fence tips and tricks

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

My husband always called that an Okie gate tightener!! No one out here ever saw one before.

 

[Silver]

Never heard that called a "gap" before. Interesting the different terminology depending on your location. Here I guess we used our imagination and called the simply a "gate" lol. Had an Aussie here for awhile and he called a wire gate a "Cockey's gate".
The latch that libertygarden shows in her picture is pretty common in these parts. A lot of old harness hames used to be the object of choice for these, but I suppose the scarcity of harnesses these days led to them falling out of favour.

 

[wbvs58]

Never heard that called a "gap" before. Interesting the different terminology depending on your location. Here I guess we used our imagination and called the simply a "gate" lol. Had an Aussie here for awhile and he called a wire gate a "Cockey's gate".
The latch that libertygarden shows in her picture is pretty common in these parts. A lot of old harness hames used to be the object of choice for these, but I suppose the scarcity of harnesses these days led to them falling out of favour.

Do you know what a "Cockey" is Silver? Property owners out west were referred to as Cockies especially on the big sheep runs in Western Queensland. I think it originated when they were making heaps of money from the wool especially during the Korean war. They thought they were a bit elite and the family set themselves apart from the workers. When I worked in Western Qld outside of Winton there was the " Cockies Club" in town that only the graziers were allowed in or their guests. It used to have an illegal roullette wheel that the local police sargent used to play, proceeds of course to the Royal Flying Doctors. There were several pubs in town but only one that the cockies would drink at, the North Gregory.
Back to the Cockies gate, I think it coined the term because they would make these rather than spend money on buying a gate. They liked to look after their money. An old Cockie once told me that there were two types of bad payers, ones that paid too early and those that paid too late, meaning you hold onto your money until the limit of the terms of your account but don't get onto the bad debts list. Everywhere they went in town and bought it went onto their account, a bit of a status symbol that they were a Cockie and didn't have to hand over money to obtain things, their credit was good. It also ensured that people were nice to them because they always owed them money.

Ken

 

[ccr]

Good story Ken. After 5 years since last crash at this corner a kid crashed through the fence the other night. He said he was going to walk down to the house at 12:30 am and let us know about the crash so maybe the cows wouldn't get out. The trooper told him don't do it, you might get shot - sage advice.

The kid said he could've gotten out if it hadn't been for the ditch and berm he got stuck in. After the dust settled on the crash, insurance info obtained and car hauled off, new neighbor down the road from California stole the sign that busted off one of the post. He was like a buzzard looking for pieces when a deer gets hit. I tracked him down and got my sign back.

 

[Silver]

Never heard that called a "gap" before. Interesting the different terminology depending on your location. Here I guess we used our imagination and called the simply a "gate" lol. Had an Aussie here for awhile and he called a wire gate a "Cockey's gate".
The latch that libertygarden shows in her picture is pretty common in these parts. A lot of old harness hames used to be the object of choice for these, but I suppose the scarcity of harnesses these days led to them falling out of favour.

Do you know what a "Cockey" is Silver? Property owners out west were referred to as Cockies especially on the big sheep runs in Western Queensland. I think it originated when they were making heaps of money from the wool especially during the Korean war. They thought they were a bit elite and the family set themselves apart from the workers. When I worked in Western Qld outside of Winton there was the " Cockies Club" in town that only the graziers were allowed in or their guests. It used to have an illegal roullette wheel that the local police sargent used to play, proceeds of course to the Royal Flying Doctors. There were several pubs in town but only one that the cockies would drink at, the North Gregory.
Back to the Cockies gate, I think it coined the term because they would make these rather than spend money on buying a gate. They liked to look after their money. An old Cockie once told me that there were two types of bad payers, ones that paid too early and those that paid too late, meaning you hold onto your money until the limit of the terms of your account but don't get onto the bad debts list. Everywhere they went in town and bought it went onto their account, a bit of a status symbol that they were a Cockie and didn't have to hand over money to obtain things, their credit was good. It also ensured that people were nice to them because they always owed them money.

Ken

Thanks Ken, I did not know that and the young fella that was here didn't know either when I asked him about it. That's interesting stuff.

 

[libertygarden]

The term gap is used mostly in south Texas. I put 4 of these on my property for paddock rotation. At roughly $125 for a field gate, I saved around $500. I make mine if cedar, bodark and honey locust, whichever I can get easier. The handles I mostly use bodark but I have to drill pilot holes or the lag screw breaks.

 

[sstterry]

The term gap is used extensively throughout the Southeast. To me, a gap was a "water gap" over a creek or a homemade opening with wire and posts we had cut. A store-bought or any type of "hung" device was a gate.

It is funny how things have different names depending on location like the discussion on here about grease zerk vs Alemite.

 

[Rafter S]

I got this wire gap built over the weekend.

Nice green bois d'arc. It may outlast you.

 

[_H Ranch]

We just call that a gate

 

[libertygarden]

I'm running out of t-posts but there is a lot of hedge in the back of the property where I'm fencing. The question is, should I cut and split a log into staves or should cut 4" posts. I'm not sure if a stave from a thick log will last longer in the ground than a younger post that's only 4" across. Thanks.

 

[kenny thomas]

I'm running out of t-posts but there is a lot of hedge in the back of the property where I'm fencing. The question is, should I cut and split a log into staves or should cut 4" posts. I'm not sure if a stave from a thick log will last longer in the ground than a younger post that's only 4" across. Thanks.

I have split a lot of locust and red cedar posts. I like the split posts much better

 

[libertygarden]

Thanks Kenny. I kind of figured that they have less sap and more heart wood. Do you pound them into the ground with a sledge?

 

[kenny thomas]

Thanks Kenny. I kind of figured that they have less sap and more heart wood. Do you pound them into the ground with a sledge?

We always split them into 6" and bigger so we had to dig a hole. Yes less sapwood is better

 

[D2Cat]

I'm running out of t-posts but there is a lot of hedge in the back of the property where I'm fencing. The question is, should I cut and split a log into staves or should cut 4" posts. I'm not sure if a stave from a thick log will last longer in the ground than a younger post that's only 4" across. Thanks.

If you're using hedge (osage orange) it doesn't matter about lasting in the ground. I can show you some hedge post that have been in the ground 75 years that I know of. They do not rot. They are as hard as steel. Trim the trees/limbs so you have 4" or 5" for line post and get as big of one as you can for the corners, and bury the corners deep and if there is a knob where a limb was put that in the ground if you can and it will help hold it.

 

[libertygarden]

One thing I noticed about hedge posts is that the fire ants like to get into the bark. It doesn't seem to affect the post except if you put your hand on it by mistake.

 

[callmefence]

One thing I noticed about hedge posts is that the fire ants like to get into the bark. It doesn't seem to affect the post except if you put your hand on it by mistake.

Probably be less work to come help me a couple days and we'll load up you truck with second hand tpost.

 

[libertygarden]

Probably be less work to come help me a couple days and we'll load up you truck with second hand tpost.

If you lived closer to me, I'd go just to learn from a pro.

 

[callmefence]

I've posted lots of wire rollers but
This is different. The boys have put a flatbed and built a wire roller on a auction purchase GMC canyon.lol. works good. That's a 800 pound quarter mile roll.im loading it with a machine but they can pick one up off the ground with it if need be.

 

[Lucky]

Looks similar to how we unrolled the last one with the Hydrabed.