| Click to Post a New Message!
Page [ 1 ] | | | |
|
|
|
Woven wire field fence construction
Don't really see a good catagory for this, so will stick it here...Does anyone know of good web discussion board for posting small farm related questions that are not really tractor related? I need to construct about 1600' of field fence to contain the goats that I hope will eat at least some of the bumper crop of poison oak on my place. I would prefer to do as much of the work as possible by myself. I am thinking of putting 48" woven field fence on the bottom and then an electrified strand above this (possibly the 1" white electric fence tape). I will be using primarily steel "T" posts but realize that I will need something better anchored at corners and at intervals. Any good ideas as how to handle the 330' of woven wire? I have a platform for the 3-pt and I was thinking of mounting a piece of 2" pipe vertically on this to put the woven fence roll over. As I currently have a second working tractor (a Yanmar 155D and a Ford 1900) I was thinking of then using the second tractor to pull the woven wire down the fence line (being complicated, of course, by numerous scrub oaks and pine trees, not to mention the copious amounts of poison oak and blackberries...) I have a small electric winch that I may mount on one of the tractors to winch the wire along rather than just pull it with the tractor. Any thoughts on a better way to do this (aside from hiring some expensive but experienced fence company?) Any thoughts or tips? A 330' roll of field fence wire is not something I like to hand carry very far...And a trivial question (to which I don't know the answer) - why did they standardize on a length of 20 rods - 330 ft - for rolls of woven field fence?
|
|
 Add Photo
Bookmarks: |
|
| |
|
Woven wire field fence construction
CaseyR, I used the 48" woven field wire topped by a strand of barbed wire; no electric. Worked fine for goats and cattle both so far. I don't remember what a roll weighed, but I didn't try to carry it; just used the front end loader. But I cleared enough of a strip to lay it on the ground horizontally, unroll it, and then stood it up to the posts and stretched it. I had a helper, of course. And I have no idea how they decided to make the rolls that length.
|
|
Add Photo
Bookmarks: |
|
| |
|
Woven wire field fence construction
I think my woven wire is 5 feet tall. We put 6" wooden posts in the ground every 8 feet and then put a single top rail on. Carry the roll in a loader, unroll it on the ground next to the posts, and then lift it up and loop it over some 16 penny nails in the posts to hold it vertical. After it is all hung you can tack it to the posts. If the posts are well tamped, and if you have a top rail, and have made the corners sturdy, then you can get the wire tight enough with yourself, a helper or two, and maybe a couple of pry bars for the hard spots. But the real trick is hanging it from the nails and then sort of pulling it all straight by forcing it over those nails and adjusting it there.
Mine is topped off with an electric wire. Tape would be fine, but I used regular smooth galvanized wire. Please use electric wire. We've sewed up too many animals over the years from fence injuries. And I've seen too many good young animals crippled for life by fences. Not from barb wire so much as just from being caught in or around or under any type of wire fence. That and being speared by T posts without caps. Electric wire not only keeps the animals in, it keeps them away from the fence where they can get hurt.
|
|
Add Photo
Bookmarks: |
|
| |
|
Woven wire field fence construction
Thanks for the replys. I hadn't thought about using caps on the T posts, I don't remember seeing them at the store, but they probably are around some where. I had originally planned on using the single strand high tension posts, but the lady at the ag store told me a story about how her horse hooked its leg between the strands and almost lost the leg, so I decided to go with the woven wire.
My problem with laying the wire down flat is that in many places I would have to level several hundred oak trees of up to 3" in diameter. Since I live in what is considered a scenic area, such tree removal is frowned upon. As I mentioned, in the other areas to lay it flat would mean that in other areas I have to contend with blackberries and poison oak. I can see that this is going to be real fun...
Another fun aspect is that one corner appears to be a thin layer of soil over basalt rock and the area is too steep to get the tractor up there.
I also need to build a fence around the acre or so that I will using as a garden that will discourage the deer, or at least slow them down. There are several interesting ideas about deer fences on the Internet, so that probably won't be as hard as doing the perimeter of the 4.8 acres.
As to the 330', I just remembered that not only is that twenty rods, it is also within 2' of being 100 meters (328 ft = 100 meters).
|
|
Add Photo
Bookmarks: |
|
| |
|
Woven wire field fence construction
I spent part of last summer fencing off the perimeter of our 4.7 acres so that we could keep our goats and dogs in, and also just because i like the look of a fenced property. I also used 48" woven wire and nothing else and so far the goats haven't cleared it. Everyone told me they would be over the fence like nothing but they haven't been over it once. I put our fence up without the use of my tractor as I hadn't bought it yet. A post hole digger fot the wooden posts would have been handy. Here is how I did the fencing: The four main corners had 7" wood post flanked by 6" wood posts (all in quick cement) with a steel (or wood) brace in between. I also flanked and braced any post that a fence hung on. I used steel t-posts everywhere else, with the exception of a
single wood post set in cement that I put right in the middle of my two longest runs (600 feet). I layed the fence flat and rolled it out, then hung it across the tops of every other t-post. Then i used a wench to tighten the fence about every 75 feet, clipped it, and moved to the next 75 feet. On the final pull with the wench i really cranked it. I'd be happy to answer any questions you might have, hope this helped.
|
|
Add Photo
Bookmarks: |
|
| |
|
Woven wire field fence construction
Casey, the other folks have given you good advice, so I'm just going to respond to the part about needing to build a corner in an area of thin soil. The easiest way to go about this if you can't dig holes for the post is to build a rock crib corner. Just pound 2 T-posts at the corner, in line with the fence 3' apart. Then, go midway between these and pound another 2 posts perpendicular and midway between the others (each one is 1 1/2 foot out from the fenceline). This 4 post pattern will form a plus (+) design. You don't have to pound the posts very deep in the rocky ground for this to work, but try to get down a foot or so. Then wrap a 3 foot diameter circle of your woven wire around the posts. Fill this wire crib up with rocks. Now you can attach your fence wire to the posts and stretch as much as you need to. You won't pull this corner over, and it will last for years.
|
|
Add Photo
Bookmarks: |
|
| |
|
Woven wire field fence construction
Just a question or request for a definition. When you guys say Woven Wire, what exactly do you mean. I picture in my mind what would look like Chicken wire
( maybe of a heavier guage wire) is Woven wire the same or similar ? Mark
|
|
Add Photo
Bookmarks: |
|
| |
|
Woven wire field fence construction
The 330 ft standard comes from cutting up township sections which are 1 square mile. When they divide them, they get 5280/2 = 2640/2 = 1320/2 = 660/2 = 330. Therefor, 330 is a managable length that makes sense.
Dave
|
|
Add Photo
Bookmarks: |
|
| |
|
Woven wire field fence construction
Well, it sure enough could be chicken wire, or rabbit wire....or even window screen when you call it "woven wire". But when you call it "woven wire field fencing" it is a different animal. It is a series of fairly heavy....maybe 10 gauge.....parallel wires about 4 to 6 inches apart. These lay horizontal. Sometimes they are closer together at the bottom than at the top. These heavy parallel wires are connected by a group of thinnner - maybe 14 gauge - endless wires that are about an inch or two apart and are wrapped around each horizontal one and then goes to the next - progressing endlessly as they zig zags from top to bottom and then back again. Visually this up and down wire forms a series of lightweight overlapping "V"s, within the pattern of heavy horizontal wires. It is pretty good stuff, though like all fencing it is not foolproof. I've seen foals get their feet caught in and under the bottom mesh. Again I'm asking you all to consider augmenting with an electric wire to keep animals away from the fence.
|
|
Add Photo
Bookmarks: |
|
| |
|
Woven wire field fence construction
Roger, Thank you for the explanation. I guess I have never seen it. I grew up on a small working farm and my Dad and I did quite a bit of fencing but we never used anything like that, back then in New Hampshire it was mostly barbed wire (30 yrs. ago) give or take. Mark
|
|
Add Photo
Bookmarks: |
|
| |
|
Page [ 1 ] | | | |
Thread 27633 Filter by Poster:
1 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
|
()
Picture of the Day
Coachlarry
Unanswered Questions
Active Subjects
Hot Topics
Featured Suppliers
|
Gas Generator Weather Protecti
05-01-2001, 21:31 
Digg It 
Del.icio.us 