Barbed wire is an effective means of animal containment.
Barbed wire fencing is a necessary evil for many ranchers. Because its barbs are knife-sharp and the wire must be stretched extremely tight, installing it can be a painful experience that is hard on your clothing. However, it is both cost effective and good at keeping in ranch stock, especially cattle. Barbed wire usually consists of two strands of wire twisted together with either two- or four-pronged barbs every few inches. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Plan your fence line carefully on paper using a measuring wheel to measure spaces between posts as well as overall length of the fence line. This will help you in buying materials. Use wooden brace posts at any corners, sharp curves and hill crests, and use wooden or metal posts between them. Plan your gates, as well. Set posts 10 to 12 feet apart over even terrain Set them closer together in dips, rises and over streams or ditches.
2. Dig holes for your wooden posts using an auger. Use pressure treated wood for best results. Tamp the dirt in as solidly as possible for the bottom and top 3 inches when back filling around the post, and tamp it firmly but not as solid in the center. This conserves dirt while being sure your post is sturdy. Sink posts at least 12 inches. Drive metal posts into the ground using a post driver to your desired depth. The deeper any post is set, the sturdier it will be.
3. Brace the corners of your pasture, as well as any beginning or end, such as where you'll install gates. There are several effective methods, but an easy approach is to use a diagonal brace. Place a pole that is one and a half times the height of your fence and brace it against the corner post. Brace it at the bottom end with a sturdy stake driven into the ground, or sink your next post here instead of 12 feet down the line. Attach the diagonal to the corner post by notching the corner post and nailing the diagonal to it. Brace a corner post on both sides at 90-degree angles from one another. Brace gate posts on just the fence side, leaving the opposite side open.
4. Start stringing your wire by stapling it to the first braced post using a minimum of two staples at the start. Loop the wire around the post, staple again, and wrap the tail of the wire around itself a few times for added security. Hammer in staples with the short side up, if applicable. Hammer them in on a diagonal with the wood grain with the ends spread slightly.
5. Take your wire to the next brace post. Stretch it taut with the fence stretcher. Use caution that you do not snap the wire when stretching, but do not leave it loose. Staple around the outside of the corner post, but run to the inside of the other posts.
6. Staple or clip wire to posts between corners. If stapling, allow room for the wire to slide through the staples. This allows for future tension adjustment.
7. End your line the same way you began it.
Tags: corner post, Barbed wire, around post, fence line, into ground, metal posts, Plan your