Jerry/MT
Elite Member
- Joined
- Feb 2, 2008
- Messages
- 3,140
- Location
- North Idaho-The Palouse
- Tractor
- New Holland TD95D, Ford 4610 & Kubota M4500
jack leg fence?
there are really just a few posts that are a problem
in 2-3 places where I zig zagged around the exposed boulders
the entire edge [150 yards or so] of this particular pasture is on a boulder
the depth of the soil varies from 0 to a couple of yards
I'll be adding fill as I ditch the road, that is the other fence line
I'm gathering information, next year I'm going to be fencing 20 more acres
there will be other areas with similar problems
I'm gathering rocks as I level the area for the stables
rocks with a post on the corner looks reasonable
a self supporting post with a ramset or anchor as pin, may be ok
I'm keeping my eyes open for access to concrete or rock boring tools
right at the moment. I'm busy fixing the roof & walls of our house, before winter really gets here [outside yosemite], this thread is a nice way to take a break:laughing:
In a jack leg fence, the support posts form an "X" and they sit ON the ground (no post holes). There are stringers that run parellel to the ground between the "X"'s to support them laterally. Then wire or rails are nailed on each "X". If you can't make a jack leg fence straight, then you can't use use wire because when you tension it it tends to pul the fence into a straight line. I have seen straight jack leg fences supported only with wire and no stringers-mostly on range land along highways.
As far as rock boring, etc, figure out how much incremental grazing you're going to gain for going through all that expense, plus your time and then figure out how much hay you can buy for that money to feed your critters. It might surprise you.
I have a corner on my place where an irrigation canal cuts across the corner of my place . It has a high bank and is studded with rocks. Its roughly a right triangle that's has one side that's about 50 ft long and the other is about 80 ft long the ground is loaded with cobbles and the ditch banks are rip rapped with cobbles. It forms a common corner at the center of the section and the two of the neighbors are absentee owners who don't maintain their fences. To complicate the matter, a main canal crosses and isolates the triangle from my pasture. So I have to get a fence down this rocky bank, across the canal and it has to tie in to my main boundary fenceline. I think I'm going to use split rails and I may have to build rock gabbions(sp? basically wire baskets) to hold the posts that cross the canal because I don't think I can drive posts into the corral bottom that will be stable due to the current and the muddy bottom. I may use 55 gallon drums full of rocks that are perforated to allow the water to flow through because it might be easier to place them. I'm telling you this so you won't feel like the lone ranger.
So how many feet of fence are you talking about having to build near these boulders and how many acres of grass are you going to incrementally get from trying to utilize this area? If the soil depth is less than six inches you'll have a little grass in the spring and unless you irrigate, you won't be able to keep it green the rest of the year unless you're in a high rainfall area. That shallow soiled ground will not be productive enought to be worth much effort to capture the grass.