Electric fence first time. Questions ?

[jltrent]

Not sure the brand, but I know a guy who has one with Bluetooth tech he can check with his cell phone. He told me the cost which was $1200 so I was not interested.

I have had pretty good luck with Zarebas. I have a 100 mile and 200 mile going. If they don't take a direct hit fairly easy to fix. Usually just replace a bad transistor or diode and sometimes the module will go bad. I probably have 10 laying around I have fixed I bought cheap.

Here is a stack of 100 mile and 200 mile chargers I have and more laying around besides these that I have repaired.

 

[Allenw]

Have you put a tester to it? I have just never seen 8 joules from a battery energizer.

I don't have anything to test it with.

 

[Travlr]

I don't have anything to test it with.

Well you could always pee on it...

 

[sstterry]

Not sure the brand, but I know a guy who has one with Bluetooth tech he can check with his cell phone. He told me the cost which was $1200 so I was not interested.

I have had pretty good luck with Zarebas. I have a 100 mile and 200 mile going. If they don't take a direct hit fairly easy to fix. Usually just replace a bad transistor or diode and sometimes the module will go bad. I probably have 10 laying around I have fixed I bought cheap.

Here is a stack of 100 mile and 200 mile chargers I have and more laying around besides these that I have repaired.

The lightening arrestor on that bottom one works pretty well. But they are one and done.

 

[jltrent]

Farmworks and Zareba are the exact same charger except the Zareba is rated as 200 miles and the TSC Farmworks is rated at 240 miles. I don't remember what I repaired in those, but it was a fairly easy fix. The two boards that rides piggy back on the main board is usually a good place to start testing. I had one that took a direct hit a few years ago it was blowed off the wall as everything in it was fried. I have a 100 mile going on 4 years with know problem, but we have not had the electrical storms in the last few years like we had a few years ago. It seemed every time a storm came through it hit a tree behind my house then.

Another thing I do now I use to not do is make sure I have a pretty expensive surge protector I plug them into as power surges from the 110 will take them out.

 

[kenny thomas]

Farmworks and Zareba are the exact same charger except the Zareba is rated as 200 miles and the TSC Farmworks is rated at 240 miles. I don't remember what I repaired in those, but it was a fairly easy fix. The two boards that rides piggy back on the main board is usually a good place to start testing. I had one that took a direct hit a few years ago it was blowed off the wall as everything in it was fried. I have a 100 mile going on 4 years with know problem, but we have not had the electrical storms in the last few years like we had a few years ago. It seemed every time a storm came through it hit a tree behind my house then.

Look at the electric fence topic I posted a few days ago and never repair another charger.

 

[jltrent]

Look at the electric fence topic I posted a few days ago and never repair another charger.

I wish I has seen that before I bought a bunch of these. I have seen bugs get in between that and it will fry them.

 

[jscunn]

i agree with others had really good luck with cyclops chargers.. mostly the brute and super models.

 

[Allenw]

Well you could always pee on it...

Grandson got into his and said it has HOT, that's good enough for me.

 

[mayesfarm]

Aside from the charger, you need top quality wire and insulators also. I am a firm believer in Gallager and Speedrite for insulators and Beckart for wire. I am sure that there are other high quality manufacturers, I am just not aware of them. You really get what you pay for in electric fence material.

 

[daneg]

Generally speaking made in Australia or New Zealand are excellent fencers! I have been using Gallagher for years after trying lots of cheap ones, I think the next one will be a cyclops. The more joules the better.
I have began using a non contact voltage tester for electric fence testing they don't show voltage but you get to learn if they show voltage at 2-3ft away things are good, if you have to hold it within 1ft there is a problem somewhere.

 

[jltrent]

Bob Villa's best electric fence chargers for 2022 (He seems to like Parmak)

The Best Electric Fence Chargers of 2023

From small pests to larger predators, the best electric fence charger can protect your yard. View top recommendations here.

www.bobvila.com

Cyclops Electric Fence Chargers and Energizers | Mains Battery Solar

American Made Electric Fence Energizer Solutions. AC / Mains, Battery, and Solar Models. Cyclops Fence Chargers feature the worlds best lightning protection!

cyclopsfence.com

 

[Lee VanRoss]

I consider Mr. Villa's fence charger recommendations in the Wal-Mart (make another trip to town category).
For an energizer that will send a message to Garcia I would go with Cyclops or STAFIX or something of
similar quality.
In any case a good ground rod(S) (note plural) is very important. Another thing I feel is not emphasized on these pages
is never walk a cow over a wire (hot or not)! I use heavy copper for ground wire only. I also have several switches or cutoffs
so I do not have to energize the whole system to keep a hot wire next to stock.
Bottom line is it is your dime and your time. Me? I prefer not to get a call to come get cattle out of the neighbors $8 a
bushel corn field.

 

[wbvs58]

The biggest tip i can give anyone is, do have the unit unplugged when connecting earth to it, do not have it turned on while connecting earth wire whilst having your elbow touching the output.

Red, I read in our rural paper that the working dog that topped a big working dog sale last year, $27,000 I think got killed, it got caught up in an electric fence. No other details were given. It was a Kelpie.

Ken

 

[Josher]

For cheap electric fencers Patriot is our go to. Work excellent. We have 3 PBX200 ( battery powered) . If you don't mind spending a little more, Gallagher makes a good reliable fencer. No issues with ours plug in fencers. We've tried parmak and both have failed.
And a tool that has saved me a lot of time when checking electric fence, is Gallagher's Fault Finder. Quick voltage test and shows the amps with an arrow pointing you to the problem in the fence. Isn't perfect but has saved me a lot of time. These would be my suggestions.

 

[Redgully]

Red, I read in our rural paper that the working dog that topped a big working dog sale last year, $27,000 I think got killed, it got caught up in an electric fence. No other details were given. It was a Kelpie.

Ken

Wonder if the fence wire pierced his skin somehow, if you've ever got zapped in a cut it is a whole other level of pain and I'm guessing you wouldn't be able to sustain that very long. I had i heifer get caught in a fence once, she can't have been there longer than an hour but I'm not sure how long. She was lying down just twitching with the impulse. I thought she was done. Got a rope and dragged her out, she got up and started grazing like nothing had happened. But she wasn't in calf.

 

[wbvs58]

Wonder if the fence wire pierced his skin somehow, if you've ever got zapped in a cut it is a whole other level of pain and I'm guessing you wouldn't be able to sustain that very long. I had i heifer get caught in a fence once, she can't have been there longer than an hour but I'm not sure how long. She was lying down just twitching with the impulse. I thought she was done. Got a rope and dragged her out, she got up and started grazing like nothing had happened. But she wasn't in calf.

My bush block along the border has an old netting fence for dogs, it was put there many years ago by the people on the NSW side. I latter years they put a low hot wire on it to stop the dogs from digging under. It was not uncommon to find an echidna zapped by it. They go under the wire OK but get zapped and their spikes become erect like a bridegrooms penis and of course they can't back out.

Ken

 

[jltrent]

I consider Mr. Villa's fence charger recommendations in the Wal-Mart (make another trip to town category).
For an energizer that will send a message to Garcia I would go with Cyclops or STAFIX or something of
similar quality.
In any case a good ground rod(S) (note plural) is very important. Another thing I feel is not emphasized on these pages
is never walk a cow over a wire (hot or not)! I use heavy copper for ground wire only. I also have several switches or cutoffs
so I do not have to energize the whole system to keep a hot wire next to stock.
Bottom line is it is your dime and your time. Me? I prefer not to get a call to come get cattle out of the neighbors $8 a
bushel corn field.

From my understanding you are saying a Lexus will have less problems than a Honda!

 

[dave_shelby]

My old Parmak Super 5 got hit by lightening. I'm going to take it apart today but looking at new ones. I have a Cyclops Super on another fence which has been superb. However they are now 500 dollars up about 100 from 2018. So I'm debating - another Parmak or something else less expensive? Anyone had any luck with Patriot PMX1500?

 

[jltrent]

My old Parmak Super 5 got hit by lightening. I'm going to take it apart today but looking at new ones. I have a Cyclops Super on another fence which has been superb. However they are now 500 dollars up about 100 from 2018. So I'm debating - another Parmak or something else less expensive? Anyone had any luck with Patriot PMX1500?

If not a direct hit and you have a dealer close to get certain parts then it should be able to be fixed reasonable. On the main boards check the diodes as they should only let current go one way. If they test both ways then it is bad. On the transistors allow 3 way in a certain direction and if they test letting go more ways then they are bad. I have several old boards I pull parts from as a little tinkering and I usually can get them back to ticking. I have 3 different testers for different issues. I miss my local Radio Shack.


Warning:
If you take it a part cross the capacitor over with a screw driver or you may get a pop you remember the rest of your life.