How To Install Ranch Fence

Miniature donkeys, nosotros are ready for yous.

I tin can't even explain in words the number of hours we spent contemplating this contend. What type of posts to apply, how far apart to put supports, what type of fencing, and where to go everything.

The length of fourth dimension it took us to brand these decisions is likely responsible for the fact that we were installing the fence in 35-caste conditions, 24 hours before we were blest with our first inch of snow.

To spare any future fence-installers upwards here in the northern climates those frozen fingers, permit me share with you lot what I learned.

Types of Argue (especially for pastures)

I'm pretty insistent on a carve up rail fence, strictly for looks, and will have it on two sides of this pasture. Eventually. The other 2 sides of the pasture and the back of the property will be T-posts with woven-wire or "horse argue" as MysteryMan's grandpa calls it.

Options:

• Post and board fencing- You come across this around horse pastures a lot. Information technology reminds me of Kentucky. My grandparents post and board fence lasted a good 30 years, so information technology'southward worth the money, but I think it'due south safe to say, once it's in, it'due south in. So programme ahead.
• Split-rail fencing– Like the post and board, information technology's non ultra flexible and information technology costs some, but information technology's quicker to install than a post and lath. For a pasture, or to continue the dogs in, you'll need to attach welded or woven wire to it as well.
• Electric fencing – Benefits: You may be able to zap unsuspecting neighbors with it. Practically, it seems pretty easy to cord a couple of the hot wires up to some posts. Quick, like shooting fish in a barrel, lots of flexibility, merely information technology does require electricity (ok, duh) and that can price, also, repairs are probably something to think about. And whether or not yous're impuissant enough to accidentally bang into 1 of these.
• Woven wire fencing – (aka field or horse contend) Has larger spacing betwixt wires than a welded wire contend, and can accept more than of a beating. It also comes in longer lengths, merely y'all tin't find information technology a your regular large-box store (You can gild it from Tractor Supply though)
• Welded wire fencing – A light-duty version of the woven wire/ equus caballus fence, this one can be strung with lightweight T-posts as well.

If yous're looking for materials or tools, Tractor Supply is the place to go, unless you have a local contend company. We did a lot of toll shopping and didn't find pregnant savings anywhere, but TSC had the well-nigh options to cull from. Check out their option of fencing products here. Unfortunately you can't club online, but you tin can telephone call in or order through a store.

Installing the Debate: Nuts

A woven wire argue installed with T-posts would consist of 6 bones materials

• T-posts
• Wood "ballast" posts (iv×iv is probably adequate, we use half dozen×6 because we had some)
• Concrete for anchor posts
• Wire fencing
• Clips to attach fencing to T-posts
• U staples or nails to attach fencing to ballast posts

Spacing:

• Anchor posts should exist at the corners or ends of the fence, and every 30- 50 anxiety throughout the length of it.
• T-posts should be every 10 feet.

Depth:

• Anchor posts should be treated like whatever forest mail service and go down at least 2.5 feet for a 5 pes alpine fence. (The bigger the post, the deeper you lot want to set it.)
• T-posts take "blades" on them that should be buried, again, at least 2 feet for a 5 foot fence I would recollect.

Tools:

• Mail service-hole digger for the ballast posts
• A proficient record to measure everything out
• Cord line & level to keep you lot straight
• T-post "banger" – or "post driver" every bit they are more appropriately referred to. Like this.
• Heavy-duty pliers to attach the clips
• Hammer for the U nails
• pulleys and a lath to stretch the contend

How We Did It

1.) We set up the corner posts and marked the T-mail service and anchor post locations, and so put the anchors in showtime since information technology took the near fourth dimension. (String line, dig hole, level post, physical in place, rinse and repeat til finished.) The anchor posts were prepare on the "within" of the fence, so the wire would go along the exterior and around the corners.
2.) T-posts  were installed by banging them into the ground with the banger. Post driver. Whatever. Nosotros aligned them then the fencing would be on the "inside" of the pasture and the T-posts on the outside. (Opposite of the ballast posts.)

three.) The fencing gets rolled out. If y'all happen to exist the person holding the other finish of the wire, don't allow get. Or you'll be chasing a rapidly re-rolling bit of contend for then side by side 150 feet. Not that I'd know from experience, just I suspect it could happen.

4.) In one case the "frame" of posts was up (the T-posts beingness significantly faster to install than the anchor posts, but also significantly harder to proceed level) we stretched the fence. Conventional wisdom says to adhere the fence to one corner/anchor mail with U staples/nails, then put a temporary post in the footing beyond the other corner or anchor postal service, which you volition attach the pulleys to in club to stretch the argue.

Nosotros thought that seemed like a lot of extra effort, and then we decided to use the truck every bit our stretching post instead.

What? It worked.

Note: We didn't stretch the fence past backing the truck up or anything, we used the winch on the pulley for that. We basically but stuck a two×3 through the holes of the contend, which is probably the less-than-appropriate way to do that, then wrapped a chain around information technology and attached it to the pulley (which was fastened to the cable hook on the front of the truck.)

I hear the fence should be stretched until the trivial V shaped crimps in it become near 1/three straighter. I have no idea how a person would eyeball that, so we went with the "straight, taught, looks good" method.

5.) Once the wire was stretched we started at i stop and began attaching the clips. For a 32″ fence, nosotros used 3 clips per T-post. 5 clips per mail service is recommended for a higher argue. The clips work similar this (to the all-time of my knowledge)

Don't knock the gloves. I lost my work pair somewhere and this was what was available to me to proceed my fingers from freezing and breaking into a thousand pieces.

Okay. They are ridiculous.

In any instance, these clips baffled me for nigh three minutes, and thank god I decided to own donkeys with an engineer or I might however be out there with my blue-tipped-blue gloves.

Wrap…

One side has a longer terminate, and if you bend at the kink everything with tighten upwards nicely.

End information technology off with another wrap and tighten down the other side of the clip.

Looks easy. Gets to be a pain in the ass later on you lot do it seven hundred times.  Also, unlike some people who were too decorated taking pictures to pay attention to what they were doing, brand sure the top of the fence is over one of those handy notches on the mail. (MysteryMan rolled his eyes and then difficult he nearly fell over. Don't worry, I redid it.)

6.) Get donkeys. Savour life.

Now I simply have to build the donkey shelter sometime before spring.

More Info from People Who've Done It:

• Constructing Wire Fences – From the University of Missouri.
• Build a Fence for your Homestead– For barbed wire, which looks significantly harder and more painful to install
• A "Put-Up Guide for Field Contend – More info-by-exprerience from a website with the longest URL ever. They phone call the post driver a "rammer" which is awesome, and makes me feel better for using the term "banger" repeatedly in this post.  (As well, they have a "Like this? Purchase us a beer!" link at the bottom of their page. Our kind of people.)

Source: http://diydiva.net/2009/12/how-to-install-a-woven-wire-fence/

Posted by: lanescondlefory.blogspot.com

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