Continuous Fence Question

[JSteim]

I have some 20 foot continuous fence panels to build a working pen. I have never built this kind of fence before.
Since the fence is all metal I would think it expands and contracts a fair amount as temps change.
How do you account for this expansion when putting in the corner posts? I assume you need to leave some amount of slack where the panels connect so that it does not bind when it heats up.
For example the first side I want to put up is nominally 80 feet long made up of 4 20 foot panels. How far apart should my corner posts be for this?

 

[callmefence]

I have some 20 foot continuous fence panels to build a working pen. I have never built this kind of fence before.
Since the fence is all metal I would think it expands and contracts a fair amount as temps change.
How do you account for this expansion when putting in the corner posts? I assume you need to leave some amount of slack where the panels connect so that it does not bind when it heats up.
For example the first side I want to put up is nominally 80 feet long made up of 4 20 foot panels. How far apart should my corner posts be for this?

Depending on brand.
Typically at the corners you try to meet female ends. Or cut off the male end. One end will extend to the outside edge off the corner post. The other will either butt up to the panel or extend past the post and cover the end off the first panel , then it gets welded up. It's pretty simple to get a tape measure and do a little math. If it makes you feel better set them a couple of inches wide and let the slack be left in the male to female connections.

We've found expansion joints to be needed only in lines over 300 ' in our climate.

 

[Rajela]

Your over thinking this...no need to worry about expansion.