Fence- Line Posts -Recommendations

[lukem86]

Im in the process of gathering fence materials for this spring...

What do you think are the most cost effective line posts to use for high tensile fence. I have looked all over the internet the best deal I can find on fiberglass rods 6' length is at Kencove.


I have heard of guys using used oilfield pipe, but being in wisconsin i dont know where any of this is readily available.

Also, the fence planner i am using recommends 11/16" fiberglass rods, Kencove doesnt carry this size, could a guy skimp and use 1/2".

Just to specify the fence is for beef cows...

What do you guys recommend?

 

[frenchie]

Im in the process of gathering fence materials for this spring...

What do you think are the most cost effective line posts to use for high tensile fence. I have looked all over the internet the best deal I can find on fiberglass rods 6' length is at Kencove.


I have heard of guys using used oilfield pipe, but being in wisconsin i dont know where any of this is readily available.

Also, the fence planner i am using recommends 11/16" fiberglass rods, Kencove doesnt carry this size, could a guy skimp and use 1/2".

Just to specify the fence is for beef cows...

What do you guys recommend?

Use good quality pressure treated wood posts posts. Put in good solid corners.. I like to overbuild my corners...I use 8 or 10 ft post driven in 4 ft with a backhoe .

Then your line posts can be up to 50 ft apart or more( depending on your ground terrain) and 6 ft 3 to 4 inche in diam.

I don,t like fibreglass unless it is tempory fence.

 

[SF]

I've never used fiberglass, thus have no experience. I use 6" diameter posts, 8' long. 3' concrete into ground. I overbuild my corners. I put my line posts about 650' down the fence line. I use three posts together and brace them from top to bottom. I use steel t posts about 15 feet apart for the rest of the line. For fence material I use field fence with a barbed wire on the bottom. This keeps the cattle in and the predators out.

 

[Running Arrow Bill]

Im in the process of gathering fence materials for this spring...

What do you think are the most cost effective line posts to use for high tensile fence. I have looked all over the internet the best deal I can find on fiberglass rods 6' length is at Kencove.


I have heard of guys using used oilfield pipe, but being in wisconsin i dont know where any of this is readily available.

Also, the fence planner i am using recommends 11/16" fiberglass rods, Kencove doesnt carry this size, could a guy skimp and use 1/2".

Just to specify the fence is for beef cows...

What do you guys recommend?

Is your "fence planner" a livestock fence person or a salesman?? Can make a lot of difference.

Don't know about your location or high tensile fence. We put in welded corner brace units using 2-3/8 and 2-7/8" used well pipe set 3' deep in concrete. Then, steel T-posts 10 feet apart to support 6 strands of barbed wire on our cattle fencing. We're in deep sandy soil here so we use 8' t-posts driven 2.5' into the ground.

Our fence people are specialists in livestock fencing and put in quality livestock fencing...trust your fence people are similar.

 

[El_Putzo]

You guys have "Fence people" in your area?? Wow, that's a first. Never heard of that. Oh well, I guess if they can make a go of it, more power to 'em.

 

[CKC1586]

One of my "mentors" is a "fence guy" and he has been fencing for about 25 years, more work than he could keep up with. He has fenced horse farms, cattle farms, expressways, airports, you name it. He has tried to retire for the last 4 years and has slowed down to the point he will only do a job or two a year for friends.
He redid the paddocks at my brothers farm and he uses fiberglass poles and high tinsel wire.

 

[eric]

You guys have "Fence people" in your area?? Wow, that's a first. Never heard of that. Oh well, I guess if they can make a go of it, more power to 'em.

Actually there are quite a few of them around here, some good and some not so good! I had about 5500' of 5' pipe and cable put in last yr, it took a crew of 4 guys about 3-4 weeks to do all the digging, welding, cutting and pipe stringing and brace welding and coping. it would of taken me about a yr of working weekends to do that job, or I would of had to spend all of my time off working on the fence and then nothing else gets done around here.

 

[lukem86]

When I said fence planner, I really wasnt referring to an actual person... I got a pamphlet from Common Sense Fence (geotek inc)... just for a guide. Im a high-tensile virgin so I sent off for this thing.

They call for the 11/16" fiberglass line posts they manufacture, for a 4 ft high fence. They run $4.65 a piece. The 1/2" posts at Kencove I believe run for about $2.50, so that is why i was curious if you could use these instead of the more expensive geotek posts.

The lowest priced 6' T-posts i could find run for $3.25 a piece. I may just invest in those, but just thought that fiberglass would be easier as far as insulating etc.

 

[Scotty]

You guys have "Fence people" in your area?? Wow, that's a first. Never heard of that. Oh well, I guess if they can make a go of it, more power to 'em.

Yep, bet if I thought about it long enough I could find you a wise ass that could tell you how to do anything.


Scotty

 

[dun]

When I said fence planner, I really wasnt referring to an actual person... I got a pamphlet from Common Sense Fence (geotek inc)... just for a guide. Im a high-tensile virgin so I sent off for this thing.

They call for the 11/16" fiberglass line posts they manufacture, for a 4 ft high fence. They run $4.65 a piece. The 1/2" posts at Kencove I believe run for about $2.50, so that is why i was curious if you could use these instead of the more expensive geotek posts.

The lowest priced 6' T-posts i could find run for $3.25 a piece. I may just invest in those, but just thought that fiberglass would be easier as far as insulating etc.

If the 11/16 are the type we've used, you drill a hole through it at the height of the wire and use a cotter key sort of deal to fasten the wire to the fence. The 1/2 ones you don;t want to drill, there is a specific fastener that goes on them that the wire snaps into.
When we did the 11/16th posts a neigbor went to someplace in N MO and picked up a punch of fiberglass sucker rod. We just cut them to the appropriate length. A lot cheaper, but they weren't UV stabilized and started to shed splinters within a couple of years.

dun

 

[TheBullLady]

Oh THAT'S the deal with those nasty splinters! I wondered about that. We have some old Tractor Supply posts that you need gloves to pull out or put insulators on. I HATE those things.

Thanks for the information dun!

 

[dun]

Oh THAT'S the deal with those nasty splinters! I wondered about that. We have some old Tractor Supply posts that you need gloves to pull out or put insulators on. I HATE those things.

Thanks for the information dun!

Depending on the size of the post it adds about a dime to quarter per post for the UV stabilized ones.

dun

 

[eric]

The lowest priced 6' T-posts i could find run for $3.25 a piece. I may just invest in those, but just thought that fiberglass would be easier as far as insulating etc.

If you go the t-post route, then you'll have to buy the yellow plastic insulators that snap on the t-posts. Here they run about $4 for a bag of 25. Warning: I've had better luck with the short ones that the long insulators, as it seems the longer ones seem to break off easier.

 

[Farmhand]

We use wood posts for our high tensile also. Agree with overbuilding the corners! Nice trick for the corner is to wrap around the outside of the post. We cut up garden hose into chunks, run the wire through, then staple the hose to the post. We fasten the wire to the inside of the line, then go to the outside at the corner, then come back to the inside going down the next line. We prefer to use all wood posts but can't sometimes so then we go every 4th wood with the 3 in between being t-posts. Has anyone tried the black plastic posts that are the same size as wood posts? We rebuilt some pens with them and really liked them but they are a bit spendy.

 

[dun]

We use T-posts for all of our line posts and use the insulators that are snug to the post. The deal with those is also to get the ones that are UV stabilized. Most of the really inexpensive yellow ones aren't. When they break down inside or just break they're a situation of being "penny wise and pound foolish"

dun

 

[rws]

You guys have "Fence people" in your area?? Wow, that's a first. Never heard of that. Oh well, I guess if they can make a go of it, more power to 'em.

Actually there are quite a few of them around here, some good and some not so good! I had about 5500' of 5' pipe and cable put in last yr, it took a crew of 4 guys about 3-4 weeks to do all the digging, welding, cutting and pipe stringing and brace welding and coping. it would of taken me about a yr of working weekends to do that job, or I would of had to spend all of my time off working on the fence and then nothing else gets done around here.

eric tell me more about your pipe and cable fence,what kind of cable (2) what was the spacing on your pipe post, seems like the 5in pipe would get pretty expensive, whats the comparison to wood post i believe your fence would be the best ive seen tell me more im getting ready to do some fencing thanks rws

 

[Cattle Rack Rancher]

I use railway ties for my corners. 8' long. My line posts are green treated 5-6" Diameter posts 6' long. My posts are spaced at about 65' and this seems to work pretty well. The guy before me put his posts 90' apart. That's a little too far as there is alot of sway and when you try to tighten it to get rid of it, it tends to pulld ou the corner posts. Good Luck.

 

[Medic24]

Thank goodness I have a pasture full of yellow lucust! Free fence posts! :cboy: