greybeard
Well-known member
I sold an adjoining 17 acres a couple of years ago, and it needs the fence along the National Forest rebuilt. The new owner is not a fencer at all, and asked me to 'assist' on it. Translation--I'll end up doing most of it. He's a nice guy and I don't mind helping him, and we generally work things out in trade..
1. Run is 775' long, originally fenced in 1965 using 12ga low carbon 'red brand' type wire, but lots of it has been replaced with 14ga gaucho.
2. Original line posts were creosoted wooden posts--they're mostly gone, rotted below ground and only standing because the staples are holding them up.
3. It's to hold horses, not cattle. I intend to use barbless 12ga HT wire.
4. The fence is on the property line for the most part & I know where the survey stakes (iron rods) are on both ends of the fence.
Owner suggested moving over on to his property a couple 3 feet and building a new fence on clear land, but I told him he needs to maintain the original line with a good fence to keep from eventually losing that property line.
He then suggested just 'repairing' the old fence...I prefer to move the horses over onto my pasture temporarily, and tearing the whole mess out and beginning new. Lots of that fence is now grown into the trees, so it would be a pita to try to tighten up that old rusty wire--it will break everywhere it goes into a tree.
The problems:
In the years between original fencing, many of what were saplings in the 60s are now big trees, and the increased girth of those trees interferes with a straight fence. Most are Govt trees, a few are on his side of the line.
Additionally, even if I could otherwise cut those trees, 17' from the fenceline is a high voltage powerline.
I know Entergy would drop that line, but it would mean both he, I, and one other customer would be without electricity for some time and it could be days before they were able to get back out there and reconnect the line, so I don't see us cutting anything down other than short saplings and brush.
I realize it's going to end up looking like a snake laid out the path, but..
What's the easiest way to get the straightest possible line thru the mess?
Would you go behind the govt trees or on his side of those trees?
How long would treated 2x6s last against the trees to keep the new wire from being ingested by the trees?
With barbless HT and only horses, how far apart can the teeposts be spaced? (I'm not a horse person)
1. Run is 775' long, originally fenced in 1965 using 12ga low carbon 'red brand' type wire, but lots of it has been replaced with 14ga gaucho.
2. Original line posts were creosoted wooden posts--they're mostly gone, rotted below ground and only standing because the staples are holding them up.
3. It's to hold horses, not cattle. I intend to use barbless 12ga HT wire.
4. The fence is on the property line for the most part & I know where the survey stakes (iron rods) are on both ends of the fence.
Owner suggested moving over on to his property a couple 3 feet and building a new fence on clear land, but I told him he needs to maintain the original line with a good fence to keep from eventually losing that property line.
He then suggested just 'repairing' the old fence...I prefer to move the horses over onto my pasture temporarily, and tearing the whole mess out and beginning new. Lots of that fence is now grown into the trees, so it would be a pita to try to tighten up that old rusty wire--it will break everywhere it goes into a tree.
The problems:
In the years between original fencing, many of what were saplings in the 60s are now big trees, and the increased girth of those trees interferes with a straight fence. Most are Govt trees, a few are on his side of the line.
Additionally, even if I could otherwise cut those trees, 17' from the fenceline is a high voltage powerline.
I know Entergy would drop that line, but it would mean both he, I, and one other customer would be without electricity for some time and it could be days before they were able to get back out there and reconnect the line, so I don't see us cutting anything down other than short saplings and brush.
I realize it's going to end up looking like a snake laid out the path, but..
What's the easiest way to get the straightest possible line thru the mess?
Would you go behind the govt trees or on his side of those trees?
How long would treated 2x6s last against the trees to keep the new wire from being ingested by the trees?
With barbless HT and only horses, how far apart can the teeposts be spaced? (I'm not a horse person)