Building New Fence

[dun]

I cut a piece off the end of a cattle panel and welded it to the post on the outside from the pull of the wire. Gives me something to keep the wire in the desired spot. The pros around here weld little loops @ half a buck a piece where they want the wire.

dun

 

[Cabo]

An empty barbed wire spool has some good ones on it, just cut'em off and weld'em on.

 

[backhoeboogie]

i like the idea of using the pipe but how do you connect the fence to it

For barbed wire, you start at one end of your fence run, wrap the wire around the pipe post, tie it off, unroll wire to the other end and attach fence stretcher. Once you have attached the wire to the fence stretcher and hooked the fence stretcher to post you intend to tie to, stretch the wire to desired tension. When all is tight, you will have a few inches between the place you are hooked on the wire and your post. Wrap the end of your wire around the post and tie, then release tension from your stretcher.

That's how I do it. I leave a tail on the end I am tying off and wrap it after I have stretched it with the stretcher. I put the stretcher end on the post and pull the wire to it.

For runs taking up more than one roll of wire (1320 feet), I stretch to the middle and splice. Just pull the two wire ends together with the stretcher.

 

[Earl Thigpen]

OK, folks, Here's the photo I promised you on "T" posts. I see from a few posts some of you are already crawfishin' - blaiming it on the type of cattle. Wish I had read that before I took the picture because I have another section of fence that is all cedar and it ain't layin' on the ground.

I'll have to admit that this fence is the last piece on a highway that I need to replace because it's been up for twenty-five + years and has a three to one "T" post to cedar. Notice, however, the wire. It's still not rusted. That's Goucho 15 1/2 ga. When it gets replaced it will be six wire Goucho and all 6" cedar.

 

[KenB]

OK, folks, Here's the photo I promised you on "T" posts. I see from a few posts some of you are already crawfishin' - blaiming it on the type of cattle. Wish I had read that before I took the picture because I have another section of fence that is all cedar and it ain't layin' on the ground.

I'll have to admit that this fence is the last piece on a highway that I need to replace because it's been up for twenty-five + years and has a three to one "T" post to cedar. Notice, however, the wire. It's still not rusted. That's Goucho 15 1/2 ga. When it gets replaced it will be six wire Goucho and all 6" cedar.

I'll bet the biggest problem was the 3 wires rather than the T posts.

 

[MillIronQH]

OK, folks, Here's the photo I promised you on "T" posts. I see from a few posts some of you are already crawfishin' - blaiming it on the type of cattle. Wish I had read that before I took the picture because I have another section of fence that is all cedar and it ain't layin' on the ground.

Actually my first thought was "the poor son ofa gun is in the blow sand and tomorrow those post will be leaning the other way.Z

 

[Caustic Burno]

Cows are going to test a fence whether it has three or six strands of wire. The grass is always greener on the other side.
Earl are they feeding through it or walking against it? Do you have a cow trail right down the fence? What is your soil type?
In the winter here it is so wet they will push almost anything over if you don't take proactive steps to prevent it.

 

[Earl Thigpen]

Cows are going to test a fence whether it has three or six strands of wire. The grass is always greener on the other side.
Earl are they feeding through it or walking against it? Do you have a cow trail right down the fence? What is your soil type?
In the winter here it is so wet they will push almost anything over if you don't take proactive steps to prevent it.

They're feedin' thru it, CB. And it's a four wire fence. The bottom wire is hard to see. Like I said, it's been there for many years and as you know the ground right under the fence has a tendency to build up. Top soil is loam but about a foot and a half down it's red clay. The spade on a 6 1/2' "T post will be in the clay.

Everywhere I have more than two "T" posts without a cedar post, the "T" posts all yield to the cattle tryin' to get that little piece of something on the other side when their standin' in belly deep coastal. You're right about them testin' the fence - all the time. But heck, I can bend a "T" post and I'm only 6'1" and don't weigh but 240. Put a 1500 pound cow against it and the post will bend like a noodle.

I use "T" posts, don't get me wrong. I use all "T" posts (except corners and braces) on cross fences. I use two and one on boundry fences. But I use all cedar against the road. I just can't afford to have one of them get out on the highway.

 

[Earl Thigpen]

OK, folks, Here's the photo I promised you on "T" posts. I see from a few posts some of you are already crawfishin' - blaiming it on the type of cattle. Wish I had read that before I took the picture because I have another section of fence that is all cedar and it ain't layin' on the ground.

Actually my first thought was "the poor son ofa gun is in the blow sand and tomorrow those post will be leaning the other way.Z

Well, you play the hand you were dealt. We can't all be so fortunate to live in such a wonderful smellin' place as Luling. :lol:

 

[backhoeboogie]

It looks to me like the wire is on the wrong side to be leaning like it is. I put my posts on my property and the wire on the line. Is that your neighbor's posts? If my cows were pushing, the posts would be 180 degrees and the wire would be on the outside. Essentially, it would be leaning the other way. That sure looks strange.

Saw a guy topping out his cedar posts today and he cut them flat on top. The old timers always cut them on an angle or else tapered.

 

[Caustic Burno]

Cows are going to test a fence whether it has three or six strands of wire. The grass is always greener on the other side.
Earl are they feeding through it or walking against it? Do you have a cow trail right down the fence? What is your soil type?
In the winter here it is so wet they will push almost anything over if you don't take proactive steps to prevent it.

They're feedin' thru it, CB. And it's a four wire fence. The bottom wire is hard to see. Like I said, it's been there for many years and as you know the ground right under the fence has a tendency to build up. Top soil is loam but about a foot and a half down it's red clay. The spade on a 6 1/2' "T post will be in the clay.

Everywhere I have more than two "T" posts without a cedar post, the "T" posts all yield to the cattle tryin' to get that little piece of something on the other side when their standin' in belly deep coastal. You're right about them testin' the fence - all the time. But heck, I can bend a "T" post and I'm only 6'1" and don't weigh but 240. Put a 1500 pound cow against it and the post will bend like a noodle.

I use "T" posts, don't get me wrong. I use all "T" posts (except corners and braces) on cross fences. I use two and one on boundry fences. But I use all cedar against the road. I just can't afford to have one of them get out on the highway.

Earl there is nothing wrong with the strands as I have them from three to nine depending what is in the pasture. Sounds like you don't have enough H brace's place them about a 100 feet apart, make sure your wire is on the inside so they are pushing against the H brace.

You have a couple of option's you can heat the fence up or go to your tire dealer in town.
They will give you all the old tires you can haul and place them down the fence, they will back off the fence.
I have a strech along the county road it is hotter than the hinges on the gates to hades with the tires down that run, they stay away from that fence.

 

[Fred]

Some people put their bottom wire so low it does no good. If you raise up the bottom wire you can have less space between your other wires. I prefer a 5 strand fence.

 

[Lee Beasley]

In my experiences 4wire barb wire fence with treated wood posts spaced 16ft to 20ft depending on the intensity of your grazing. T posts are in some cases cheaper but have there draw backs in dry areas they are easily loosen or come out of the ground on un even terrain. Most importantly make shure you have solid braces. I use 8ft treated cross members. Or else you can make a double brace if you only have 6ft cross members.

 

[Earl Thigpen]

Some people put their bottom wire so low it does no good. If you raise up the bottom wire you can have less space between your other wires. I prefer a 5 strand fence.

Couldn't agree with you more. This fence was built by my Dad a very long time ago and it is the last section I need to replace to have all of the outside fences upgraded. Over time the bottom wire gets lower to the ground or more accurately, the ground gets closer to the wire. This fence is more than 25 years old.

I usually set the bottom wire about 18" off the ground and go from there. calves small enough to get that low are more interested in their moma's teat than trying to get under the fence and the older stuff can't get that low.

 

[Earl Thigpen]

It looks to me like the wire is on the wrong side to be leaning like it is. I put my posts on my property and the wire on the line. Is that your neighbor's posts? If my cows were pushing, the posts would be 180 degrees and the wire would be on the outside. Essentially, it would be leaning the other way. That sure looks strange.

Saw a guy topping out his cedar posts today and he cut them flat on top. The old timers always cut them on an angle or else tapered.

Wire is on my property side and the posts are leaning toward the road (oposite the property). Looking at the picture my property is on the right and the road is on the left. If the wire was on the left side of the "T" posts (road side of the posts) the cattle would have pushed the clips off the posts and all the wire would be down.

Wire needs to be on the side of the posts where the load will be coming from, in this case the right side of the posts.

What you might be mistaking for wire is the clips that are used to hold the wire to the posts.

 

[MikeC]

Earl, If you put your wire closer together. (use 6 strands instead of 4) the cows wouldn't putting their heads through it,pushing on it, trying to reach the grass on the other side.

T posts leaning like that could have something to do with the type of soil you have also.

All my perimeter fences are 6 strands of gaucho with the spaces closer at the bottom than at the top.

 

[KenB]

Some people put their bottom wire so low it does no good. If you raise up the bottom wire you can have less space between your other wires. I prefer a 5 strand fence.

Couldn't agree with you more. This fence was built by my Dad a very long time ago and it is the last section I need to replace to have all of the outside fences upgraded. Over time the bottom wire gets lower to the ground or more accurately, the ground gets closer to the wire. This fence is more than 25 years old.I usually set the bottom wire about 18" off the ground and go from there. calves small enough to get that low are more interested in their moma's teat than trying to get under the fence and the older stuff can't get that low.

If this fence has been there 25 years why is the T posts just now giving you problems.

 

[Earl Thigpen]

Some people put their bottom wire so low it does no good. If you raise up the bottom wire you can have less space between your other wires. I prefer a 5 strand fence.

Couldn't agree with you more. This fence was built by my Dad a very long time ago and it is the last section I need to replace to have all of the outside fences upgraded. Over time the bottom wire gets lower to the ground or more accurately, the ground gets closer to the wire. This fence is more than 25 years old.I usually set the bottom wire about 18" off the ground and go from there. calves small enough to get that low are more interested in their moma's teat than trying to get under the fence and the older stuff can't get that low.

If this fence has been there 25 years why is the T posts just now giving you problems.

Oh it's not just now giving me problems. It's a battle all the time. The picture I took is just three of the worst "T" posts. I straigntened up the whole fence this past Summer, broke a couple of posts off in the process and had to replace them. They've got it pushed back over since May.

The point I've been trying to make all along is that if you don't want your stock on the road you might ought to think seriously about using something a little stronger than "T" posts. They really ain't that strong. And I would agree that if any 1500# animal wants on the other side there not a h--- of a lot you can do to prevent them from going - no matter what kind of fence you put up. Even electricity won't turn one if it's got its mind made up. I've said this several time before but when I build fence it's six wires and all cedar against the road, five wire two and one ("T"s to cedar) against my neighbors and all "T" posts on cross fences.