Cattle pens

[Anonymous]

I am going to be buiding some new cattle pens for the ranch I am working on, and would like an opinion on the post spacing.

I plan to make the pen out of 2 3/8" pipe for the posts and rails, and the corner posts will be 4 1/2" pipe. The pens will be 64" tall with 3 rails all the way around (1 on top, 1 in middle, and 1 that is 4" off the ground). I am going to weld 60" x 20' cattle panel to the pipe rails all the way around.

My question is, do you think I should space the posts 8' or 10' apart, or maybe something else?

By the way, I can get new 2 3/8" pipe in my area (Central Texas) for .89 ft. 4 1/2" heavy wall split pipe posts (8') are $12.95 each. What's it selling for where you are at?

 

[Anonymous]

Unless you're going to be handling elephants,10' seems pretty sturdy with pipe that big. Your pipe is probably in 20' sticks right? I used the bull panels in my pens but against wooden posts with only a cross member at the top to keep the panels stretched. Results were not delightful. The bull panels will hold anything, but without the horizontal support, they will "bulge" out from the cattle crowding it. Better for you, the panels will be welded rather than stapled. I should think the center rail should be at about the same height as the center of the cow's belly. If the pipe is cheap enough to warrant, I would just say the heck with panels and build it 5 or six rail pipe only. I think that is the only way I will build if I do again on my own land and not leased. Then again, everyone's got an opinion.

> I am going to be buiding some new
> cattle pens for the ranch I am
> working on, and would like an
> opinion on the post spacing.

> I plan to make the pen out of 2
> 3/8" pipe for the posts and
> rails, and the corner posts will
> be 4 1/2" pipe. The pens will
> be 64" tall with 3 rails all
> the way around (1 on top, 1 in
> middle, and 1 that is 4" off
> the ground). I am going to weld
> 60" x 20' cattle panel to the
> pipe rails all the way around.

> My question is, do you think I
> should space the posts 8' or 10'
> apart, or maybe something else?

> By the way, I can get new 2
> 3/8" pipe in my area (Central
> Texas) for .89 ft. 4 1/2"
> heavy wall split pipe posts (8')
> are $12.95 each. What's it selling
> for where you are at?

 

[Anonymous]

Can't help you with the spacing, but after just completing over 4500 feet of pipe and cable fencing along with about 1000 ft of non climb wire, I found the best prices in Oklahoma at J & I Mfg...I paid .80 a ft for new 2 3/8" pipe in 32 ft joints....seems to me the 4 1/2" schedule 40 (1/4" wall) was around $2.25 a ft or so....I bought my cable and horse wire there also...they are very easy to deal with and have everything you will need there. They carry all the pipe caps and hinges for the gates, they sell the primer and paint...they have a web site with all the current prices ...jandimfg.com.... good luck, you got some work ahead of ya!

 

[Anonymous]

we got the pipe in 32' sticks so we could get 4 eight footers out of each joint..we drilled a hole 3' deep and then cemented the pipe and that left around 5' out of the ground....we spaced our corners / braces 8' apart for the same reasons..but they do sell the pipe in 21'-24'-32' joints.

 

[Anonymous]

> I am going to be buiding some new
> cattle pens for the ranch I am
> working on, and would like an
> opinion on the post spacing.

> I plan to make the pen out of 2
> 3/8" pipe for the posts and
> rails, and the corner posts will
> be 4 1/2" pipe. The pens will
> be 64" tall with 3 rails all
> the way around (1 on top, 1 in
> middle, and 1 that is 4" off
> the ground). I am going to weld
> 60" x 20' cattle panel to the
> pipe rails all the way around.

> My question is, do you think I
> should space the posts 8' or 10'
> apart, or maybe something else?

> By the way, I can get new 2
> 3/8" pipe in my area (Central
> Texas) for .89 ft. 4 1/2"
> heavy wall split pipe posts (8')
> are $12.95 each. What's it selling
> for where you are at?

For what little its worth, when I built my pens I used 8' spacing and it has worked out O.K. My pen height was 5 1/2 feet which is just a tad higher than the 64" that you are considering, but I wish I had made it at least 6 1/2 feet high to more readily discourage jumpers. My cattle are all pretty docile, but I have had a few that just went beserk in the pens and 5 1/4 feet high walls definitely did not stop them. I have one wild ass that we have tried four times to haul away and each time she has cleared the pen. My hauler and I finally decided that, short of using a tranquilizer on her, we are going to have to get a real cowboy over to my place and rope her in order to have a chance at getting her loaded --- if I just don't lose my temper and put a bullet between her eyes before then!

 

[Anonymous]

I didn't realize the joints were those lengths. That being the case, seems like 8'is the way to go. I want to do steel pipe so bad I can taste it. But all my pastures are leased and it wouldn't be a wise investment.

> we got the pipe in 32' sticks so
> we could get 4 eight footers out
> of each joint..we drilled a hole
> 3' deep and then cemented the pipe
> and that left around 5' out of the
> ground....we spaced our corners /
> braces 8' apart for the same
> reasons..but they do sell the pipe
> in 21'-24'-32' joints.

 

[Anonymous]

We do our pipe fence posts 10 feet on center. Works for us!

Pipe around here is within 5 cents a foot of what your paying. Price varies little depending on size of our order and whether we get it out of Altus, OK or Abilene, TX.

[email protected]

 

[Anonymous]

. I want to do steel pipe so bad
> I can taste it.

I know what you mean, I really had to pucker up when it came time to do this, it cost us a small fortune, and I came soo close to just running barbed wire and t-posts around the place, but my wife kept telling me to look at it as an investment and how much happier I would be with the pipe and cable! I am very happy with the way it turned out, but I could of bought a nice new pickup for what that fence cost me too!