Help! Woven wire fence question

[Illiniwek]

I'm gettin ready to put up a woven wire fence (about 400') along one edge of my property. I'm planning to sink about 40-50 treated wooden fence posts and use a woven wire fence.

Here's my question: when I attach the fencing to the posts, am I supposed to use any kind of wire stretcher-thingy for this kind of fence? I know that straight-line/barbed wire fence are supposed to be pulled ultra-taut, but I don't know how to handle this kind of fencing.

Also, when I attach the fence to the posts with the fence clips, do I attach the clips to a vertical part of the fence (which would allow for no give) or a horizontal part of the fence (which would allow for some give)?

Thanks!

 

[Anonymous Poster]

We put up a stretch of goat wire fence 400 feet long. Goat wire is the fencing with the four inch by four inch blocks. I'm not quite sure what you're referring to when you say woven wire, but the principal should be the same. At about two hundred feet we sank two posts about four feet across and put in two braces like this IXI.

The corner posts and the center posts were four inch rather than three inch. The rest of the posts in the fenceline were set at about fifteen feet apart. Then the tightening was done with a homemade stretcher (a length of two by four with hooks all along it to hook into the fence) and a come-a-long that we hooked to the tractor. We stapled the fence in the corner first. Then we just cranked the come-a-long down until the fence material was tight and stapled it to the braces. Then we worked our way back to the corner stapling the fence wire to the posts in between. Basically we did half the fence at a time. Plus we used staples. When you set a staple in a wood post it sinks into the wood and snugs the fence down real good and tight.

 

[cowboydoc]

Yes you will need to get the fence tight. The way Cindi mentioned will work but I wouldn't suggest it if you don't have any experience doing it. They make commercial stretchers that you can put on your tractor and just use your tractor to pull the fence tight. Then just go down the fence and staple it on. Depending on how straight this fence is, dips, etc. will make a difference as well. If you are going one straight row with four hundred feet you will need three posts and two corner braces. Your braces will have to be set out to prevent the fence from collapsing in on itself from the pull of the wire.

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Good point Richard. I forgot about the dipping. How could I forget that, didn't we do this fence just yesterday? It feels that way even though it was a good year ago. Hate fencing. Shudder.

Also, we used the bumper on the pickup to hook the come-a-long to when it was handier. Just in case you don't have a tractor.

 

[JTD]

The ground conditions throughout the year may impact the size and number of posts. Wet and/or sandy soils will mean shorter distances between the posts and deeper posts. Otherwise 8 to 10 feet between the posts should be fine for 4 ft woven wire with 8 ft posts. I use pressure treated 4 to 5's for line posts and 5 to 6's or 6 to 7's for corner/gate posts. I use H braces with diagonal crosswire and wire tightners for line and corner braces. Sometimes I use double braces at the corners of long straight runs. Line braces are approximately 100 to 140 ft apart. Shorter when there are dips/rises. Using 4 to 6 staples per post should be good although the wire manufactures want you to use a staple at each horizontal wire. Doesn't much matter if the staple is holding the vertical or horizontal wires since they'll be pulled tight. The top and botton horizontal wires should be stapled since they are a larger gauge (typically 9 ga for 2x4 horse wire).

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Hey Illiniwek! Where are you in Central Illinois? I'm near Danville.

Couldn't pass this one up. I've been putting up fence in my clay soil for a couple years. I recently tried a new technique that saved me alot of tamping. Previously I would tamp the heck out of each post trying to get it to tighten up in my clay soil. The next spring the posts would be loose after all the rain. The last time I put fence up I put a little pea gravel in the bottom of each hole, put the post in, and filled around the post with pea gravel instead of putting the clay back in. It worked like a charm! Just wiggle the post a little until the pea gravel sets. They get tighter the longer they're in! The water doesn't stay around the post as long either.

I learned to build fence from a fella thats been fence building for 40 yrs. His techniques may or may not be the best but here's how he taught me to staple.

On the corner post, double staple each horizontal wire. (crossing the staples over each other)

Stretch the fence to the next braced post (with your kubota /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif)and double staple each horizontal wire.

Then single staple each horizontal wire on your unbraced posts. I've been told and I've also read, to leave the staples on unbraced posts slightly loose for expansion and contraction of the wire.

Take it for what its worth.
I'm attaching a few pictures of how I splice fence rolls and brace corners.

Good Luck!
Kevin

 

[Anonymous Poster]

attaching splice picture.

My posts are 15ft. apart. My brace posts are about 7ft from the corner post and 7ft. from each other. I stretched with 2 boards using 3 bolts and a chain in the center of the boards. Pulled like heck with my L3710 Kubota bucket. It's so tight you could bounce an elephant off of it. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Anonymous Poster]

attaching end post picture

 

[Anonymous Poster]

To stretch the wire I use two 2X4s slightly longer than the fence. The 2X4 are used to sandwich the fence in between; a hole is drilled in the top, middle and bottom of each and bolts used (eyebolts on top & bottom) to clamp the pieces together. Make sure the bolts are long enough to allow the fence to fit in between and leave some threads to get a hold of. The two eyebolts, on top & bottom, are used to provide anchor points for a short chain between them. The chain should be long enough so when you pull it creates a “V” – you’re basically making a triangle between the wood as one side and the chain as the other two. Attach your come-a-long to a tree, tractor or truck and the other end to the middle of the chain. As a kid I used one that looked like it had been manufactured, it used two “U” brackets on top and bottom but still the same principle of sandwiching the fence between two pieces of wood. The wood is soft and clamps the wire well.


Dog

 

[Bird]

Kevin, a neighbor told me he'd heard about putting that pea gravel around fence posts to keep them tight, so I got a load of pea gravel and we used it for the posts for the fence around the garden. Now it sounded like a good logical thing to do, and I'm sure it is in some soil conditions, but not in the black clay I had. When the hot dry summer arrived, the ground cracked the pea gravel went down the cracks, all my posts were loose, and I hauled dirt to tamp around all of them. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Wow Bird, I guess that proves what a great board this is. A lot of peoples experiences all in one place at your fingertips!
I can't imagine that happening here but I've been wrong before.
I have a pole barn construction book that rates clay soil as "poor to very poor" for stability. They recomend backfilling with a mixture of sand and gravel.
Kevin

 

[Justaplain]

Right on with the pea stone! I put up a pole barn last year in clay, with water in the holes and put pea stone under and around the poles and have had no problems. Back fill all my fencing with it, faster and no blisters from tamping. bcs /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[MarkV]

I don't want to step on this topic but we seem to have the stretching process covered and a bunch of experienced people here. We just bought 32 acres that I will want to fence. It will not be to keep animals in but more to discourage others from crossing the line. What would you consider the most reasonable type of fence to use both for price and installation? Do any of you know any sites that discuss fence building?

MarkV

 

[Illiniwek]

Thanks for the great advice! I live over near Downs in McLean county, but I'm an Illini through and through.

I had no idea putting up a fence like this would be such a big deal, with the stretching and all. It seems like a lot of work just to keep our dogs out of the road and the creek across the way, but I'd rather do it right than not at all! Thank God for TBN!

 

[Anonymous Poster]

NO fence will keep folks out if they want to come in, but in my experience, if you just want to show the property line, three or four strands of barbed wire. I think it is definatley the cheapest.

 

[Anonymous Poster]

The primary use of our fence is to keep the dogs in. The tough old yeller dog ignores barbed wire and goes through between the strands, so we went with hog wire (goat wire, horse wire, all the same stuff as far as I can tell). The other dog is an adopted greyhound; if she gets out she probably couldn't find her way home, but on the other hand, a piece of dental floss would probably keep her timid soul from crossing.

The second use was to keep the 4-wheelers off the property until we started building; they were starting to tear the place up before we bought it. I didn't have the tractor yet, so I hired it done right after closing. Paid about $1.25/foot installed, plus a little more to clear the fence line, which I understand was a bargain, but it was a fellow who wanted to keep his crew busy until their busy season started. Had a little more than 1,600 feet installed.

I didn't have a gate installed (had access through my daughter's land), but now I'm going back and set up a recessed entry area and gate. I watched the guys do it, and I can handle it, now. They used the same stretching, bracing and stapling described above. I have to install some new corner H-braces right next to existing fence and secure the fence before cutting the hole and removing the small posts, otherwise it might go wild if I tried to cut it, it's stretched so tight.

 

[MarkV]

Ya Cindi, I agree that no fence will keep people out and I should have worded it different. Around here though there seems to be a degree of respect when it comes to crossing a fence where a posted sign is something to shoot at. Now the same people will not hesitate to throw their trash out of the car window or take a bat to your mailbox but crossing a fence seems to be different. /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif Guess it gets down to my father-in-laws thinking "good fences make for good neighbors".

MarkV

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Don...we have one of those timid greyhounds too. He's actually a mix, but he's strung tight as a piano wire and smart!
Really good dog. Like your dog, I think a cob web fence would hold him if you showed him that it was meant to be a fence.

Mark, I realize that, I knew what you meant. I don't know what possessed me to say that other than the fact that we've had a few fence climbers around here. Grrrr. There is always that element of people who will crawl over and under barbed wire and then say...'where? where was the property line. I didn't see it!'

We've had our share of mailbox baseball around here too. Ours is in the middle of a row of five, so we usually don't get hit, but the two on the end....poor things.

 

[cowboydoc]

Your easiest and cheapest is going to be high tensile fence. I'd put up 5 or 6 strands and electrify one or two of the strands. It won't take long for people to get the hint. If you don't want to do that I would do woven wire with two strands of smooth wire on top.

I wouldn't do barb wire if I was you. If you ever do want to sell it or get some horses or such barb wire can make for some terrible cuts. If you're going to the expense of doing 32 acres you might as well make it so that it can be used for anything in my opinion. Plus a bad cut is also alot harder to heal than a good shock. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[MarkV]

Good points Richard, thanks for the input.

M:arkV