Fence Stretching

[enggass]

I just looped it around the 2x4 and hooked it back on itself. I am the official fence installer around my place and what I would give for some nice level clear land to fence.

Thanks - but still, how do you attach to the top and bottom - anyway you could post a pic?

 

[Bruce]

I used bolts to pull the 2x4s together over the wire fencing. I happened to have some bolts with integrated rings like these and put 1 as the top bolt and one as the bottom bolt of the stretcher. I had them facing opposite sides so the stretcher didn't twist sideways though I don't know if that really matters.

If you are planning on doing @babsbag's ratchet strap V method, just loop the end through the lowest "cell" of the fencing right at the 2x4 stretcher then hook it back to the strap. Do the same with a second strap through the top "cell". It might bend the upper/lower horizontal wire in that 'cell' a bit but you will be cutting it and wrapping it around the post and tying it back into itself anyway. Since you don't want to come up short on the wire tying back into the fence, you will (of course) err on the side of wasting a foot or two of wire and the cells close to the stretcher will be waste anyway . Connect whatever you are using to actually pull with to the hooks on the other end of the straps where they meet. Since she is using ratchet straps, the length of each can be adjusted to form the V. This should give some latitude as to how far the anchor point can be off the vertical center of the stretcher. If the anchor point is lower than the midpoint, the upper ratchet strap will be longer than the lower strap. Once you start pulling, you might need to adjust one or the other to equally pull the top and bottom at the same time. Which is why using ratchet straps to form the V is near genius Make sure yours have a safe working load for the job.

BTW, @greybeard has enlightened us to the reality of fencing. You do NOT want to run a stretched fence around a corner post and then down the line to the next post. You want each run to be separate so it doesn't pull the corner post inward. That means you need to start/stop each linear run at a corner post.

 

[greybeard]

Thanks - but still, how do you attach to the top and bottom - anyway you could post a pic?

Babsbags' ratchet straps, if like the ones I have, have a hook on each end. If not, they have a hook on one end and a loop preformed on the other. It's just a matter of running the strap around each end of the device that's clamped to the fence and hooking the strap back into itself.
There's a dozen or more ways to do it, and none are reallly 'wrong'. I used chains back when I was stretching hog wire, but straps are probably easier.
Here's one video, that kinda shows it:

This guy uses 2 comealongs, which works well tho a little awkward, but it does allow the installer to make adjustments for differences in grade deviations.

This one uses rope. Problem with rope is low breaking point and rope generally has a lot of stretch to it and then there's the problem of getting the knots untied afte you're done.

There are tools you can buy or make that just hook into a bar run thru the fence--I tried one on some welded wire fencing around my garden and did not like them--they elongated the rectangles because there was too much stress applied to just a few parts of the height of the fence. Might work ok on short runs of knotted wire fencing tho.

 

[babsbag]

@greybeard and @Bruce explained it well. Since I didn't have two come-alongs I made a loop in the strap at the point of the V and then would adjust that point higher or lower depending on the slope of the land. Two come-alongs would have been awesome. I was also using trees as anchors for my come-alongs and some of those trees were 20' away so I used a tow strap attached to the come-along instead of a chain as it was lighter to carry "over hill and over dale"; a good chain is HEAVY.

 

[enggass]

Thank you all.. Tons of great info! Very helpfull

 

[Bruce]

Ah the RedBrand guys and their videos. I learned quite a bit from them. I also hate them. See how EASY it is to dig a post hole? So easy that they put in temporary brace posts to pull to. Every wood post I put it took HOURS. Yep, just hate them

BTW @enggass , I discovered something about making H braces (I should patent it ) You see how the guy is pre-drilling the post and brace pole, pounding the brace pin in one then matching up the pin to the hole in the post?? PITA! Easier if there are multiple people but that wasn't my case. I did it their way ONCE. Then I made my discovery - ratchet straps!!! Yes, they are almost as useful as duct tape and baling wire.

1. Set your 2 posts, put the brace pole on the ground butted up against the first post you set and set the second post with the brace butted against it. No measuring needed
2. (this is where a helper is handy but not necessary) lift the brace pole to the general height you want and trap it between the two posts using 2 ratcheting tie down straps hooked together. Adjust the brace pole to the height you want it and make sure the ratchet strap doesn't end up being over the location where you will put the brace pin
3. Crank on the ratchet straps so they will hold the brace pole in place
4. Drill through one post and into the brace pole with the proper sized bit
5. Pound the brace pin in through the post and into the brace pole, leave some out if you need to have brace wire going down from there
6. Repeat #4 & #5 on the other post
7. Remove the ratchet straps.

Trust me, this is WAY WAY easier than trying to shove a 5" pole with a brace pin sticking out of it into a hole you can't see in a post or trying to shove the hole you can't see in the brace pole onto a pin you can't see in the post.

I didn't have 2 come-alongs either @babsbag, in fact I didn't even have ONE! I bought two. There have been more than one occasion when having a come-along would have been SO much easier than screwing around making do with what I could find on hand.

 

[greybeard]

The old way of doing it Bruce, is after the two posts are set, you cut a rest in each of the posts. This accepts the horizontal brace. No drilling required. I always took a little bow saw or limb saw along, measured the diameter of the horizontal brace post and made 2 cuts into aech of the vertical posts about 1/2" deep, then chiseled out the area between the 2 cuts. Measure the distance between the cuts in the posts, and cut the horizontal brace post to that dimension, or just a hair longer. Once it's in there, drive a large nail in at an angle to hold it in place, then put the diagonal wire however needed, forcing the 2 vertical posts even tighter together sandwiching the horizontal member between them.
I've done lots & lots of them just this way.

(not to scale obviously.)

(wire X only because a heavy gate is on the right and fence wire tension on the left)

 

[Bruce]

Seems like that would work I'm sure 2 big nails are cheaper than 2 brace pins. The Red Brand video show the same as you said, plant the posts then cut the brace to be the proper length. I chose to not have to cut the 5" horizontal brace. I had enough "fun" cutting the angles for the 3 floating braces. Might have thought differently if I had a reciprocating saw though.

One then needs to balance the cost of materials and time spent Of course since I can't drill a level horizontal hole without the assistance of a small level, I don't suppose it would take any longer to cut and chisel a shallow rest in the posts than it took me to drill the holes.

I will keep this in mind the next time I need to build an H-brace. Thanks @greybeard

 

[enggass]

Ok, so, what then is adequate material for a couple of Nigerian Dwarfs.
Will this work? http://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/red-brand-square-deal-field-fence-330-ft
or do I need to go with this...
http://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/goat-fence-48-in-x-330-ft

I would prefer the $150 option...

 

[Baymule]

Field fence is crap. Actually it is worse than crap, but this is a family forum so I won't use those descriptive terms here. Your goats could probably walk through the holes. You get what you pay for. Did I mention that field fence is crap?

The goat fence is what you want. It is good wire. Some of us are putting up 2"x4" non climb horse wire. I like it because it keeps even the chickens in and everything else out. It is expensive, but I only plan on doing this once.

http://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/non-climb-horse-fence-48-in-x-200-ft?cm_vc=-10005

I am glad for your sake that you came here to ask about fencing BEFORE you put up field fencing and found our what a major goof you made.