in animals going thru.

PM me if questions

 

[jinman]

Sink corner and brace posts 4 feet in ground.. it's about twice as good as just 3 feet

John, we have several corner posts and braces that looked good when originally done, but now the retensioning of the fence is causing the corner post to pivot up and lift out of the ground. I would echo your recommendation to put them 4' into the ground and even deeper if you can do it. Five or six strands of tight wire is a mighty pull on a post.

 

[dmccarty]

TXDon,

Thanks for the info. I like he FEL putting in the TPost. I'll have to try it or a variation. I'm not sure it will work off the FEL for me though. I'm in heavy thick woods and it will take alot of work just to clear 6-8 feet to get the tractor in along the fence line. Having enough space to get the tractor perpendicular to the fence line is problematic....

BUT, I do have a backhoe. The JD48 should be albe to push down and would be much easy to use in the limited space.

Is the pipe attached to the FEL somehow?

Do you just start the Tpost and then push it in with the FEL?

Later,
Dan

 

[texasjohn]

I put in T posts as follows:

I have a HST transmission... makes creeping easy... necessary for this work.

Have a trusting buddy place the bottom of the T post where it belongs with the proper side out, etc. Place the CENTER of the FEL on the top of the T post... very gently while buddy holds it, just enough down pressure to hold it in place.

Buddy backs AWAY from the post for safety.. 6 to 10 feet... THEN apply gentle down pressure... post should begin to slip into the ground, but because of the geometry of things, at about 6 inches in, the top will begin to come inward toward the tractor, getting the post out of plumb. STOP the down pressure, raise the FEL, the top of the post will spring back into place, now you can again put down pressure on the post. Continue until post is fully in the ground. If you hit a rock, you will feel it, front end of tractor will begin to rise, DO NOT get front wheels off of the ground.. you WILL slide sideways and post will not be the better for it. If post hits tough dirt and won't slide in further, you CAN kinda tap the post by dropping the FEL on it... takes a little time to get experience on how high to lift the FEL before dropping, etc... but quickly learned... if you have actually hit ROCK, you will NOT be able to pound the post in this way... it'll simply break somehow... I've adopted the philosophy that if I can't drive it any further with FEL, then it's in good enough for me and leave it be even if it maybe isn't in exactly as far as other posts...

Pipe sheath around post is a KEY addition that I consider MANDATORY for safety... it keeps the post from assuming a C or S shape and snapping off... trust me, it happens without the pipe sheath... about 1 time in 15 to 20 posts.. pipe is just an extra long T post driver, not attached to tractor in any way, end is flat with welded plug, handles added for ease of carrying, etc.

I sometimes put extra weight in the FEL bucket, makes me feel better. I expect that a variation with back hoe as the driver would work, too.

I hang a 5 gallon bucket, or several, from the FEL chain hooks.. makes a good place for carrying stuff. FEL bucket is a good place to put the spare T posts that you will be driving later.

When it's all done, you can walk back down the line of posts and pull the posts into vertical as best possible... I've never done a perfectly vertical job, but I remember that my shoulders are still operative and decide that using the FEL is a GOOD thing. Sometimes, a post will twist around so that it makes it difficult to get a clip properly set on it... in this case, I use a LONG pipe wrench and twist the post back into line... attach the pipe wrench right at ground level.

Around here, there is another way to make a fence corner... take a cattle panel, wire it into a circle and fill it with rocks... This post WILL NOT pull out of the ground. Depending on your resources, this could be a possibility since you have equipment to handle rocks. If you don't have too many corners, this can be very effective and cost/time effective.

jinman, the only effective corner I've found is to sink it 4 feet, have two brace posts with the cross braces 90% of the way off of the ground. Cross braces should be pipe, wood tends to bend and slip out. I use metal pins to keep the pipe cross braces in place.

 

[Rara Avis]

What maintenance is required?
Walk the fence line to confirm your fence has not been damaged. Check the voltage regularly. An ElectroBraid Fence Minder will monitor your fence voltage 24/7 and warn you if the voltage drops Or if it has been cut!!! Once or twice a year, mow weeds from under your fence. In the spring, make sure no fence posts have been heaved by frost.

Electric Horse Farm Fence Product Properties - Electrobraid