I need advice on electric fence

[Chapin81]

I need advice on the wire. Should I buy hi tensile or aluminum 12.5GA. I'm planning on using this wire to carry the power throughout the entire property mostly the perimeter and dividing pastures(the biggest pastures are 45 acres) then I Will be using poly wire to reduce the pastures even further for rotational grazing to less than an acre or so. I know the aluminum 12.5GA is weaker than hi tensile but I'm assuming it last longer because it's aluminum and won't rust. Anyone have experience with this?? Thanks

 

[simme]

Hi tensile. It will be galvanized and will last a very long time. Aluminum is to weak.

 

[Chapin81]

Hi tensile. It will be galvanized and will last a very long time. Aluminum is to weak.

Thank you

 

[wbvs58]

Yep hi tensile.

Ken

 

[JW IN VA]

You have gotten good advice.Aluminum,while being an excellent carrier,is just too weak to trust for perimeter fence.Hi tensile wire I know was put up in 1985 is still not rusty.

 

[Chapin81]

You have gotten good advice.Aluminum,while being an excellent carrier,is just too weak to trust for perimeter fence.Hi tensile wire I know was put up in 1985 is still not rusty.

Holy smokes that as almost as old as I am. Good to know it last a long time. We use barb wire and after a few years it's shot probably no more than 8-10 years.

 

[kenny thomas]

Buy good stuff and it will last long term and actually be cheaper and lots less problem. And install it correctly. The cheapest way many times is the most expensive long term.

 

[kenny thomas]

That includes if your contracting the work done also. Cheaper price something's means cheaper work.

 

[Chapin81]

That includes if your contracting the work done also. Cheaper price something's means cheaper work.

Hi Kenny we are doing the work ourselves, it's ambitious but I bump into too many conartist and excuse the lingo jerkoffs ...down there

 

[JW IN VA]

Some will disagree about the brand because they dislike working with it but Gaucho wire is the barbed wire I was referring to earlier.The only hi tensile smooth I have ever seen rust was in the dirt or repeatedly in flood water. I'm trying some Sta Tuff now since I could buy it cheaper. The older style Class 1 galvanized wire will rust in a few years.Much easier to work with but heavy and high priced.
Kenny's right.If you brace hi tensile properly,it's good fence.Brace it poorly and you won't like it.

 

[Rafter S]

Some will disagree about the brand because they dislike working with it but Gaucho wire is the barbed wire I was referring to earlier.The only hi tensile smooth I have ever seen rust was in the dirt or repeatedly in flood water. I'm trying some Sta Tuff now since I could buy it cheaper. The older style Class 1 galvanized wire will rust in a few years.Much easier to work with but heavy and high priced.
Kenny's right.If you brace hi tensile properly,it's good fence.Brace it poorly and you won't like it.

Yup. There are fences here at home that were built with Gaucho when I wasn't much more than a boy. The wire is still tight, and not rusty. I hate the stuff for patching fence, and keep a roll of soft wire for just that purpose, but I wouldn't use anything else for building new fences.

 

[callmefence]

That includes if your contracting the work done also. Cheaper price something's means cheaper work.

Hi Kenny we are doing the work ourselves, it's ambitious but I bump into too many conartist and excuse the lingo jerkoffs ...down there

You can fix that real easy. Don't hire any contractor that wants money for work not completed. Including materials. If he doesn't have the funds or the credit to run his business you don't want him.

 

[WFfarm]

We will never use aluminum wire again. It's great when new, but after a few years it will oxidize and become brittle. When you bend or twist it to make a repair it just breaks. Plus, if your use magnets in your cattle for hardware, AL wire is not attracted to it.

 

[shaz]

I prefer 17 aluminum for temp fencing. Poly wire doesn't splice very well. If you're like me you never put up the same temp fence twice so splicing is required.

 

[JW IN VA]

High tensile wire has a tensile strength of 170,000 to 200,000 lbs.Break strength of 1305 to 1550 pounds.The 12.5 gauge aluminum wire has break strength of about 360 lb

 

[JW IN VA]

I prefer 17 aluminum for temp fencing. Poly wire doesn't splice very well. If you're like me you never put up the same temp fence twice so splicing is required.

I'm sure it's a better conductor but what,may I ask,were the problems you had with splicing polywire?I've made many splices in it over the years and haven't noticed a problem.Maybe I need to check it with the Fault Finder more closely.
I've used square knots,pulled two ends even and knotted them around themselves and,recently,started pushing the twist or weave apart and threading the other end through on both ends then tying off beyond.I have also been known to make a small loop of 14 gauge wire and tie the ends to that.
Not saying you are wrong.That's just what I have done.

 

[sstterry]

I prefer 17 aluminum for temp fencing. Poly wire doesn't splice very well. If you're like me you never put up the same temp fence twice so splicing is required.

I'm sure it's a better conductor but what,may I ask,were the problems you had with splicing polywire?I've made many splices in it over the years and haven't noticed a problem.Maybe I need to check it with the Fault Finder more closely.
I've used square knots,pulled two ends even and knotted them around themselves and,recently,started pushing the twist or weave apart and threading the other end through on both ends then tying off beyond.I have also been known to make a small loop of 14 gauge wire and tie the ends to that.
Not saying you are wrong.That's just what I have done.

I am curious about this too. I see no reason it should be hard to splice with the correct knot.

 

[Chapin81]

High tensile wire has a tensile strength of 170,000 to 200,000 lbs.Break strength of 1305 to 1550 pounds.The 12.5 gauge aluminum wire has break strength of about 360 lb

Good to know thanks for the tip. I called a distributor today and they also said not to use aluminum wire, breaks easy.

 

[anewcomer]

Maybe not for boundary fence, but for permanent interior fences, or offsets on a barb wire boundary fence, if you try 12 and 1/2 gauge aluminum wire, you'll never use high tensile again. 1/3 to 1/4 the weight, so dramatically less bracing needed. Farther spacing for line posts. 3 to 4 times as conductive. Makes your charger act twice as big. Never, ever, rusts.Very easy to repair if you get a break. It is different from high tensile and you have to understand how tie, wrap and connect it. When you learn how to use it, you'll never go back. Remember, electric fence is not a physical barrier, it's a mental barrier.

 

[shaz]

I prefer 17 aluminum for temp fencing. Poly wire doesn't splice very well. If you're like me you never put up the same temp fence twice so splicing is required.

I'm sure it's a better conductor but what,may I ask,were the problems you had with splicing polywire?I've made many splices in it over the years and haven't noticed a problem.Maybe I need to check it with the Fault Finder more closely.
I've used square knots,pulled two ends even and knotted them around themselves and,recently,started pushing the twist or weave apart and threading the other end through on both ends then tying off beyond.I have also been known to make a small loop of 14 gauge wire and tie the ends to that.
Not saying you are wrong.That's just what I have done.

What you end up with is one of those tiny little wires contacting another tiny little wire. Not nearly as good as wire with no splice. If you're pulling the weave back it probably works pretty ok.