what is best wire or material for cross-fencing a pond?

[Hippie Rancher]

Looking for some new ideas. I have seen a floating electric wire set-up but I need something for a rougher bunch of cattle (mine would tear that up in 2 seconds if they got pushed). regular barbed wire lasts about 5 years max and I saw the neighbors ruin a bunch of tube panels in one year. I know there must be something that would be more permanent (besides concrete walls, heh) - don't they use some kind of netting to keep sharks away from beaches? or does that get replaced regularly?

I am talking about a desert dirt tank that goes dry/has fluctuating water levels, so the wire gets wet and dry a lot, not just under water permanently. I assume that is worse on it. Either way is sure doesn't last very long!

Anybody have any tips or tricks for this situation?

 

[John SD]

Not quite sure I understand the situation. I'm assuming you need same pond as a water source for 2 different pastures :?:

Could you fence the pond out in one pasture, and use a solar pump to supply water to a tank in the other pasture :?: I would prefer not to fence across a pond at all if possible.

Whatever you do is gonna be a PIA. If you absolutely must cross fence the pond, galvanized wire mesh cattle panels tied to T-posts with barbless wire is probably your most economical solution. Replace as necessary.

 

[Hippie Rancher]

Thanks JohnSD! Yeah need to fence it because it serves as a holding pen when we work down there and chasing them in circles around the pond is a pain. So you think panels would hold up long enough to be more economical than re-stringing wire every 3 to 5 years? I guess I ought to go ahead and at least use a few panels on this year's repair and run a test to see how they hold up. I am actually kind of new to panels, and I freaking love them for fast corral repairs (heck have a few in the yard by the house already too!)

I know they have been around for years, but I only in the last few years got some. We have been a baling wire and old chunks of wood operation for far too long!

 

[Stocker Steve]

Wire panels are quick but they don't work well with crowding or high headed cattle.
High tensile with > 5K volts will outlast barbed wire.
One hot strand onto your existing fence may be the easiest approach.

 

[lavacarancher]

Have you thought about the cattle (corral) panels as John suggested. The ones I use are 6 ga. galvanized wire panels and should last several years if for no other reason than 6 ga. is really heavy wire. It's almost 1/4" in dia. I just bought several panels that are 16' long and 52" high. Spacing is 6" x 6". I would use 8' T posts. I almost forgot. The cost of the panels is about $39.00 ea in Texas.

 

[callmefence]

I've got a property line across a lcra flood control reservoir. Has about a quarter mile of fence that can be in 8 foot of water today, high and dry tomorrow. Same problem rusted wire and tpost.
.go to staytuff and look into their predator control barbwire with class three galvanized.
http://www.staytuff.com/HT-BarbedWire.asp San Antonio steel makes a good galvanized Tpost. You can Google San Antonio steel it should come up. Let me if you can't find it was

This was how I solved it. Fence is 7 years old , last time I saw it looked good.

 

[Hippie Rancher]

I've got a property line across a lcra flood control reservoir. Has about a quarter mile of fence that can be in 8 foot of water today, high and dry tomorrow. Same problem rusted wire and tpost.
.go to staytuff and look into their predator control barbwire with class three galvanized.
http://www.staytuff.com/HT-BarbedWire.asp San Antonio steel makes a good galvanized Tpost. You can Google San Antonio steel it should come up. Let me if you can't find it was

This was how I solved it. Fence is 7 years old , last time I saw it looked good.

thanks callmefence, I was hoping you would weigh in. I have never even heard of galvanized T posts before! I wonder if I can get them locally, don't think I need a whole pallet, maybe 10 or 20.

I read some other discussions here about HT wire and confess to being very prejudiced against it due to probably import crap in the 80's. I had a couple rolls of it around for years after trying to use it for some repairs. hated it for all the usual reasons and still feel wary about it, even though intellectually I grasp what you said about better quality stuff. I think I still have nightmares about using it in a water gap and trying to fix THAT mess after a wash out. :cry2: :drink:

 

[Hippie Rancher]

Wire panels are quick but they don't work well with crowding or high headed cattle.
High tensile with > 5K volts will outlast barbed wire.
One hot strand onto your existing fence may be the easiest approach.

oh trust me I know high headed cattle and I don't think hot wire would stop 'em either, especially in a pressure situation. this is a water lot and the cross-pond fence is part of a funnel to steel pens that pretty much can hold anything now. Occasionally something bounces off the perimeter fence of the water lot, but they are getting better. the cross fence is rusting out and I was just wondering if there might be some new ideas out there before throwing another couple rolls of wire at it. I guess that is cheap enough, really if you think about it. most of the uprights are some kind of scraps from a large machine - a road grader or something? they are flat hunks of metal about 3/8 inch thick x 4 inches wide and 6 or 7 or so feet long. heavy and not rusting through as fast as a regular T post, though we still have those in the water too.