Need advice on a fence

[dooleysm]

I'm going to be putting up some kennel fencing soon off the back of my barn. I've got 1/2" x 1" coated welded wire fence, 4 feet tall. I need the small openings to keep my dogs from climbing out (I know from experience). I've never put up this type of fence before, just split rail fence. I want it to look decent (I'm out in the sticks, so it doesn't have to be beutiful) and be sturdy enough to keep the dogs (beagles) contained.

I'm not sure what to use for my corner posts. I think I need something sturdier than T-posts so I can stretch the fence (I've never done this before, but have heard this is the way to go). I'm thinking railroad ties would be good, as I can get those cheap and should be able to nail (staple?) the fence to them. I'm wondering if the dogs would chew on those and that the creosote would not be good for them? Any ideas for other types of posts?

Also, for my corners, would a single railroad tie, sunk in concrete, be sturdy enough to hold the stretched fence. Or do I need the deal where you put 2 sturdy posts up (for one leg of the corner) with a horizontal beam between them (not sure what that's called)? The kennel will be 40 feet long by ???(20-30 feet) wide. There will be 2 separate gates on the 40 foot span.

Finally, any ideas on how to stretch that welded wire fence? It's in a roll, so maybe I can run a T-post through it and then pull on the T-post to stretch the wire. But how do I keep the roll from unwinding? Or is there a way to thread some kind of steel rod through those small openings and pull on that?

Any other advice on making these kennels?

shawn

 

[bczoom]

Shawn,

I used the same type of fencing for a dog pen I had years ago. I put up split rail fence then stapled the welded wire to the inside. After awhile, the wire looses its shine and from a distance, it just looks like a nice split rail fence.

Brian

PS. Not sure about your dogs, but my husky/shepard mix tried to dig under and/or go over the fence. I had to put a strand of electric fence about 1' up and 1' in from the other fence to stop them.

 

[DFW]

Dooleysm, I completed about a 1000' of what we call field fencing, 4' high as well. A lot of the farmers here use RR ties for their cattle and their dogs. What I did was run a line of barb wire along the ground, you could use barb-less as well, to keep the dogs from digging out and the coyotes from digging in. Then when the fence is up, attach pieces of wire to bottom of the fence and to the barb/barb-less wire in places where it might be a little off the ground. It's best if the wire is just under the surface, not always the case with uneven ground though.

As to stretching, you could buy a fence stretcher, but the cheap method I used was to have two 4' 2x4's with holes drilled through them (4). I sandwich the fence between the 2x4s, slip I-bolts into the holes and tighten, then used a come-a-long to stretch the fence. Worked pretty well.

That was my method, but I am sure the folks here on TBN will have many other ideas.

Good Luck,

David

 

[Cityboyfarmer]

I don't think you can stretch welded wire. I'm not 100% sure of this, but from what I've read and seen, it won't stretch like woven wire.

 

[KennyV]

Hello Shawn…
You should not have to stretch welded wire much… when you prep the area, keep it level. It should be easy. If you are concerned with them eating the posts, just wrap them (the posts) with the same wire fence. I am not big on concrete for posts… just spend a little extra time tamping them in GOOD. As to the cross braced corner post, for your short runs you should not need them. If you are worried about them leaning a simple angle brace like this should work. l\-----l------l------l------/l KennyV.

 

[Soundguy]

Wow... railroad ties would be 'superman' overkill for welded wire fence.

You will find that you can't stretch that stuff as much as barb wire, hi-tensil, or braded wire.

You can us t-post.. if you get the special angle brace mounts. Still.. for the price.. regular 3-4-5 round posts.. or landscape posts.. whatever is cheaper is the easiest way to go.. just apply.. stretch a little.. and U-staple. If it's a long run.. use an angle brack... Could use a H brace.. but that uses an extra post.. and I don't think you need it unless you are pulling like 100'

To keep things from climbing I have added a top wire or used 5' fence and leaned in / over the top foot.

Soundguy

 

[Soundguy]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I'm wondering if the dogs would chew on those and that the creosote would not be good for them )</font>

technically.. no.. it wouldn't be good for them.. however.. I can almost guarantee you they won't chew on it.

I've had my dogs in my kennel withis is 3-board cresote with 2x4 no climb redbrand wire... been there 5 years... no chewing.. In fact.. all my animals stay of fthe cresote.. horses and all.. even the cribbers.

Forget the concrete.. just a quicker way to rot the wood... the post sunk in the ground is a friction pile anyway.. little bit of side pressure and it hold tight.


They make about 3 different types of fence stretchers.. one is fore single strand fence.... the other is also for single strand.. using a farm jack.

last type is a 'sandwhich' that clamps onto wire fence and pulls it. You can buy them for about 35$.. or make them with a couple 2x4 and some bolts... both would require a comealong.. or farm jack.

Soundguy

 

[Highbeam]

The creosote will be messy when it heats up in the summer and a nice clean beagle rubs up against it. They'll stink too. You need so few of them with your small run that I would grab a plain old round post to avoid the creosote. Heck, I like RR ties on a fence but not a kennel.