I initially posted this on the Tales board as a response to Kim's request for info on "how-to..." Thought there might be few here that would be interested, maybe even wanting to kibitz my methods...Being the son of a Nebraska cattle feeder, if there is anything I DO know about, it's puttin' in a fence that's hog tight, horse high, and bull tough. Definitely go with the 6 or 8 in ch corner posts. Do put in a 2nd corner brace post 6' in from the corner. Don't bother with the angle post between the braces, make an "H", a 4' round will do, but as mentioned, notch the corner post and the brace post where you want to put the cross brace in. Toenail it into place with three 16p nails. The corner posts and brace posts should be at least 8-9 footers, 3' in the ground and 5'-6' above. Locate your cross brace about 2/3 up from ground. Use #9 wire as a tensioner. Make a large loose loop with a double eye splice (a lineman's splice won't cut it, and it's too hard ta make a good one in stiff #9 wire anyway) that fits from the top of the brace post to the bottom of the corner post, staple three places on each end, with the splice at one end or the other leaving clean, unbroken strands to twist. Insert yer fence pincers handle 'tween the wires midway and start twisting till tawt (Careful, you can overtwist and break the wire). This cross brace, tension wire, obviates the need for a deadman. The twisted wire pulls the brace post top towards the corner (opposite direction form the pull of the fence wire itself) and the cross brace (the horizontal part of the "H") pushes back against the corner post, thus keeping it in tension against the stretch of the fence. For a really GOOD fence, you can easily place yer wooden posts 2 rods apart, with 2 T-posts between. (The T-posts allows lightening to always find a way to gound before it finds yer livestock!) That also puts all yer posts about 11 feet apart. Use a "Walking A", 5-1/2' between the pins. 3 swinging "A" steps to the rod. 2 swings between fence posts. You can run a 3 wire barb wire fence with the middle wire insulated and hot for lazy old cows, but for calves, yearling steers, or horses, you need a four or five wire fence. Horses, best insulate and fire up the top wire, they'll neck over it, and walk it right down. Cows on the hand stick their heads between the wires and push through. Stretch yer fence wires with a come-a-long, a "golden rod" (looks and works on the reverse of an auto jack, with a hook on one end, and a wire clamp and t'other), or a good old block and tackle fence stretcher. Use yer tractor as an anchor, NOT a puller, you'll pop a wire, and end up wearin' it! Stretch one wire tawt and straight, and use it as a guide to measure and line up your post holes. Set your post with about a third of the post in the ground. Tack you yer first wire. Layout, stretch, and tack each wire, one at a time, bottom to top. Don't get over zealous and strecth one tighter than t'other, you'll get sags in the lower wires. Wheeler's or TSC has tensioners you can put on each wire of a barb wires fence that can be individually adjusted as necessary, never used 'em, 'cuz I couldn't afford 'em, and Dad would probably laugh and tell me he taught me how to build a fence without a "cheater"! Have fun..Don't get hurt. And by all means, WEAR TOUGHT LEATHER GLOVES! And don't even bother tryin' ta keep 'em pretty and clean, 'cuz, they're gonna be shreaded ta ribbons when yer done anyway! Now...Anybody wanna talk fence buildin'?
|
