Ideas on fence corners anyone?

[soarwitheagles]

View attachment 16155 View attachment 16156

I am all for the last option.[/QUOTE]

Yes, me too! But it took 5 times longer than the easier method and I did not have the time to build all corners with the H post method.

I just posted a ton of pictures on a tutorial on fencing. Hope it helps answer your questions. Your picture #1,2 and #3 looks doomed to fail. You would do better to do these over now rather than wait for the corner to fail and stock to escape. Picture #4 you have the right idea, but unless those are GROUND CONTACT 4x4's they will rot in a few short years. Picture #5 is the best one out of the bunch. It takes time, hard work and more hard work. But when done right, it gives peace of mind and you get to do routine maintentance rather than emergency catch 'em and patch the hole.

http://www.backyardherds.com/threads/non-climb-2-x4-horse-wire-fence.32922/page-2

Baymule, after looking at your awesome fence job, I went looking for a fence post hole to crawl into!

Wow, you sure know how to do it right and strong and that is the way fences should be built!

Ditto to Baymule's post. The orners that you put in are not the best way to go for long term use. You need to put in much heavier posts that are pressure treated , " H " crossbraced at eah corner and tied together with heavy wire that you can tighten. Your current corners are an accident waiting to happen either to you and/ or the animals. Also, the fencing that you chose is very easy for the sheep to put their heads through in an attempt to eat grass on the other side and stretch the fence wires. Also, potencially the sheep can get their head stuck / panick then hurt themselves. I know , I know ... more work for you ,but well worth it to do it now then do it later with much more sweat and labor.

Thanks for sharing your insights. I simply did not have the time or funding to install the fence the heavy duty way. I will spray with the glysophate so the sheep's temptation put their heads through for greener pastures will not be so great!

Good eye Bossroo, I didn't notice the field fencing. I have used it before and I hate the stuff. It was a huge mistake on my part to use it to fence a previous property we owned. It breaks, stretches, and is total crap. I got suckered in by the cheaper price and thought I was doing great because of the smaller holes on the bottom. I just knew it was perfect for keeping dogs out. It didn't. Not even big dogs. Big dogs could actually squeeze and wriggle in those squares until the wires slid apart. My horses stuck their hooves in it and pawed it to pieces and totally walked it down to the ground. Cows were even worse on it.

@soarwitheagles reading back over my posts, it sure sounds like I'm beating up on you. Please don't take it that way, I have made all these mistakes and lived to regret them. It made much, much more work for me in the long run.

Bay,

I am not taking your post the wrong way. I am learning. As mentioned before, we did not have the time or resources to complete the fence the heavy duty method at this time. I will probably simply install the H fencing using the 10 ft. x 6 inch dia. posts in the future.

You all will hate my corner and in-line posts then....
Have a few, slightly different than pictured, for a field fence I put up last year. And just put up 7 for a tight hot fence.
Works for me, but not under the much higher forces that professionally installed fences are on.
View attachment 16172

Nice job secuono! Hope it works well for you!

Soar, those 4x4's you used for a corner can be used for the middle brace in "H" braces or corner braces. They just aren't any good for ground contact. I am a master of making do with what I have, so I totally get you there. You just have to do what you can do sometimes. Just keep an eye on the field fencing so you don't get any problems.

Thank you Baymule. The 4x4's are all pressure treated, so I am hoping they will work for at least a few years.

My only wish is that I had more time and more resources. But I did not. The pasture with incredible grass, clover, legumes, etc. is now nearly 18" high in some areas. I needed to finish this quick and get the sheep out there!

 

[babsbag]

We used a T post kit that we got at tractor supply.

http://www.wedgeloc.com/

Our ground is undiggable and rocky and there was no way I was digging the holes. I literally had to use a drill with a 1" spade bit for one post. After that I gave up. We couldn't get a tractor where we needed holes and no money to rent an auger and it probably would have broken my wrist. The kit works well, it has been 8 years and still holding strong. We even stretched fence from it and when I stretch fence I REALLY stretch it. I use a come-along.

To keep my goats from using my fence as a back scratcher I have a row of hot wire at goat knee height.

 

[soarwitheagles]

We used a T post kit that we got at tractor supply.

http://www.wedgeloc.com/

Our ground is undiggable and rocky and there was no way I was digging the holes. I literally had to use a drill with a 1" spade bit for one post. After that I gave up. We couldn't get a tractor where we needed holes and no money to rent an auger and it probably would have broken my wrist. The kit works well, it has been 8 years and still holding strong. We even stretched fence from it and when I stretch fence I REALLY stretch it. I use a come-along.

To keep my goats from using my fence as a back scratcher I have a row of hot wire at goat knee height.

Thanks for posting babsbag!

Yes, I saw those wedgelocs at TS and they are actually 50% off at the moment! Previous owners used them here too and there are several still in use.

So sorry to hear about your hardened ground! Wow, sounds as if you may need some dynamite!

Here, the ground is finally soft as butter after some super saturation rains. So post hole digger works like a charm.

I have a tractor with 16 attachments...8 of which are various size augers...problem is...ground so soft, I would not dare drive it out on pasture.

Later in the year, I would like to hook up the auger and drill the holes for all the "H" corners, then build the "H" corners, removing my el cheapo versions of the corners. Yes, it will be more work, but now I am happy because no more need to feed the sheep [it was becoming so expensive]...they are devouring grass, clovers, furbs, chickory, and trefoil and best of all it is all free! Did you know one of our good friends and fellow ranchers is spending $25-$50 per day to feed his sheep hay? We are not in the position to spend that much to feed our flock.

Another best of all, this is the happiest I have ever seen our sheep! Now they run and frolick, roll in the grass, and are overall super happy. I have never seen them this way ever before. I think my feeding the hay and grain wasn't their idea of the high life.

I think I am learning that the better you feed your sheep, the happier they will be and these sheep appear to love the pasture. I also believe they will be much healthier too.

So that is all for now.

Soar

 

[babsbag]

My goats are out browsing this time of year and they love it, they do look so happy. Only for a month though unless we get more rain...soon all will be brown.

We live on the top of a hill and I think we grow rocks...no, that isn't right...I KNOW we grow rocks. Our tractor does not have down pressure for the auger and it is useless more often than not.

 

[soarwitheagles]

My goats are out browsing this time of year and they love it, they do look so happy. Only for a month though unless we get more rain...soon all will be brown.

We live on the top of a hill and I think we grow rocks...no, that isn't right...I KNOW we grow rocks. Our tractor does not have down pressure for the auger and it is useless more often than not.

Anderson is up near Redding yes? I did not know there was so much rock in the soil there...then again, I suppose there can be rock anywhere depending upon the property. Well at least you have a nice view, living at the top of a hill!

My next project will be to install some form of irrigation so we can have at least an acre or two of green pasture during the summer months. I am hoping it the power costs for the well pump will not be too expensive. I am considering using a propane generator to power the well while irrigating.

Have a wonderful day Bagsbad!

 

[babsbag]

I would think about solar for the pump and maybe get a tank that you can fill slowly if needed and then irrigate out of the tank. Just a thought. I think the solar pumps have gotten cheaper over the years. Our well is 300' deep so 8 years ago solar was out of the question; there were no pumps that would do that depth and give the volume I needed for a home, but I could do it now. But instead we put solar on the house and will be doing more. I irrigate at night when power is cheaper.

Irrigated pasture is a dream of mine but goats want trees more than grass so it is a little trickier.

We are near Redding and certain places are rocky. There is a seasonal stream at the bottom of our hill and lots of rocks there, but we aren't the only place. Unless you are in the bottom land near the Sacramento river or some of the creeks, rocks prevail. The funny thing is that when we lived in Fairfield I use to pay for the rocks for landscaping and while I still use them for landscaping I pretty much curse them more often than not. They are river rocks about softball size but if I go down to the stream bed I can get football size and bigger. I should take them to the Bay Area and sell them.

 

[OneFineAcre]

This is how I did mine

 

[Baymule]

Baymule, after looking at your awesome fence job, I went looking for a fence post hole to crawl into!

Wow, you sure know how to do it right and strong and that is the way fences should be built!

Soar, sure wasn't trying to make you feel bad and don't go crawling off in a fence post hole! I have made lots of fencing mistakes, lots of screw ups, and paid dearly for them. I am glad you liked my fencing thread and hope it helps. The only reason I know how to do it right is because I did it so wrong, wrong, wrong.

 

[babsbag]

Oh to be fencing level land; @OneFineAcre that is a very nice fence.

 

[Pamela]

We use railroad ties, buried 3-4 feet deep at corners. No need for bracing.