High tensile fence questions

jacksonduper · Jul 6, 2013

Building a high tensile fence for grazing beef cattle. How far apart can the line posts be.I I'm using steel T posts with round wood posts as well. How many steel posts in between wood post?
Thanks in advance.

Joe

old harv · Jul 6, 2013

I have 30 feet between my posts, but I am trying to keep sheep in. I use 6 strands and electrify the whole fence, and all my posts are wood because it's easier to prevent a short with wood posts. If you will electrify it you could easy go farther between posts with cattle. I guess it depends on how many strands, is it to be electrified, will there be wild animals chasing the cattle, how close to other people are you, etc.
I wouldn't be afraid of 50 feet between posts provided you don't have too many neighbours and there aren't too many wolves, bears and dogs, etc. Then I would put them closer.

chevytaHOE5674 · Jul 6, 2013

I have 5 strands with 60 feet between wooden line posts. Then between every set of line posts I have 2 PVC post/battens to keep the wire spacing nice. It works good and keeps critters in.

Texasmark1 · Jul 7, 2013

Glad you mentioned high tensile. I use Gaucho, American made in Arkansas as I recall, 15 1/2 gauge. It costs about the same as regular but works differently since it doesn't stretch.

One thing I really like about it is the weather proof coating, galvanize or zinc or whatever. I have a fence that has been up for about 15 years and the wooden posts had rotted. I replaced the posts with pipe but PUT THE EXISTING WIRE BACK UP. Why? because it was just fine as it was.

I use 5 strand primarily. Height off the ground varies. One thing to consider is that cows don't need wire close to the ground, but if you have a calving operation, it helps to keep the calf on your side since they love to lie right against the fence row. Course, if the sucker got out, when he gets hungry he will figure out how to get back.

Posts vary from 8' to 30'. On 8' no stays, t posts, and a wooden post about every 6 or so. Reason down here is black clay that cracks open in the summer and since the t posts have no surface area they would sink if you don't add something with some to hold the weight of the fence.

Height of 50" +/- a couple works for me. If I had Simmental or other large animals, it would be higher. I run Brangus and Limousine and that height keeps the bull from testing it.

The 30' is called a swinging fence and each post has to support 30' of fence so it needs to be a good post and have a solid foundation. Stays are every 8'. If a cow hits it, the whole thing acts like a giant net and is very effective in fencing large areas.

Wire spacing is something I never can repeat. Depends on my mood. I did take a piece of PVC and mark it which I have used in the latest fencing operations. I usually start with 8" on the bottom and graduate to 10-12 on the top.

Other thing about Gaucho, you can't put it up without sticking yourself. The barbs are sharp, really sharp and cattle respect that. I have used both 2 and 4 point. The 4 is a hassle to put up and the 2 works fine for me, as I said, cows respect it.

After 35 years of building and using fence, I have determined that no fence will be built on my land that is not made with steel posts set in concrete. 2 7/8 is a good all around post and if you have a long run, like 1000 ft, a 4" corner would be in order. To save money 2 3/8 line posts are ok and ok for corners too if you are under 150' for the run. Wood, even railroad ties, just will not hold up.

Everybody has their sweet spot for building fence. This is mine.

Mark

4010 puller · Jul 7, 2013

How flat is your ground? Here in ohio with rolling hills and creeks Ive been using wooden posts and going every 20 feet. If on good flat land I would say 30 feet;maybe 40 feet with a steel or plastic post between. How much ground are you fencing?

Texasmark1 · Jul 7, 2013

Forgot a couple of things. On corners in black dirt it's hard to keep them in place but I use double bracing on 10' centers.

Double bracing is two brace posts in each direction in addition to the corner post. Using steel the span from the corner to the mid post is horizontal, but the span from the mid post to the end is at about a 30 degree angle (diagonal bracing to keep posts straight with wire strain on them) and that second post really only needs to be a stub (to weld to) with all posts set in concrete.

What this does is the mid post takes the load of the fence but rather than trying to pull the corner post up, as is the post going 90 degrees away also trying to do, it is resisted by the stub post and the angled brace to it. I guarantee you this little bit of extra effort makes a whopping big difference in keeping the corner in the ground.

I use 8' posts and usually leave about 10" above the top rail. The rest I push in the ground with my FEL. The horiz brace pipe is slightly below the top rail.

The 10' spacing is this. The longer the span on the bracing, the more effective it is in resisting pulling out. Holes are: I use a 12" auger and run it all the way down (2 1/2' or so) and fill with Sacrete, usually dry as after a couple of rains it sets up. I have pulled up posts secured this way and I guarantee you the crete WILL set up like this.

On runs, I usually work 300' at a time which means that every 300' is a pair of posts, 8' on centers, cross braced which gives you a tie off point for the next 300' and helps to keep the fence tight.

Mark

Bret4207 · Jul 7, 2013

Harv, best of luck with high tensile and sheep. I found the sheep need to be trained to electric from birth or it's a nightmare, and it works best with the hair breeds. I've gone to electro-net, much better for rotational grazing, and Paige wire on perimeter fences.

How far apart the posts can be depends entirely on the lay of the land, type of land and what you're fencing in. Chevys pic of nice straight runs with short turf is nothing like the winding, up and down and over ledge and through swamp, brush and trees I have. And no matter what, you'll need to either mow or spray or get your stock to eat just under the fence or the grass and weeds will grow up on it, the snow and ice will collect and the whole thing will fall apart over time. I agree with Mark on the corners. I build corners that are 10x what the books show and they still loosen in some years.

The high tensile fence people are great salesmen. I love the idea, but in practice sometimes you have to have a post every 10 foot or whatever.

chevytaHOE5674 · Jul 7, 2013

I have the same 5 strands with 60' post spacing and 2 PVC battons going through the woods, brush, swamps, etc, where there is topography then I add more line posts as needed to get the wire spacing. I purposely bulldoze my fence rows as straight as possible because straight runs are easier to put up, easier to maintain, easier to check, etc. Just a little FYI the only reason the grass is short in that picture is that they were taken just a few days after snow melt.

One of the keys to high tensile is a good hot fence charger. My wires all insulated and seperated so that any wire can be electrified if needed and the remainders can be the ground in any combination that I want. This way in the spring when the grass is short I can have the bottom wire be + to keep the calves in, then as the grass and calves grow up I can take juice off the bottom wire to save myself lots of shorting headaches. Also having one or more of the wires be ground means that even if the earth is dry, snow covered, etc if you touch the + and the - your going to get knocked on your a$$.

I do spray most of my fence lines to keep the weeds and grass down off the wires so that I don't get any shorts (also weedwack under the fence along the road and behind the house for appearances). I also check the fences almost daily to make sure nothing has fallen on or damaged them. I keep cattle, horses, donkeys, and occasionally sheep in these fences.

georgeky · Jul 7, 2013

If you want to keep your critters in forget high tensil and build a proper woven/page wire fence

kyhayman · Jul 7, 2013

I've been building a lot of it the past few years, both on my own place and custom. Mostly I'm using 30 to 40 foot wood post spacings with steel or fiber glass in between as needed to maintain wire spacing. Usually 2, sometimes more. One thing I have started doing is spring loading every wire. Helps keep it looking nice. I was using 4 hots but I've gone to only 3. Cuts down on leak loss through the bottom strand. The other decision I made that made a world of difference is going with 100% Gallagher products.

T in NE · Jul 7, 2013

When we replace the old barbed wire around here (which could be 150 years old) we usually pull half or 2/3 of the old posts, depending on what"s needed to keep the right wire height. Three strands with heat in the top and bottom will keep cattle in. We go knee-high with the bottom, about armpit top, and half way between for the third.

That crude torture device known as barbed wire should be shoved up someone"s backside and twisted.

Did I mention I hate barbed wire?

donjr · Jul 7, 2013

I have been running Hi tensile for over 25 years, now. The first perimeter fencing I ran with 25' spacing, but have since decreased it to 15'. All perimeter fencing is six strands, with tube insulators on the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th wires, all three hot. At corners, they are all ended with a 'figure 8' type insulator which is set out some to clear any bracing wires, which can contact the hot wires and create a ground. ALL of my posts are driven. Only the corner posts are a bit bigger, with a post brace on the top to the second post in the run. I tried spring strainers at first, and gave up on them as a big wsste of money. Nice idea, but after the initial stretch comes out of the wire, they stay tight enough with only occassional maintenance when I check and repair any problems- usually about once or twice a year. and don't overtigthen the wire- snug is plenty. Getting it too tight is only gonna pull staples out. Most internal gating is with spring gates, and the interior fencing three strand, but two will work fine. Those posts are about fifty feet apart, and are electrified from the perimeter and central alley way. My pasture is divided into 12 paddocks of about three acres apiece. The biggest secret, is a GOOD hot charger. The one and two mile ones are a POS and aren't worth diddly. And the solars are also junk. If it's cloudy for three days, you'd better be ready to chase the critters back in until the sun comes out again. Spend a few extra bucks and get a GOOD one that will charge several thousand miles, and knock and elephant back on his butt. They try it a couple of times, and leave it alone very quickly. A good little book for free can be had from Kencove fencing. It has everything you can use in hi tensile fencing with some good pictures. Their fencing is somewhat over built and fancy, so the 'KISS' principle is in order. They'll send you a catalog if you call them at 1-800-KENCOVE. One more thing- when I make my corner posts, I use a single strand of HT from the bottom of my corner post to the top of my second post, and a barn spike held top brace. The strand is wrapped in a figure 8 and snugged up by a regular strainer. It's simple and effective, and most of my runs are about a thousand feet. Any perimeter gates should be at least 16', or 2- 10' gates. Width there can be your friend at times. Good luck....

T in NE · Jul 7, 2013

We use a spring tensioner with a ratchet tensioner. Makes it pretty quick to tighten up come spring.

chevytaHOE5674 · Jul 7, 2013

I use tension springs on all but the bottom wire and have used ratchet tensioners in the past. This year I'm string some fence and using Gripples as a tensioner and they work great and won't be going back to ratchets...

Bret4207 · Jul 8, 2013

Bulldozing fence lines is a great idea. I'm working on that now. The problem is that granite and marble don't bulldoze for snot. Where it can be done it's a great idea, but I don't think the Kencove or Gallagher people ever envisioned some of the places some of us run fence.

adamjones · Feb 21, 2024

Texasmark1 said:
Glad you mentioned high tensile. I use Gaucho, American made in Arkansas as I recall, 15 1/2 gauge. It costs about the same as regular but works differently since it doesn't stretch.

One thing I really like about it is the weather proof coating, galvanize or zinc or whatever. I have a fence that has been up for about 15 years and the wooden posts had rotted. I replaced the posts with pipe but PUT THE EXISTING WIRE BACK UP. Why? because it was just fine as it was.

I use 5 strand primarily. Height off the ground varies. One thing to consider is that cows don't need wire close to the ground, but if you have a calving operation, it helps to keep the calf on your side since they love to lie right against the fence row. Course, if the sucker got out, when he gets hungry he will figure out how to get back.

Posts vary from 8' to 30'. On 8' no stays, t posts, and a wooden post about every 6 or so. Reason down here is black clay that cracks open in the summer and since the t posts have no surface area they would sink if you don't add something with some to hold the weight of the fence.

Height of 50" +/- a couple works for me. If I had Simmental or other large animals, it would be higher. I run Brangus and Limousine and that height keeps the bull from testing it.

The 30' is called a swinging fence and each post has to support 30' of fence so it needs to be a good post and have a solid foundation. Stays are every 8'. If a cow hits it, the whole thing acts like a giant net and is very effective in fencing large areas.

Wire spacing is something I never can repeat Fencing Bellevue. Depends on my mood. I did take a piece of PVC and mark it which I have used in the latest fencing operations. I usually start with 8" on the bottom and graduate to 10-12 on the top.

Other thing about Gaucho, you can't put it up without sticking yourself. The barbs are sharp, really sharp and cattle respect that. I have used both 2 and 4 point. The 4 is a hassle to put up and the 2 works fine for me, as I said, cows respect it.

After 35 years of building and using fence, I have determined that no fence will be built on my land that is not made with steel posts set in concrete. 2 7/8 is a good all around post and if you have a long run, like 1000 ft, a 4" corner would be in order. To save money 2 3/8 line posts are ok and ok for corners too if you are under 150' for the run. Wood, even railroad ties, just will not hold up.

Everybody has their sweet spot for building fence. This is mine.

Mark

Hello. I have some 5-strand barb that is getting old and needs to be replaced in our pasture. I was wondering what you guys are spacing a 6-wire 3 hot at for cow/calf.

I would like to keep the bottom wire hot at 6" for dogs and coyotes. After that I'm open to suggestions. Everything I've read says 48", but that doesn't seem very high to me.

MJMJ · Feb 22, 2024

adamjones said:
Hello. I have some 5-strand barb that is getting old and needs to be replaced in our pasture. I was wondering what you guys are spacing a 6-wire 3 hot at for cow/calf.

I would like to keep the bottom wire hot at 6" for dogs and coyotes. After that I'm open to suggestions. Everything I've read says 48", but that doesn't seem very high to me.

You replied to a 10 year old thread, just an FYI. Regardless, post spacing is entirely dependent on terrain. Height is personal preference. And don't think for one second that you can keep coyotes and dogs out.

High tensile fence questions

jacksonduper

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old harv

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chevytaHOE5674

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Texasmark1

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4010 puller

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Texasmark1

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Bret4207

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chevytaHOE5674

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georgeky

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kyhayman

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T in NE

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donjr

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T in NE

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chevytaHOE5674

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Bret4207

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adamjones

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MJMJ

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