fence tips and tricks

[libertygarden]

@fenceman,

Hello @fenceman, I have a beginners question, if you will. I put up an 80 yard fence with an H brace at each end. The holes were 3' deep in black clay soil, packed very tight, and the posts pretty sturdy for the tension pull. The wires were tight but when I returned a week later, the two bottom wires were tight but the three top wires were sagging. I stretched all wires with a come-along to what I thought was fairly tight. I don't have animals inside yet, so I can't explain how the fence got loose. Here is video of the mess I attempted. In the video I only show the first 4 wires. I installed the last wire the week after. I notices that when I pulled the bottom wire the top wires got a little loose, so I pulled them again. A week later, like I said, the top 3 wires were sagging. Any help is most welcome.

https://youtu.be/6FfVsfto7-g

 

[callmefence]

Sure sounds like your brace is giving. When your pulling a wire and the other wires get slack you braces are leaning in.
Build a stronger brace. In just black soil 3' is probably you problem. Another foot can make a big difference.
Good luck

 

[True Grit Farms]

Arthritis has me thinking I need one of these. Worth having?
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=PNzHF9TIm9E

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXIlu8tdROQ

These ought to be available somewhere close to you. If not, I've still got a ST dealership if you want to order some.

I've always thought those clips would be the ticket for the bottom 2 ties on a woven wire fence.

 

[wbvs58]

@fenceman,

Hello @fenceman, I have a beginners question, if you will. I put up an 80 yard fence with an H brace at each end. The holes were 3' deep in black clay soil, packed very tight, and the posts pretty sturdy for the tension pull. The wires were tight but when I returned a week later, the two bottom wires were tight but the three top wires were sagging. I stretched all wires with a come-along to what I thought was fairly tight. I don't have animals inside yet, so I can't explain how the fence got loose. Here is video of the mess I attempted. In the video I only show the first 4 wires. I installed the last wire the week after. I notices that when I pulled the bottom wire the top wires got a little loose, so I pulled them again. A week later, like I said, the top 3 wires were sagging. Any help is most welcome.

https://youtu.be/6FfVsfto7-g

Straining off that little tree would not be too flash, I doubt that you could get it tight enough without pulling the tree out of the ground. Also with the flex in the tree you will put more tension on the bottom strands than the top ones as you are straining from closer to the base.

Ken

 

[Chocolate Cow]

A local guy 'invented' these fence clips. https://bigheelfasteners.com
I've used quite a few of them and like them. The wire has to be tight from the get-go because these won't take slack out. The wire won't rust under these clips and it's easy to back the screw out to adjust a wire up or down. They sure hold a cattle panel to a post really well and the screws are self tapping. We have a lot of osage orange or hedge posts in my area and they get hard as a rock once aged. You can't drive a staple into one but these clips work well.

 

[callmefence]

Arthritis has me thinking I need one of these. Worth having?
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=PNzHF9TIm9E

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXIlu8tdROQ

These ought to be available somewhere close to you. If not, I've still got a ST dealership if you want to order some.

I've always thought those clips would be the ticket for the bottom 2 ties on a woven wire fence.

We use them some and they are good clips. Not as easy as they make it look.
If you can get your hands on some 9 gauge aluminum chain link fence ties. The commercial grade ones . They are nice for that bottom wire.

 

[libertygarden]

Thank you for you tips gentlemen. I'd sure hate to take out the post to go a foot deeper, besides the level tells me the posts are straight vertical. On thing I noticed is that the brace wire loosed-up a bit. I used barbless wire. Even when I was cranking it, it never really felt tight.

 

[greybeard]

Are you sure the post closest to the little tree didn't pull up out of the ground a little when you started stretching the wires? I've seen that happen if the hole wasn't very deep or not tamped down good.
If you are dead set against pulling the posts and digging deeper, the only other option I know of is either making it a double H or adding a deadman to the existing H. Never had to use a dead man or make a double H so I'm not real sure exactly how to fasten either, but on the double H I would think you would need to run the diagonal wire on the new post all the way back to the original 1st post.
Callmefence can explain how to do the deadman option, which is the bottom drawing..

 

[Calhoun103]

I've been reading through this discussion. Someone mentioned a friend losing a finger to HT wire. I have very little experience with HT, but one of my concerns is breakage of wire strained so tight. It seems it could really do some damage over a wide area given wide post spacing. Does rThat concern anyone?

Also, what is the traditional woven wire fence used in the Texas Hill country? I know it's 12 inch vertical stays, but I have heard / seen 32" wire built up with barbed wire and taller woven wire.

Thanks

 

[Farm Fence Solutions]

I've been reading through this discussion. Someone mentioned a friend losing a finger to HT wire. I have very little experience with HT, but one of my concerns is breakage of wire strained so tight. It seems it could really do some damage over a wide area given wide post spacing. Does rThat concern anyone?

Also, what is the traditional woven wire fence used in the Texas Hill country? I know it's 12 inch vertical stays, but I have heard / seen 32" wire built up with barbed wire and taller woven wire.

Thanks

The lost finger happened while twisting HT wire in a brace, instead of using a proper tensioning device. He slipped off the twisting stick, and got a paw in the wrong place. HT goes dead pretty quick when it breaks. If you want to experience it in a controlled environment, just tighten up a stretch and cut it. HT barb wire can be a bear if you break it, but slick wire is easy to deal with. I'm not from TX, but the standard when using a shorter net wire would be a strand of barb under, and two strands over.

 

[True Grit Farms]

Be careful when working with HT wire, and carry a cutting tool and cell phone. I almost lost a finger and foot releasing a tensioner. I shot the wire with my pistol after making 4 phone calls for help, and that was probably one of the dumbest moves of my life. I must of flinched when I pulled the trigger and the bullet just nicked the wire and a piece of the bullet went in my foot. Talking about shooting yourself in the foot, I did it. The worst part is I still had to wait for my wife to bring me the fence pliers from the barn to cut myself out.

 

[Farm Fence Solutions]

Be careful when working with HT wire, and carry a cutting tool and cell phone. I almost lost a finger and foot releasing a tensioner. I shot the wire with my pistol after making 4 phone calls for help, and that was probably one of the dumbest moves of my life. I must of flinched when I pulled the trigger and the bullet just nicked the wire and a piece of the bullet went in my foot. Talking about shooting yourself in the foot, I did it. The worst part is I still had to wait for my wife to bring me the fence pliers from the barn to cut myself out.

That's a good story Greybeard! :lol: Glad you survived it.
The guy I started in the fence business with was a tightwad. He would try to salvage anything of "value" on a tear out to take home and use. He was stripping HT out of ratchets one day when an end coiled back and stabbed him in the left thumb......The same thumb he had just landed a 28 oz silent swing on that morning. Fast forward a few days, and the thumb was infected from the wire stab. Doc was going to amputate if the thumb was broken from the hammer landing. Lucky for him, no broken bone in there. (He swings like a girl) I now have a rule against salvaging ratchets for safety's sake, not to mention the deficit it puts you in if you value your time.

 

[callmefence]

I've been reading through this discussion. Someone mentioned a friend losing a finger to HT wire. I have very little experience with HT, but one of my concerns is breakage of wire strained so tight. It seems it could really do some damage over a wide area given wide post spacing. Does rThat concern anyone?

Also, what is the traditional woven wire fence used in the Texas Hill country? I know it's 12 inch vertical stays, but I have heard / seen 32" wire built up with barbed wire and taller woven wire.

Thanks

Hands down the most popular net wire in the hill country is 93912.
9 horizontal
39" tall
12" stays
We build this fence with 4 stands of barbwire.
1 under
1 flush with top of net
2 on top for a finished height of 4 1/2 feet

 

[greybeard]

Be careful when working with HT wire, and carry a cutting tool and cell phone. I almost lost a finger and foot releasing a tensioner. I shot the wire with my pistol after making 4 phone calls for help, and that was probably one of the dumbest moves of my life. I must of flinched when I pulled the trigger and the bullet just nicked the wire and a piece of the bullet went in my foot. Talking about shooting yourself in the foot, I did it. The worst part is I still had to wait for my wife to bring me the fence pliers from the barn to cut myself out.

That's a good story Greybeard! :lol: Glad you survived it.

TG..not Greybeard.

 

[Farm Fence Solutions]

Be careful when working with HT wire, and carry a cutting tool and cell phone. I almost lost a finger and foot releasing a tensioner. I shot the wire with my pistol after making 4 phone calls for help, and that was probably one of the dumbest moves of my life. I must of flinched when I pulled the trigger and the bullet just nicked the wire and a piece of the bullet went in my foot. Talking about shooting yourself in the foot, I did it. The worst part is I still had to wait for my wife to bring me the fence pliers from the barn to cut myself out.

That's a good story Greybeard! :lol: Glad you survived it.

TG..not Greybeard.

My mistake. I got over excited catching up on everything I've missed in the past week. Still glad you didn't die.

 

[libertygarden]

Sure sounds like your brace is giving. When your pulling a wire and the other wires get slack you braces are leaning in.
Build a stronger brace. In just black soil 3' is probably you problem. Another foot can make a big difference.
Good luck

Absolutely correct, upon closer inspection, the posts are loose. I can see a gap where they leaned. I'll need to go a foot deeper. Would it help to use quickrete or just more depth and tamping?

Thanks,

 

[fence_it]

This is an interesting and informative thread. Glad I found it.

One question I have, mainly for Farm Fence Solutions, is are they any major differences between fixed knot Tornado wire and other fixed knot wire like Stay Tuff or Toughstrand?

 

[Farm Fence Solutions]

This is an interesting and informative thread. Glad I found it.

One question I have, mainly for Farm Fence Solutions, is are they any major differences between fixed knot Tornado wire and other fixed knot wire like Stay Tuff or Toughstrand?

Yes, in my opinion the differences are major. Tornado is a fence wire manufacturer, while Stay Tuff and Toughstrand are in the steel business. (Deacero Steel and Tree Island Steel, respectively.) They are, and will remain in the business of moving tons of steel. Quality and customer satisfaction are top priority with Tornado, and it shows in their products. All of the people in the factory have been on fencing crews to see what a difference the quality makes, and how a bobble in the process can really flub things up in the field. Tornado was started by fence builders, and they are still there making sure that things are done right. One of the founders visited callmefence with me, and I think that Fence would agree that they take the fence business very seriously. You will always get dead even line wire tension with Tornado. Stay Tuff is the next best, in my testing, but always has a 20% variance in line wire tension on the same roll. Tornado just goes up easier and tighter. I've managed to get a few guys on here converted to our barbed wire, and they seem to be hooked. We also have 1/4 mile rolls of net and mile rolls of barbed, so for a serious contractor, we can help with efficiency. The best way to see the difference would be to give some a try one of these days. I think you'd be pleasantly surprised. Welcome to the forum. :wave:

 

[callmefence]

This is an interesting and informative thread. Glad I found it.

One question I have, mainly for Farm Fence Solutions, is are they any major differences between fixed knot Tornado wire and other fixed knot wire like Stay Tuff or Toughstrand?

Yes, in my opinion the differences are major. Tornado is a fence wire manufacturer, while Stay Tuff and Toughstrand are in the steel business. (Deacero Steel and Tree Island Steel, respectively.) They are, and will remain in the business of moving tons of steel. Quality and customer satisfaction are top priority with Tornado, and it shows in their products. All of the people in the factory have been on fencing crews to see what a difference the quality makes, and how a bobble in the process can really flub things up in the field. Tornado was started by fence builders, and they are still there making sure that things are done right. One of the founders visited callmefence with me, and I think that Fence would agree that they take the fence business very seriously. You will always get dead even line wire tension with Tornado. Stay Tuff is the next best, in my testing, but always has a 20% variance in line wire tension on the same roll. Tornado just goes up easier and tighter. I've managed to get a few guys on here converted to our barbed wire, and they seem to be hooked. We also have 1/4 mile rolls of net and mile rolls of barbed, so for a serious contractor, we can help with efficiency. The best way to see the difference would be to give some a try one of these days. I think you'd be pleasantly surprised. Welcome to the forum. :wave:

I couldn't imagine why a person would travel across a ocean. Then drive several hours to est lunch with a small town fence contractor.
To be quite honest I was expecting to meet a high pressure sales team. I even had my handler attend the meeting. Instead I met Stevie. Who simply wanted to talk fence, look at fence and I m pretty sure if had some ready he would have built some fence.
I'm not quite sure what's wrong with Stevie, but his passion can be seen in his product. Tornado wire.

 

[callmefence]

Sure sounds like your brace is giving. When your pulling a wire and the other wires get slack you braces are leaning in.
Build a stronger brace. In just black soil 3' is probably you problem. Another foot can make a big difference.
Good luck

Absolutely correct, upon closer inspection, the posts are loose. I can see a gap where they leaned. I'll need to go a foot deeper. Would it help to use quickrete or just more depth and tamping?

Thanks,

As far as fixing what you already have. The best solution is to make a double brace. And make sure you plant that new post to kingdom come. The brace has probably done most of its leaning as it's compacted some soil in doing so. Buy go ahead and get it fixed up right when you can. Because you can bet when it gives it will be when you don't have time to work on it.