Getting a fence straight

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jcummins

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Did some searching, but can't find the answer here. As the topic implies, how does everyone go about it. Open pasture and a long fence. I know where I want it to start and stop, but getting the in-between right. Do you taut up one wire and let it just lay on the ground as a guide? .
 
Put in your first post and last post run your bottom strand of wire, tighten wire and run your post next to the wire.
 
Ill tell you what I do - I start by making my beginning and my end H braces. I measure out my center post, tie up one end while my buddy stands with a staple at the middle post. I stretch out my bottom line until it is taught and up where I want it, then I have him staple the middle post, at the same time as I am stapling to my H brace. It keeps the wire up off the ground, and lets you have a perfect 13XX ft run from a full spool of wire. After that I go back in put in my other braces where needed. If its perfectly straight I add an H Brace for the rest of the wires every 300 feet.

since I press in my posts, not drill them, I put my wood posts every 50ft and tie straight to the barb wire.
 
If you're talking from H-Brace to H-Brace, I agree _ run on TIGHT string.
BUT, If you're talking about a LONG fence, I've done the one wire trick and still had the wave effect going on due to wind, complacency, etc.
What we do...
Wife sits down on 4-wheeler with UNLOADED (I check it myself in case she's mad at me) deer rifle and she looks thru scope at stopping point.
On my 4-wheeler, I drive down to where I want the H-Brace, hold a T-Post steady, and she guides me back and forth till it's right.
At times, I use the portable auger and sit the steel post then/there OR drive the t-post in and come back later to sit the steel.
 
B&L Longhorn Ranch":ie7k0stg said:
If you're talking from H-Brace to H-Brace, I agree _ run on TIGHT string.
BUT, If you're talking about a LONG fence, I've done the one wire trick and still had the wave effect going on due to wind, complacency, etc.
What we do...
Wife sits down on 4-wheeler with UNLOADED (I check it myself in case she's mad at me) deer rifle and she looks thru scope at stopping point.
On my 4-wheeler, I drive down to where I want the H-Brace, hold a T-Post steady, and she guides me back and forth till it's right.
At times, I use the portable auger and sit the steel post then/there OR drive the t-post in and come back later to sit the steel.

I bet your wife wants to build fence everytime she's mad at you. :lol2:
 
I stretch one wire between the braces.
Why do Y'all stretch the bottom wire? :eek:
I do the top wire.
Use it as a straight line to fill in the posts. Then connect to top wire to the posts and unwind the next to the top, fasten and then the next and next.
You won't have to fight the constant tangles you have to deal with when you start with the bottom wire. :cowboy:
 
mnmtranching":3clgcb9d said:
I stretch one wire between the braces.
Why do Y'all stretch the bottom wire? :eek:
I do the top wire. Use it as a straight line to fill in the posts. Then connect to top wire to the posts and unwind the next to the top, fasten and then the next and next.
You won't have to fight the constant tangles you have to deal with when you start with the bottom wire. :cowboy:
so do i ...i run the top wire with the ground if every post is drove in the ground the same then work down, too the bottom wire,, it also makes a good looking fence that flows with the ground
 
If you want a seriously straight fence use a transit. Its a surveyors telescope. You can line everything up, posts and braces off of one point. I think the newer ones are called theodolites. Some have lasers now which might be handy if you were working by your self. But the mechanical ones work too, you just need someone to run the transit and someone to set the posts.

If you were going to do a lot of long fences it might be worth the investment.
 
alacattleman":2327lk09 said:
mnmtranching":2327lk09 said:
I stretch one wire between the braces.
Why do Y'all stretch the bottom wire? :eek:
I do the top wire. Use it as a straight line to fill in the posts. Then connect to top wire to the posts and unwind the next to the top, fasten and then the next and next.
You won't have to fight the constant tangles you have to deal with when you start with the bottom wire. :cowboy:
so do i ...i run the top wire with the ground if every post is drove in the ground the same then work down, too the bottom wire,, it also makes a good looking fence that flows with the ground


Someone told me some time back, tighten from the bottom up. The fence will tend to not loosen up as much.

When you refer to the 'tangles' working bottom up, don't understand what you mean. Can you clarify.
 
Im going to guess he is talking about the wire getting caught up on the bottom wire as you tighten it. I have not found this to be a problem though as long as you have two people. Once I get my bottom line tight, I always have someone else standing at the middle post, lifting the wire off the ground as the next strand it is tightened. It prevents it from getting hung up on the bottom wire - and it takes alot of the stress of the tightener and makes for a better line. Cant tell you how many tensioners we have destroyed while fencing..

We run the bottom line first - then we have a trailer that unrolls the other 3 strands for us - the only place we ever have tangles is when you forget to not cut the other 2 lines off the trailer until you have the next one tight and stapled. If you forget and try to cut more than one, its a big ole mess. You dont ever make that mistake twice in the same day - but sometimes if its early enough, or late enough, you can do it - and end up cussin a storm while you get scratched to heck untwisted two wires.
 
with a good stout H brace i use a brace wire with a ratchett stringer and tighten it ever so offen... you can start at the top and work down
 
Explain a brace wire with a ratchet stringer.

My stretcher has a ratcheting pull on it - but brace wire - are you referring to the criss-crossing wires that hold the H together better, or is this a new wire that I dont know about? I use heck of a big H brace on my corners so I am quite interested if there is a better way I am not aware of.
 
on the ends or corners i run the brace wire at the top of the inside post down too the bottom of the outside and connect it with this type rachett give me a minute ill be right back with a picture, well cant get the picture too work... but the ratchett ties in the brace wire and you tighten pulling the top of the in side post back and keeps constant tension
 
We used a laser, you can get them pretty cheap at the home center stores and they work very well. I stapled a white piece of paper on the wood posts, and used the white tip of t-posts to line it up. Did it all by myself over about a 1/4 mile length once it was set up. I have a surveyor friend that came out with his transit for another line through trees that I couldn't run with the laser, but he checked the run I did with the laser and said the furthest any of the posts were off was only 2" or so. It wouldn't work so well if the ground wasn't level though. Cost $40.00 for the laser.
 
You DON"T need transits, lasers. :roll: Get your corner braces tight and sturdy and stretch your fence.
Get it done, and go fishing or something. No use making a BIG project out of it.
Well? :???: Unless you like to make a project last. :cowboy:
 
Move to the Ozarks and you'll either get over the fetish about straight fences or go crazy!
 

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