# Fencing Question?



## ThePigeonKid (Oct 10, 2011)

I'm putting up an electric fence and I've been learning how to do it from info off the internet. I think I've got this right, but I want to be certain...

Is this how you are supposed to do the corner posts?


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## carolinagirl (Oct 10, 2011)

you got a brace post in there and tension wires?  Or are you talking about the electric wire and not the actual corner?  If you are talking about the electric wire, I would not do it that way.  I'd use corner insulators like these....

http://www.gallagher.ca/fence_component.aspx?mktprodid=3970

http://www.kencove.com/fence/Lag+Corner+Insulator_detail_ILC.php  (this is my favorite kind and they are cheap)

http://fenceandfarm.com/item_194/HD-PORCELAIN-WITH-LAG-BOLT.htm


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## redtailgal (Oct 10, 2011)

I wouldnt do electric wire like that either.

I recommend either of these 

http://www.electric-fence.com/item_42/Heavy-Duty-Porcelain-Corner-36.htm

http://www.electric-fence.com/item_38/CORNER-INSULATOR.htm


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## currycomb (Oct 10, 2011)

i would add the large porcelain insulators and screw them into the post and then slip the wire around them, with or without the rubber. the rubber will crack, and during heavy moisture, power will leak thru the rubber or plastic covering on the wire. the porcelain insulators will just insulate better, and keep the wire away from the posts


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## goodhors (Oct 10, 2011)

I am "presuming" you are putting up hi-tensile wire?  If this is for the corner post wire tensioner, you probably want
a double wire to pull the posts tight under the brace post.  The tension wire was not insulated on the fence post
we just had redone last week.

There are long plastic tubes, D-shaped, with a flat metal pieces inside.  You thread the fence wire thru, to lay 
the fence wire against as it goes around the corner posts.  Flat metal piece prevents fence wire cutting the 
plastic insulator going around the corner post.  Insulator you show is for line posts, not corners.  Our 
hi-tensile wire has 3 kinds of insulators to be used in various place on the fence.  We have NO porcelain 
insulators, they won't stay put under the tension of the hi-tensile wire.  Porcelain is NOT recommended for 
hi-tensile fence systems.

Our plastic insulators (similar to example shown) have held up pretty well, for MANY years.  A very few have 
cracked or been killed by my weed whacker, so I had to replace them.  When the fence guys did a complete 
fence check, they didn't find any bad insulators causing shorts or loss of electricity with their sophisticated 
tester device.  Many of the insulators are over 30 years old.


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## carolinagirl (Oct 11, 2011)

I had another thought too about this.  If he is planning on using wire like this attached to corner posts, then he must not have used brace posts or the wire would run right into the brace post.  You MUST have brace posts if you are going to use high tensile hot wire or the posts will bow inward and pull out of the ground.  

http://extension.missouri.edu/p/G1192

http://www.kencove.com/fence/Lag+Corner+Insulator_detail_ILC.php  these are the insulators I used for high tensile hot wire.


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## goodhors (Oct 11, 2011)

These are the wrap-around insulators like we have on our fences.  You can make a circle for an end post on a run or bend
the insulator around a corner post to make a continued run down the line.  These have the piece of metal 
inside to lay against the hi-tensile wire, which prevents wire from cutting into or splitting the insulator tube.

http://www.kencove.com/fence/Wood+Post+Insulators_detail_I40.php

I don't think I would want those lagged in insulators on my hi-tensile wire.  Something else to get snagged on, or get 
ripped out if animals SHOULD hit the wire.  Our wires are a continuous runs, from gate to gate or end posts.  They have
tremendous tension to keep them snug.  We have 8 wires in our fences, 2 hot on the bottom, 1 in the middle and 
1 hot on top.  Animals DO NOT reach thru, lean over, to get into trouble.  Makes a much more visible barrier, for those 
times you might lose electric, than just a couple wires.  8 wires is the recommended amount for horses, from the 
original New Zealand Fence Co. when we had our fences installed.  

I have seen horses hit the 8 wire fence and be thrown back into the field, with no damage.  Of course if horse is 
THAT STUPID, they don't need to live here, get sold on.  I SURE don't want to be on or driving behind a horse 
who has NO sense or self-preservation mindset.  They will get you hurt badly!

I see fence problems when people use less wires.  I hear the stories about animals getting damaged "because hi-tensile wire is 
so unsafe".  Not any more unsafe than other fence if PROPERLY installed, which I don't see much.  Everyone wants 
to save money, so they shortcut with less wires, improper spacing of wires, part-time use of the charger so animals have 
no respect for the fences.


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## animalfarm (Oct 12, 2011)

goodhors said:
			
		

> These are the wrap-around insulators like we have on our fences.  You can make a circle for an end post on a run or bend
> the insulator around a corner post to make a continued run down the line.  These have the piece of metal
> inside to lay against the hi-tensile wire, which prevents wire from cutting into or splitting the insulator tube.
> 
> ...


I hired a "kid" from the local proffessional fencing company to come and teach me to do high tensile fencing. I learned a lot about the technical aspects of posts, twisting heavy wire, tighteners, crossing gates, grounding ect...

 A lot of what I learned was also  after the animals were turned into the 2 pastures that he fenced. I have been redoing most of his fences. What was good enough, for the fencing company, wasn't working for me.

The major #1 issue was wire spacing. He had a hot bottom wire, a ground in the middle and a hot top wire. They were space about 15 inches apart. I learned all about what incorrect wire spacing can do for you. Might as well not have a fence at all.

I have been dropping the top hot wire down inbetween the bottom wire and the ground wire. so that they are about 6-7" apart. I was going to add more top wires, but have found the lower fence to be very effective for cows, horses and pigs. All of my perimeter fences will be a minimum of 5 wires 7" apart.   I use 9 wires between my pasture and the neigbours because he keeps a limousine bull and I don't want that in my breeding programn and although he says he doesn't mind my bull visiting his cows, I do. I keep a closed herd. I actually prefer a mesh fence with a hot wire just inside, but the mesh is hard to use in uneven ground.

The #2 biggest problem was that the  lad spaced all of the posts 60 ft apart and used one teak spacer  inbetween. A determined cow  (belted galloway with heavy hair coat) just lifts the whole fence up and walks underneath dragging the fence. I am now adding posts and needing much less maintenance on the fence lines. Sometimes you save money by spending some.

#3 issue was the fencing company reccomended too small a fence charger. I have since changed over to some much stronger units and use more of them as I expand the fencing. I may lose juice in one pasture but not all of them at one time. When a big enough charge is in the fence ,most times, they don't tend to go checking to see if its safe to cross. I use a portable pig string set out 1 foot in front of the main fence with a small charge going through it to avoid hurting the pigs with the heavier charge. Pigs are delicate creatures.

For any one thats interested, the fence chargers with the remote controls/fault finders are the cats meow. You can walk the fence checking for faults, and when you find one you can turn off the charger with the remote, fix the problem and turn the fence back on without wasting time and energy going back and fourth to the charger.


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## WashingtonBay (Oct 12, 2011)

Your insulator doesn't look long enough, but to hold any kind of tension at all, it should go all the way around the post, like this:






Yours will pull out when you pull the wire tight.


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