Well-intended government agencies recommend lots of fence posts in their
fencing specifications. Fifty-foot spacing on flat land is just too close.
You want the fence to act like a rubber band. When something runs into the
wire, you don't want to break all the insulators or knock posts out of the
ground. If the posts are spread far enough apart -- say 80 to 100 feet --
the wire will just bend to the ground and pop back up.
Labor Tip: I now use
my hydraulic post driver to drive in all line posts, even the steel posts.
5) Too many wire tie-offs
Again, fencing specifications may call for braces every quarter mile
(1,320' ) to tie the wire off, but I have found that even 5,280 feet is OK,
and actually adds more elasticity in the fence wire. This reduces the chance
of wires breaking.
6) Wires tied tight to each fencepost
The wires must float (move) past each line fence post. This is needed to
maintain the elasticity effect (that rubber band effect).
7) Building new fences near old existing fences
Old fence wires seem to always be moving somewhere and coming in contact
with the new electrified wires. This will cause a complete short in the
fence and away the animals may go.
8) Bottom wire in contact with heavy, wet vegetation
Wet grass will suck lots of juice out of any fence charger. Hook up the
lower wires separate from the other wires, and install a switch for the
lower wires that you can turn off when the grass is tall. Brush is another
problem - buy a BIG charger. When you check a smooth wire fence, drive your
vehicle so the wheels will drive over the vegetation and knock some of it
down. 4-wheelers work great for this job. Don’t spray under the wire or
you will end up with tall weeds growing there.
9) Poor-quality insulators
Be careful, sunlight deteriorates plastic. Buy high-quality,
long-lasting insulators. Usually black ones are treated to resist
degradation by ultraviolet light. I have found that poor quality insulators
turn white or clear after a few years in direct sunlight and shatter like
glass.
10) Staples driven in all the way
When using plastic tubing as an insulator, don't staple it too tight. I
once spent several hours trying to find a short in a gate. Finally, I
discovered a staple had damaged the tubing next to a ground wire, causing a
hidden short.
11) Solar panels not directly facing the sun
This seems almost too obvious to be a problem, but a solar panel won't
function at its potential if it’s not properly installed. Please read the
instructions. Don't just guess if you have done it right.
12) Don’t electrify barbed wire
An animal can get caught-up in the barbs and the shock from a big
charger could kill the animal.
13) Kinks in high-tensile wire
A small kink in stiff wire will always break. Also avoid hitting this
kind of wire with a hammer, as this will easily damage the wire, causing a
break. Always cut out a damaged section of high tensile wire and splice it.
Incidentally, I have found that a hand-tied "square knot" makes
the strongest splice.
14) Installing in-line strainers close together
Wires will flip together once in awhile. If in-line strainers (wench like
gadgets to keep the wire tight) are installed one above the other, they will
sometimes hook up. Separate in-line strainers by a fencepost and they will
never catch on each other.
15) Wires too close to each other
Keep them at least 5 to 7 inches apart. When you and a partner are
building fence make fencing height marks in ink on your pants for the height
of the wires - this saves time. Don’t worry about the baby animals because
they will just walk back under the hot wire.
16) Wire stretched too tight
Use inline-strainers that pull just enough to get the sag out of the wire
between the fence posts.
17) No voltmeter
Without a voltage meter to check how hot a fence is, you're just
guessing. Animals may find a low voltage fence is a joke and walk right
through it.
18) Wire too small
The larger the wire, the more electricity it will carry. Don't skimp
here, especially if your wire is going long distances. 12.5 gage wire is good for
more than 20 miles of hot fence.
19) Inadequate charger
A wimpy fence charger gives you wimpy fences. Don't skimp here because
this is where most fences fail. Build a strong simple fence and hook it up
to a great big fence charger.
20) Can’t fence in the wintertime?
This is a paradigm that most folks have. Mine too, until I watched
Canadians build a single strand temporary fence at 25 below zero (1000
feet in 30 minutes) to open-up new pastures in a swath grazing program with
smiles on their faces. This fencing tip kept their animals happy for the
next 5 days with only 30 minutes labor. They were smiling because of no
expensive feeding or hauling hay every day. They simply hand tapped 5/8 inch
rebar a few inches into the frozen ground and placed a sliding insulator on
the metal post.
21) Too busy to check the fence
Yes, these fences are much easier to build and maintain. However, without
routine checking, they tend to slip and lose their effectiveness. Once the
animals become untrained, (smooth wire loses its pain giving effect), it
takes an extra effort to retrain them. Solution: Carry a small repair kit
with you at all time. Install switches away from the charger, turn the fence
off and make the necessary repairs as a routine as often as moving the
mineral mix.
Your fence charger should be low-impedance, come from a dependable supplier,
and have a warranty and replaceable components. Buy one that puts out
lots of power. During a rainy year, you may have lots of plant growth touching
the wires. That's when you will need extra power to shock through the heavy, wet
vegetation. It's also handy to find sales folks with an extra charger they can
lend to you while yours is being repaired. Expect some breakdowns, especially
from lightning. Certain fence suppliers offer lightning protection with their
warranties.
Don't be afraid to try electric smooth wire fencing. Find a good fence
supplier and learn some of the tricks of the trade. I know folks who hate
electric fencing, but their pocketbook is not big enough to build a conventional
fence, which may cost up to $1 to several dollars per foot or more, while electric
costs less that one half to 1/3 of that amount.
The next time your animals get in a fight with the neighbor’s and tear down
a fence line, remember that most educated animals will not touch a wire with
5,000 volts running through it.
Once this technology is learned and the animals are well trained, you can
start to simplify your interior cross fences down to two wires. Best of luck to
you.
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