TheFarmOfDreams- a long awaited adventure

[Thefarmofdreams]

Thank you for all the feedback!! I think we will get an auger... and just hope like crazy there aren't huge rock problems. I also need to decide on how I want to block off the part of the barn that's going to function as a shed for the winter. I think round pen panels, but i'm not at all certain.... Whatever it is, it needs to be quick, relatively safe, and temporary. They can't have the whole dairy parlor bc the floor sags too low for the horse in the middle and i'm worried he'll bust himself on it. In the spring I'll work on building an addition of a horse stall or two, and build some proper stalls for the donkeys inside.

The fence we're building this winter is a privacy fence for the dogs (to cut down on their incessant barking), so all 4x4 posts. The riding ring will be wood posts too. I think t posts sound like an impaling waiting to happen... I've landed on post & rail fences, they're bad enough. And the 5 acres... not sure. Possibly t posts, although they're frowned upon by some for horses... sooooo if budget allows, we might go wood there too.

So today I'm doing NOTHING to make sure I don't completely overtax myself before the rough week even starts (i'm good at over doing it)... and then sunday we go out and put hay in the barn, and tuesday we go BACK out and close, set up some cots, and start doing all the animal prep.... get the equines in next weekend... and then get to work on the dog fence as soon as our permit goes through. And then I can actually move our house things the next weekend. And then get our current apartment ready to rent out. It's gonna be a long couple months.

 

[Bruce]

It's gonna be a long couple months.

Yes it is!!!!

I have no history with horses but I agree that wood posts for the riding ring are much more appropriate than T posts. I was thinking perimeter fence.

Yep, buy the power auger, it probably won't cost any more, and might be less, than renting. And you'll have it for all future fence projects. Wood posts around 5 acres would be a LOT of work! And even if you do go mainly T-posts, you'll still have quite a number of post holes to dig.

 

[Alaskan]

Nice of you to post links Bay

Personally I'd be quite shy of trying to use one of those "1 man". That is a lot of HP and torque. If it catches on anything I hate to think what damage it could do to my arms and shoulders.

I was thinking those arms smacking my ribs.

I prefer my ribs to be uncracked.

 

[Alaskan]

Possibly t posts, although they're frowned upon by some for horses... sooooo if budget allows, we might go wood there too.

Yeah.... I have seen photos of horses impaled on T-posts.

BUT, in our small winter only paddock we used T-posts with electric rope. We never had an issue..... but... clearly it can happen.

I think I have seen some kind of t-post cap that you can buy, that makes them a bit more horse safe.

of course, the electric we used helped too... since they didn't want to get close to the electric.

 

[Mike CHS]

About 1/3 of our place is too rocky to use an auger but the rest is good to go. I just always made sure I had a bunch of shear pins on hand and got to where I could change a shear pin in a few minutes.

 

[Bruce]

I just always made sure I had a bunch of shear pins on hand

Good point. Never want to stop a project in the middle because you don't have a shear pin. I carry a few in my pocket when I'm running the snow blower.

 

[farmerjan]

We keep shear pins to anything that needs them with the piece of equipment. The sq baler has the area for the rolls of twine with the cover that comes down over it, there are small tool boxes on nearly every tractor fender and the cab tractors have several bolts and shear pins and cotter pins and pliers and usually a 9/16 wrench or a couple of adjustable wrenches, in the floor on the side the door doesn't open.... we buy extras at yard sales and such just to keep in the various vehicles.... They get lost and broken and and such, but in a pinch it sure is handy to have something in the tractor that you can make work til you can get back to the barn/shop. Different for the smaller operator that most of you are on here, but having extras is never bad.....
Like @Bruce said, nothing worse than having to stop a project in the middle for lack of a small but essential part.

 

[Baymule]

We bought our auger at Harbor Freight. Best $200 I ever spent. We fenced our 8 acres, cross fenced into 5 pastures plus a garden. Lots of gates, which require sturdy posts and H-braces. Corner posts, H-braces on long spans, that auger got a lot of use on our small place. When done, we gave it to a neighbor.

If concerned about the torque wrenching you around, use two people to hold it.

Wood posts sound like a good idea on a riding ring, but I see no reason not to use T-posts for parameter fencing. I've never had a horse impale themselves on a T-post, nor do I know anyone that has had that happen to any horse they have ever had. Seriously, if a horse is that wild, flighty and stupid to impale themselves on a T-post, it is more than likely a dangerous animal, call the vet and put them down. I've had a few crazy horses, but not even those idiots impaled themselves on a T-post. I got rid of them.

 

[Mini Horses]

I know someone who had a horse running, slipped and slid into a wooden post. Broke it's neck. Freak accident. Just do what seems best because nothing is foolproof.

I have the rubber toppers for my t-posts....they push on, white, makes it seen. They do cover a sharp top which comes with pounding. Helps with rubbing and getting cut, for me and the animals.

 

[Thefarmofdreams]

We have hayyyyyyy!!!!!! Drove the 4 hours, unloaded bales w my brother in law (poor guy doesn't even want animals ) while my sister chased the kids, did my final walk through of the house... And drove home. So tired!

BUT WE HAVE HAY!!!!!!

Eta... Now I need to figure out an economical way to put up a temporary 40' barrier across the barn to keep them in one end ..

(Also, our barn still has the original track and hook/claw for unloading hay from horse drawn wagons back in the day. Both our barn repair guy and hay guy were super psyched to notice it. Once we have light I need to try to get pics.)