Electric Fence grounding

[Redgully]

I run three wires, middle wire is earth and i just run it through holes in star pickets and i find that creates a great earth. I don't bother with earth stakes at all with this system and it will nearly dislocate a finger if you touch it without touching the earth wire. Don't ask me how i know!

 

[JMJ Farms]

I was referring to the wire you just added when I spoke of a "ground" wire.Sorry for the confusion.
Sounds like you have a well put together set up which should hold any reasonable stock.

No worries. I am easily confused at times. Got done with everything except driving the ground rods and hanging the energizer and the gates. I think tomorrow will wind this project up. Anxious to see what the tester says.

Just for fun and possible confusion,try testing the fence with the ground lead of the tester to the soil.Then,ground it to your dedicated ground wire in the fence.
I'd be interested to see what,if any,difference you find.

Checked the readings today.
8000 volts - reading on box display
6200 volts - reading from meter with ground probe lying on top of soil
7200 volts - reading with ground probe inserted into soil
9600 volts - reading from hot wire to ground wire

Didn't check hot wire to ground rod. Pretty decent considering how dry we are.

 

[JW IN VA]

That fence set up will "light one up" no matter how dry you are.It proves that having a dedicated grounding wire or wires in a fence line will make it hotter overall and certainly will be a big help in a dry time.

6000 volts should be plenty hot enough for cattle but you've got one they will respect more. Good job.Well worth the extra effort.

 

[greggy]

I run three wires, middle wire is earth and i just run it through holes in star pickets and i find that creates a great earth. I don't bother with earth stakes at all with this system and it will nearly dislocate a finger if you touch it without touching the earth wire. Don't ask me how i know!

The good thing about metal fences, is they are just one big earth, with metal stakes every 15 feet or so....

 

[Redgully]

I run three wires, middle wire is earth and i just run it through holes in star pickets and i find that creates a great earth. I don't bother with earth stakes at all with this system and it will nearly dislocate a finger if you touch it without touching the earth wire. Don't ask me how i know!

The good thing about metal fences, is they are just one big earth, with metal stakes every 15 feet or so....

That's how i see it, any ring lock fence i have is hooked straight to the earth on the energiser.

 

[Texasmark]

Have a watering trough near the fence? Windmill?
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Install a double 14 Ga. line spaced as allowable....18-24" apart, top wire 3' off the ground. Cows love the "Grass is greener on the other side of the fence". Leaning over and enjoying, matters not, "earth" grounded or not, If the top wire doesn't get them right off, when the brisket hits the lower wire and completes the circuit. :welcome: ! Don't worry about the little "brats" getting out....they'll come home when it's chow time. After the cows know the fence is there (guess how...grin), they'll stay away from it.......they may still enjoy the grass is greener, but won't touch the top wire.
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Crazy as it may sound but once I saw a 20ish herd in good sized acreage, maybe 30 acres, pretty flat land, and there was only one wire about 12" high. As I passed I noticed cows standing adjacent to it but none on the other side...grass neatly trimmed about as far out as their mouth could reach. I said I saw it, didn't say I'd do it. :tiphat:

 

[JMJ Farms]

Crazy as it may sound but once I saw a 20ish herd in good sized acreage, maybe 30 acres, pretty flat land, and there was only one wire about 12" high. As I passed I noticed cows standing adjacent to it but none on the other side...grass neatly trimmed about as far out as their mouth could reach. I said I saw it, didn't say I'd do it. :tiphat:

I heard (didn't see) of a guy that had a hot wire about 4" above the ground that his cows would not cross. I'd have to see it to believe it but I guess it could work in the right situation with trained, unpressured cows.
Once when moving cows across a county highway, I've had a cow that absolutely refused to cross asphalt even when we were putting extreme pressure on her. Fear is hard to overcome.

 

[Texasmark]

Crazy as it may sound but once I saw a 20ish herd in good sized acreage, maybe 30 acres, pretty flat land, and there was only one wire about 12" high. As I passed I noticed cows standing adjacent to it but none on the other side...grass neatly trimmed about as far out as their mouth could reach. I said I saw it, didn't say I'd do it. :tiphat:

I heard (didn't see) of a guy that had a hot wire about 4" above the ground that his cows would not cross. I'd have to see it to believe it but I guess it could work in the right situation with trained, unpressured cows.
Once when moving cows across a county highway, I've had a cow that absolutely refused to cross asphalt even when we were putting extreme pressure on her. Fear is hard to overcome.

I don't know the origin of the fear, but cattle guards work....rumor has it that their hooves slip on the top rails (railroad siding rails for the runners) and hooves slide down and get jammed on the T bottom causing pain. Couple of times doing that, like 2 steps into the guard and that's the end of that.

On challenging a fence, herd mentality, if properly provoked as we all know will challenge the best of them, regardless of type.

 

[Rgv3180]

Two things happen on our farm
Perimeter fence is t post and barb wire, then we run spilts for rotational grazing between them.
We use the perimeter fence as ground with one ground rod just because. Works great.
Bottom ground with perimeter as high tensile is top ground , two hots in between, bottom ground.
This way a limb (not a tree) won't foul fence from top, grass won't mess with from bottom.
We attach ground lines direct with clips from t post purchase.
Great ground, small calves have a learning experience, and we have disconnect for lower hot line early in season when grass is strong, so no probs there.
We fall calve, so by time sep come we turn on bottom line to keep little buggers in.

 

[Texasmark]

Two things happen on our farm
Perimeter fence is t post and barb wire, then we run spilts for rotational grazing between them.
We use the perimeter fence as ground with one ground rod just because. Works great.
Bottom ground with perimeter as high tensile is top ground , two hots in between, bottom ground.
This way a limb (not a tree) won't foul fence from top, grass won't mess with from bottom.
We attach ground lines direct with clips from t post purchase.
Great ground, small calves have a learning experience, and we have disconnect for lower hot line early in season when grass is strong, so no probs there.
We fall calve, so by time sep come we turn on bottom line to keep little buggers in.

We have all experienced the fact that sometimes mommy leaves the little "imp" along the fence row. For some unknown reason the little brat always seems to get up on the wrong side and has slow brain development as they don't have sense enough to find their way back to mommy, even with her bellering. I used to go to the trouble of retrieving them but after awhile, just let them figure out how to get back when they get hungry enough.

 

[sstterry]

Michale,

What energizer are you using?

 

[JMJ Farms]

Michale,

What energizer are you using?

Can't recollect the modelnumber but it's an AC Parmak "6.something" Joule charger.