fence tips and tricks

[callmefence]

We live where the farm ground meets the reclaimed coal mine ground and the hilly timber land. We have a few small squares around with string on them, but it's gotta be an emergency to feed them around here! Mostly big rounds, but I do have a neighbor with a big square baler.

The water gap tin is screwed to a treated 2x6. The 2x6 is bolted to gate hinges.....the kind you would use for a wooden gate, since they already have holes for carriage bolts. The female end of the gate hinge is threaded on to the cable. We usually hang the tin after the boards are hung and the cable is stretched. Sucker will get heavier than one man can handle pretty quick.

Very good idea farm fence.

Sometimes on a gap that's steep banked and requires frequent maintenance. We mount a 20.00 winch on one side so it can be lowered repaired and raised easily.

I like that idea! If my post driver is handy, I'll build mine on the ground and winch/crane them across. (I'll dig out a picture of my driver, and this will make more sense.) You just leave the winch at the gap and pack a battery to it?

I'm talking about a manual winch. Like you would find on a boat trailer. Welded to the brace post on one side.

 

[Bigfoot]

Farm Fence,

I notice your not working with pipe. It's really not available here, and even if it was, I'm not set up to weld on the go. Therefore, I'm relegated to making corners out of wood. How do you attach your crossmember? I do an H between 2 post, and an angle between the other 2 (if that makes sense). I've been notching the post a little an cutting a point on my cross member. I'm going to start drilling through the post, and driving a piece of rebar in the future.

 

[M-5]

Farm Fence,

I notice your not working with pipe. It's really not available here, and even if it was, I'm not set up to weld on the go. Therefore, I'm relegated to making corners out of wood. How do you attach your crossmember? I do an H between 2 post, and an angle between the other 2 (if that makes sense). I've been notching the post a little an cutting a point on my cross member. I'm going to start drilling through the post, and driving a piece of rebar in the future.

Just a quick tip. broken wheel rake teeth(the part that stays on the wheel) makes excellent post pins. I just take the cut off wheel and cut them a few inches shorter at a sharp angle and then just drill the vertical post and drive it into the horizontal post

 

[Bigfoot]

Farm Fence,

I notice your not working with pipe. It's really not available here, and even if it was, I'm not set up to weld on the go. Therefore, I'm relegated to making corners out of wood. How do you attach your crossmember? I do an H between 2 post, and an angle between the other 2 (if that makes sense). I've been notching the post a little an cutting a point on my cross member. I'm going to start drilling through the post, and driving a piece of rebar in the future.

Just a quick tip. broken wheel rake teeth(the part that stays on the wheel) makes excellent post pins. I just take the cut off wheel and cut them a few inches shorter at a sharp angle and then just drill the vertical post and drive it into the horizontal post

Good tip

 

[RanchMan90]

Farm Fence,

I notice your not working with pipe. It's really not available here, and even if it was, I'm not set up to weld on the go. Therefore, I'm relegated to making corners out of wood. How do you attach your crossmember? I do an H between 2 post, and an angle between the other 2 (if that makes sense). I've been notching the post a little an cutting a point on my cross member. I'm going to start drilling through the post, and driving a piece of rebar in the future.

Drilling a hole through the posts and putting all thread thru the pipe crossmember with a nut on each end works well and looks clean too.

 

[Farm Fence Solutions]

Farm Fence,

I notice your not working with pipe. It's really not available here, and even if it was, I'm not set up to weld on the go. Therefore, I'm relegated to making corners out of wood. How do you attach your crossmember? I do an H between 2 post, and an angle between the other 2 (if that makes sense). I've been notching the post a little an cutting a point on my cross member. I'm going to start drilling through the post, and driving a piece of rebar in the future.

I use 3/8" galvanized brace pins. 5" on one end, and 10" on the other......Drill a shallow hole (2.5" or so) in your strainer, and a hole all the way through your brace post. Drill a hole dead center of your strut on both ends. Use the short pin in the shallow hole, and slide one end of your strut on to it. Line up the hole in your brace post with the hole in the other end of your strut, and drive your long pin in. Leave an inch or so of the long pin sticking out, and it makes a great place for your brace wire to ride.
You are better off if you can avoid notching on an H brace, and you can save a little cash by using wire instead of your second angled strut, and it will be stronger as well. Anytime you cut into your treated posts, they should be sealed back up if possible......Even creosote. Pipe is not really available economically in these parts either, but that's not something I fret over. Pipe and wood both have their place.
I've got several braces to build tomorrow, so I'll try to get some pictures of our process.

 

[Farm Fence Solutions]

I'm talking about a manual winch. Like you would find on a boat trailer. Welded to the brace post on one side.[/quote]


Ahhhhhh. That makes more sense. I took the 20.00 as a 2,000lb winch instead of $20.00 winch. I'm going to go ahead and steal that idea if you don't mind.

 

[M-5]

Farm Fence,

I notice your not working with pipe. It's really not available here, and even if it was, I'm not set up to weld on the go. Therefore, I'm relegated to making corners out of wood. How do you attach your crossmember? I do an H between 2 post, and an angle between the other 2 (if that makes sense). I've been notching the post a little an cutting a point on my cross member. I'm going to start drilling through the post, and driving a piece of rebar in the future.

Just a quick tip. broken wheel rake teeth(the part that stays on the wheel) makes excellent post pins. I just take the cut off wheel and cut them a few inches shorter at a sharp angle and then just drill the vertical post and drive it into the horizontal post

Good tip

I like to turn the hook up and leave a couple inches sticking out in case I want to hang something on that corner or gate post like the lock a chain a extra strainer or strainer tighter, you get the point .

 

[callmefence]

Farm Fence what general area of the country are you in?

We are in SW Indiana.

Thanks. When you talk about ways to do things it helps to know the kind of area someone is in.

Farm Fence. Jed hates building fence more than grit hates deadbeats. He was bout to try to put you to work. ;-)

 

[True Grit Farms]

Just a quick tip. broken wheel rake teeth(the part that stays on the wheel) makes excellent post pins. I just take the cut off wheel and cut them a few inches shorter at a sharp angle and then just drill the vertical post and drive it into the horizontal post

Good tip

I like to turn the hook up and leave a couple inches sticking out in case I want to hang something on that corner or gate post like the lock a chain a extra strainer or strainer tighter, you get the point .

Or maybe a Carhartt jacket. :hide:

 

[Farm Fence Solutions]

We are in SW Indiana.

Thanks. When you talk about ways to do things it helps to know the kind of area someone is in.

Farm Fence. Jed hates building fence more than grit hates deadbeats. He was bout to try to put you to work. ;-)

If it gets much colder up here, I just might be hunting for a little day work somewhere south and sunny. :lol:

 

[jedstivers]

Thanks. When you talk about ways to do things it helps to know the kind of area someone is in.

Farm Fence. Jed hates building fence more than grit hates deadbeats. He was bout to try to put you to work. ;-)

If it gets much colder up here, I just might be hunting for a little day work somewhere south and sunny. :lol:

Pay isn't very good here though.

 

[wbvs58]

Farm Fence. Jed hates building fence more than grit hates deadbeats. He was bout to try to put you to work. ;-)

If it gets much colder up here, I just might be hunting for a little day work somewhere south and sunny. :lol:

Pay isn't very good here though.

The moneys good just not much of it.

Do you get paid weekly? Yes very weekly.

Ken

 

[ddd75]

Farm Fence,

I notice your not working with pipe. It's really not available here, and even if it was, I'm not set up to weld on the go. Therefore, I'm relegated to making corners out of wood. How do you attach your crossmember? I do an H between 2 post, and an angle between the other 2 (if that makes sense). I've been notching the post a little an cutting a point on my cross member. I'm going to start drilling through the post, and driving a piece of rebar in the future.

I use 3/8" galvanized brace pins. 5" on one end, and 10" on the other......Drill a shallow hole (2.5" or so) in your strainer, and a hole all the way through your brace post. Drill a hole dead center of your strut on both ends. Use the short pin in the shallow hole, and slide one end of your strut on to it. Line up the hole in your brace post with the hole in the other end of your strut, and drive your long pin in. Leave an inch or so of the long pin sticking out, and it makes a great place for your brace wire to ride.
You are better off if you can avoid notching on an H brace, and you can save a little cash by using wire instead of your second angled strut, and it will be stronger as well. Anytime you cut into your treated posts, they should be sealed back up if possible......Even creosote. Pipe is not really available economically in these parts either, but that's not something I fret over. Pipe and wood both have their place.
I've got several braces to build tomorrow, so I'll try to get some pictures of our process.

i switched to using 10" ones on every end. 2.5" holding a post isn't enough for me.

 

[ddd75]

how much do you charge to fence? per ft?

 

[Farm Fence Solutions]

how much do you charge to fence? per ft?

That is a question that I get asked at least twice a day, and there really isn't any way to answer it without more detail about the job. Let's say you have 18 miles of nice flat ground with all 1/2 mile stretches, no rock, no creeks to cross, no minefield of fiber optic and gas lines, and all the gates will go at an end or a corner. You decide on 1147-12 Torus knot HT woven with a strand of 14ga HT 4 point on top with all CCA posts. I could get something like that done for less than $2.00/ft. If it's 150' with three corners and a gate smack dab in the middle of the "long" stretch, a little rock, one creek, I've got to put up a temporary hot wire before we can tear out the old, and you decide on 1972-2 with a barb under and two barbs over with creosote posts 8' on center, it's going to be somewhere north of $35.00/ft. I guess the short answer is that a good size pasture fence (1/2 mile or more with HT net and a barb on top) should cost in the $3.00 range, give or take a dollar. Contractors in Southern Indiana and Kentucky seem to run within pennies of each other, so that should be similar to what you find locally. Ground conditions make a difference, but pattern of wire, size of posts, spacing of posts, and type of posts make the biggest difference in cost. I hope that was helpful, and that it wasn't construed as advertising......I've got plenty to do as it is! :deadhorse: What part of KY are you in?

 

[ddd75]

how much do you charge to fence? per ft?

That is a question that I get asked at least twice a day, and there really isn't any way to answer it without more detail about the job. Let's say you have 18 miles of nice flat ground with all 1/2 mile stretches, no rock, no creeks to cross, no minefield of fiber optic and gas lines, and all the gates will go at an end or a corner. You decide on 1147-12 Torus knot HT woven with a strand of 14ga HT 4 point on top with all CCA posts. I could get something like that done for less than $2.00/ft. If it's 150' with three corners and a gate smack dab in the middle of the "long" stretch, a little rock, one creek, I've got to put up a temporary hot wire before we can tear out the old, and you decide on 1972-2 with a barb under and two barbs over with creosote posts 8' on center, it's going to be somewhere north of $35.00/ft. I guess the short answer is that a good size pasture fence (1/2 mile or more with HT net and a barb on top) should cost in the $3.00 range, give or take a dollar. Contractors in Southern Indiana and Kentucky seem to run within pennies of each other, so that should be similar to what you find locally. Ground conditions make a difference, but pattern of wire, size of posts, spacing of posts, and type of posts make the biggest difference in cost. I hope that was helpful, and that it wasn't construed as advertising......I've got plenty to do as it is! :deadhorse: What part of KY are you in?

thank you for the post. I'm near mt. sterling ky.

 

[BrandX]

putting in t-posts today i found a spot where it is rock/sandstone about 8 inches down. i wore my shoulder out trying to pound them in manually, so i went and got my hydraulic post pounder that runs off the tractor. well that didn't work either. just bent some posts. how are you guys getting holes in rock? i guess i can rent a jack hamer or would a tamping post like this one work https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q ... 7318817009
i could use it with the post pounder, just let the pounder do all the hitting an i could just do quarter turn rotations to chip out a roundish hole. any ideas or suggestion?

 

[Farm Fence Solutions]

I use a rock spike (much more substantial than a spud), a rock auger, or a hammer drill. We don't use T posts much, but when we do, I have a pipe sleeve that I put over them so I can drive them with the hydraulic driver without bending them. Around here, rock and stone are two different critters. We can move rock out of the way, but you have to put a hole in stone to set a post. All modern technology aside, you can drill a hole with a good spud/pinch bar.

 

[callmefence]

putting in t-posts today i found a spot where it is rock/sandstone about 8 inches down. i wore my shoulder out trying to pound them in manually, so i went and got my hydraulic post pounder that runs off the tractor. well that didn't work either. just bent some posts. how are you guys getting holes in rock? i guess i can rent a jack hamer or would a tamping post like this one work https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q ... 7318817009
i could use it with the post pounder, just let the pounder do all the hitting an i could just do quarter turn rotations to chip out a roundish hole. any ideas or suggestion?

We have to deal with hard limestone and granite probably 75% of the time
We use a pneumatic rock drill to drill pilot holes for tpost and pipe post.
Should be a video back somewhere in this thread.