Sick of Barbed Wird

[bchilders]

I am looking for a better option than barbed wire. I am currently running T-posts 20' apart with every 5th wooden - five strands of barbed wire. I am buying an adjoining farm with old woven and barbed wire that is very overgrown with small to medium sized trees. I plan to begin fencing this farm this summer. Any suggestions of what to do or what else to use? I live a mile back a gravel driveway that dead ends at my farm. My 16 and 11 yr old sons fence with me in the summer ( I am a women and am 'off' in the summer). I don't particuarly like the way barbed wire looks
and I am tired of cleaning up old barbed wire piles/fences. I do like that the cows stay in I keep my fencerows clean but am trying to think of the future to (ie if I run an electric fence what happens if weeds get too high). :?:

 

[SPRINGER FARMS MURRAY GRE]

High tensile steel wire and electricity! It is cheaper to put in and will last much longer. ;-) :cboy:

 

[Texas PaPaw]

High tensile steel wire and electricity! It is cheaper to put in and will last much longer. ;-) :cboy:

Ditto on high tensile.

For more info check out this link:

http://www.kencove.com/

They have a free catalog with lots of good fencing tips. Are great to do business with & price competitive. Ship most products UPS direct to your place in 3-4 days.

Good luck & happy trails.

Brock

 

[bchilders]

High tensile steel wire and electricity! It is cheaper to put in and will last much longer. ;-) :cboy:

What set-up works best (# strands, post type, etc.) Thnaks for the advice.

 

[bchilders]

High tensile steel wire and electricity! It is cheaper to put in and will last much longer. ;-) :cboy:

Ditto on high tensile.

For more info check out this link:

http://www.kencove.com/

They have a free catalog with lots of good fencing tips. Are great to do business with & price competitive. Ship most products UPS direct to your place in 3-4 days.

Good luck & happy trails.

Brock

Thanks - ordered catalog

 

[dun]

High tensile steel wire and electricity! It is cheaper to put in and will last much longer. ;-) :cboy:

What set-up works best (# strands, post type, etc.) Thnaks for the advice.

Depends on what you're trying to keep in/out. For internal fences a single strand 30-34 inches high keeps cows and older calves in.

dun

 

[Howdyjabo]

Ditto-- on electric
Its only as good as the charger-- don't skimp and buy a backup and the blinky warning light flashers to put where you go past all the time.
If the cattle NEVER find the fence off or weak- you'll never have problems.
That being said---I think there are some areas that lack mineral content in their soils (ie old cotton fields)and don't have as good luck with electric. Again just a theory.

 

[dun]

Ditto-- on electric
Its only as good as the charger-- don't skimp and buy a backup and the blinky warning light flashers to put where you go past all the time.
If the cattle NEVER find the fence off or weak- you'll never have problems.
That being said---I think there are some areas that lack mineral content in their soils (ie old cotton fields)and don't have as good luck with electric. Again just a theory.

As important and maybe even more important is the ground system. A weak charger with a good ground system will do more then a great charger and a P-poor ground system.

dun

 

[cowgirl580]

what about pipe and sucker rod? don't know about prices in your area, so may not be an option for you. requires a lot of welding, :roll:, but worth it. paints real well, too.

 

[Fly-guy]

I am totally sick of fencing too! However, I find that it is a necessary evil if you want to keep your livestock home. I am using electric fence to keep our cattle out of the hay stack and have had just about all of the fun I want or need with the electric fence. I would recommend high tensil barbed wire and tee post no more than 12 feet apart. I think that in the long run you will have less maintenance and fewer problems with a 5 strand fence. I don't like to work with the wire but I find that the cattle don't like it either. I haven't had any trouble with livestock where I 've used it. The cattle tend to feed on the greener grass where I used the heavy barbed wire and as a result those fences have been streached just about as much as my sense of humor. If you decide to use an electric fence, I would recommend a good 110 volt charger and a 6' ground rod. Good luck with your fencing!!!

 

[got_cows?]

We switched over to high tensile years ago. The barbed wire tends to get bunched up or stretched with the deer going through it all of the time. It's also a pain to work with.
For fence posts we use either railroad ties (yeah, fun) or regular steel T-posts. We fenced in the neighbor's pasture and the posts must be 25 feet apart. Two fencers on. One is a solar fencer that runs one wire and the other is an electric fencer that runs two wires. The other two wires aren't hot. The corners have to be braced good because of the wire tension.
For internal fence we tried ribbon fence last year. It's great! Easily moved, visible and they learn quick not to put their noses on it.

 

[Carnivore]

The other two wires aren't hot. The corners have to be braced good because of the wire tension.
.

Ditto on the above. good, strong corners is the key to hi tensile fencing, with good electric.

 

[mitchwi]

I've wondered about the Hi-ten going thru woods when a tree goes over on it, barb will usually snap right there, or stretch enough to not break. Last summer I had a tree land right on a t-post and drove it and the barb wire straight into the ground with only 3 inches of t-post left sticking out. What I am wondering is, the barb will usually stay up, at least up to the next clip, then of course the tree is there....what happens in the same scenerio with the hi-ten?

 

[dun]

I've wondered about the Hi-ten going thru woods when a tree goes over on it, barb will usually snap right there, or stretch enough to not break. Last summer I had a tree land right on a t-post and drove it and the barb wire straight into the ground with only 3 inches of t-post left sticking out. What I am wondering is, the barb will usually stay up, at least up to the next clip, then of course the tree is there....what happens in the same scenerio with the hi-ten?

Same thing but be careful when you cut the tree, the wire will snap/jump/leap right back up.

dun

 

[jkwilson]

I've wondered about the Hi-ten going thru woods when a tree goes over on it, barb will usually snap right there, or stretch enough to not break. Last summer I had a tree land right on a t-post and drove it and the barb wire straight into the ground with only 3 inches of t-post left sticking out. What I am wondering is, the barb will usually stay up, at least up to the next clip, then of course the tree is there....what happens in the same scenerio with the hi-ten?

Neighbor had a car go through his 5 strand. Popped the insulators off two posts and you couldn't figure out how the car got in there because the fence went back where it was supposed to be. Had to hold the wires down with tractor tires so the wrecker could pull the car out. I will never install barbed wire again.

 

[cmjust0]

Neighbor had a car go through his 5 strand. Popped the insulators off two posts and you couldn't figure out how the car got in there because the fence went back where it was supposed to be. Had to hold the wires down with tractor tires so the wrecker could pull the car out. I will never install barbed wire again.

I've seen the same thing happen three times in the same curve on a road out to my place.. The first one broke a post, but no wires.. They replaced the post, which got broken by the second car -- still no wires broken.. They replaced the post again, and the next one broke the post and the bottom wire.. They just pulled the stump of the post that time and re-ran the bottom wire.

Haven't seen any evidence of a car going in since -- but then again, there wouldn't be a broken post to look at, and the wire only broke once in three times.. Could be that people just drive on out with nobody the wiser nowadays... :lol:

Cheap as Hi-T wire is, and with the money you can by spacing your posts real wide, I don't know why anybody uses anything else..

 

[dundidit]

{Quote} ? Cheap as Hi-T wire is, and with the money you can by spacing your posts real wide, I don't know why anybody uses anything else..

29 stitches on my left arm last spring that's why I use barbed and electrify it!

 

[hcube]

I too have a lot of high tensile fence. Some exterior is 4 strands with a couple of them hot. Next to crop fields I use two strands. Division fences and around ponds I use one wire. Also have some timber fenced out with a single strand. I have a curved side of a corral that has ten or twelve strands four inches apart with springs on each wire and no heat. Ran wire through holes in hedge posts and bolted a contineous pipe around the top of posts . Like to use wood (small hedge) for line posts. If deer break a pin and the wire is against the post it will not short out as with a steel post. Screw pin insulators to posts with square drive screws with cordless drill. I second the idea of not skimping on a fencer or on ground rods. The people at Kencove will give you technical advice, and I am sure others will also. Try and attend a grazing school and trade shows. Seems I learn something new all the time. hhh

 

[jnowack]

I USE A LOT OF POLY WIRE. SOME ONE STRAND SOME FOUR STRAND. IT GOES UP MUCH QUICKER THAN HI TENSILE, IS MORE VISIBLE, AND DOES NOT TAKE MUCH FOR CORNERS. IT IS VERY EASY TO FIX JUST TIE A KNOT IN IT. JUST BE CARFUL WHAT KIND YOU BUY. THE GALLAGER BRAND TURBO WIRE IS WHAT I USUALLY BUY IS DOESN'T BREAK AS EASY AS THE OTHER BRANDS WE HAVE TRIED AND IT HAS MORE STRANDS OF WIRE IN IT SO IT DOES NOT BURN INTO EASILY AND CONDUCTS BETTER WHERE YOU SPLICE IT. THE FIRST I BOUGHT WAS ORANGE AND I DO NOT KNOW WHAT KIND IT WAS BUT SOME OF THAT HAS BEEN UP IN THE BOTTOM FOR 20 YEARS AND HAS BEEN WASHED OUT AND RETIED NUMEROUS TIMES AND IS STILL IN GOOD SHAPE.

 

[lowellcantrell]

Keep all fence lines sprayed; no matter what type of fence material. Start early in the spring and spray a second time in the summer. I have a three-point hitch sprayer with a long wand. U just drive along on my tractor with my arm resting on the fender. Some if my neighbors use the small 15 & 30 gallon 12 volt sprayers mounted in an ATV. Would rather have it trimmed with a weed eater, but don't have time my self and cannot hire anyone because they are too lazy to work!