The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Smallholding => Techniques and skills => Topic started by: Holleth on March 23, 2015, 08:38:44 pm

Title: Sheep/Stock Fencing - Help specifying
Post by: Holleth on March 23, 2015, 08:38:44 pm
Hi all,

I've had a quote for doing 114m of stock fencing at £700 and to be honest I don't have that kind of money at the moment so I am going to have a go at doing it myself. The line is straight and goes down hill ever so slightly but evenly.

Can anyone help me specifying the stuff to do it?

I know I will need roughly 120m of stock fencing and barbed wire for the top.
posts at 2m will mean about 60

Do you think 2 straining posts (1x for each end)?

Staples... how much in weight for a job this big?

I can borrow a post knocker and spades and I'll use the land rover to keep it stretched sufficiently.

Cheers



Title: Re: Sheep/Stock Fencing - Help specifying
Post by: bloomer on March 23, 2015, 09:46:43 pm
how do you plan to tension the wires? saggy fencing is useless...


minimum of 3 strainers 1 top 1 bottom 1 middle, this also assumes you are confident lacing 2 lengths of fencing together sufficient to then strain it. if not you will need 4 top 50m down then another 50 then 20 to the last one.


always strain down hill...


usually stock fencing has a wire along the bottom and a wire above it if you want to use barbed thats fine most people for sheep prefer plain wire.


for 100m you will use a couple of kilos of staple (i buy buckets as thats the cheapest way to get them and having spares for future projects is never a bad thing)


from the point of view of price 700 is about right for that length with no gates, buying the materials and doing it yourself should be more like 300.


if you need info on straining etc please ask as i dont know what level of expertise you have.
Title: Re: Sheep/Stock Fencing - Help specifying
Post by: Holleth on March 24, 2015, 06:52:15 pm
Cheers

I've never done this before but have been trying to learn by looking online etc.
I had planned on making a box strainer and fastening this to the back of the defender to tighten up the fence.

Any advice on doing it would be greatfully appreciated!

I think I may go for plain wire at the top then as you suggested, it'll be easier to fit anyway ;)

Is there a place online I can buy the stuff? As I work 9-5 in an office I struggle to get to places I can buy it in person.

Many thanks
Title: Re: Sheep/Stock Fencing - Help specifying
Post by: bloomer on March 24, 2015, 07:18:09 pm
where are you in the country as it makes a difference
Title: Re: Sheep/Stock Fencing - Help specifying
Post by: Holleth on March 24, 2015, 08:10:46 pm
I'm near Lancaster, Lancashire  :farmer:
Title: Re: Sheep/Stock Fencing - Help specifying
Post by: Buttermilk on March 25, 2015, 07:06:07 am
Use gripples.  They are brilliant for tensioning fencing.
Title: Re: Sheep/Stock Fencing - Help specifying
Post by: bloomer on March 25, 2015, 07:24:27 am
and ridiculously expensive
Title: Re: Sheep/Stock Fencing - Help specifying
Post by: Womble on March 25, 2015, 07:47:41 am
From my limited experience, it's difficult to use a Defender to tension the fence.

You can get the initial tension on, but then lose it again when you take your foot off the accelerator and put it onto the brake. You then lose a load more when you switch to the handbrake because it works on the transmission, not the wheels.

If you have a friend who can help you to heel-toe the pedals as it were, that may help. However, the last time I did it, I threaded an iron bar through the rylock, then used a come-along hand winch attached to the parked landy (wheels chocked) to apply tension between it and the iron bar. Just something to think about, though others may have better methods!

I also bought a copy of the BTCV Fencing Handbook by Elizabeth Agate, which was well worth the money.




Title: Re: Sheep/Stock Fencing - Help specifying
Post by: bloomer on March 25, 2015, 07:54:09 am
having witnessed fencing tensioned by a landy vs. using monkey strainers (i use monkey strainers) i wouldn't use anything else again, my problem is the monkey strainer means you can actually go too tight!!!!


best 45 quid i ever spent


http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Chain-Strainer-Monkey-Cattle-Fence-Stretcher-Tensioner-Repair-Pull-Fence-/141160472509?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item20ddd1dfbd (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Chain-Strainer-Monkey-Cattle-Fence-Stretcher-Tensioner-Repair-Pull-Fence-/141160472509?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item20ddd1dfbd)
Title: Re: Sheep/Stock Fencing - Help specifying
Post by: Foobar on March 25, 2015, 12:26:22 pm
I can recommend:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Guide-Stock-Fencing-Andy-Radford/dp/1847976131/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1427286335&sr=1-1&keywords=stock+fencing (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Guide-Stock-Fencing-Andy-Radford/dp/1847976131/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1427286335&sr=1-1&keywords=stock+fencing)


Will help you spec out all the bits you need and tells u how to put it all together :)
Title: Re: Sheep/Stock Fencing - Help specifying
Post by: Holleth on March 25, 2015, 08:12:49 pm
Cheers folks!

When they speak of a bottom straining wire, are they refferring to a wire below the netting?
Title: Re: Sheep/Stock Fencing - Help specifying
Post by: bloomer on March 25, 2015, 08:15:18 pm
yes


you put it in after strainers an before posts gives you a straight line to work too and stops anything squeezing under the netting as well...
Title: Re: Sheep/Stock Fencing - Help specifying
Post by: Holleth on March 25, 2015, 08:50:30 pm
Ah cheer Bloomer, I presume it isn't normally seen then as it is so low? I just thought in my head when I have been studying fences I couldn't see any.
Title: Re: Sheep/Stock Fencing - Help specifying
Post by: devonlady on March 28, 2015, 08:35:16 am
You will probably be able to hire all you need from a tool hire shop.
Title: Re: Sheep/Stock Fencing - Help specifying
Post by: Backinwellies on March 28, 2015, 11:17:04 am
Just one thought ... if at any time there will be cattle next to this fence then I recommend barbed top strand .... cows just tend to lean over wire to reach ... and continue to lean till then have demolished it!
Title: Re: Sheep/Stock Fencing - Help specifying
Post by: Womble on March 28, 2015, 11:40:17 am
^ We had the same situation with next door's ponies, but didn't like the idea of barbed wire. To counter this, we electrified the top strand of plain wire. This was very easy to do - just thread some insulators over the wire when you mount it, and connect to an energiser. It wasn't even needed permanently - just long enough for the ponies to realize it wasn't to be leaned over!
Title: Re: Sheep/Stock Fencing - Help specifying
Post by: stufe35 on March 28, 2015, 10:03:57 pm
Clarke CHP1250 Heavy Duty Power Puller


Google the above, available from machine mart for about £20.  Great tool for tensioning fencing.
Title: Re: Sheep/Stock Fencing - Help specifying
Post by: Holleth on March 29, 2015, 08:55:57 pm
Cheers all!
Title: Re: Sheep/Stock Fencing - Help specifying
Post by: Penninehillbilly on April 05, 2015, 09:57:09 pm
Maybe a bit late but -
few years ago I wanted Chestnut paling fence, found some at Derek Fox Timber (Preston), I was quite impressed at the range of fencing products they had, they do the netting and have a website.
 
Also quite a long time ago I put some sheep netting up, quite proud of myself I showed my dad, who happily pointed out it would have been better the right way up. I'd never noticed there were smaller 'squares' at the bottom  ;D .
But now I don't feel as bad, local orchard group put some up and did the same thing. ;D
Title: Re: Sheep/Stock Fencing - Help specifying
Post by: john and helen on April 09, 2015, 07:45:15 am
just doing the same thing Holleth,

i have managed to find chestnut 1/2 round posts, at 2 pounds each for 6ft, and have spaced them at 3mts,

this will be used for goats and sheep, but will have a 3 inch top rail..goats like to stand up and look  ;D
then we will put two lines of top striking wire, helen does not want to use barbed,

for the straining posts, we have used 6-7 inch x 7ft posts and i have used the chestnuts as struts too

i did work out, you can ask 10 fencing contractors 1 question and get 10 different answers  ;D

one little tip…on the straining post, add a anti slip piece of wood..this will stop the post from turning

(http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee62/johningham/corner_zpsboobjvft.jpg) (http://s228.photobucket.com/user/johningham/media/corner_zpsboobjvft.jpg.html)
Title: Re: Sheep/Stock Fencing - Help specifying
Post by: susanrich93 on May 23, 2016, 07:39:44 am
I'm near Lancaster, Lancashire  :farmer:

Did you manage it? We are in the process of buying a house with plenty of acres, problem will come when we need to fence it as we have never done it before.

Also in Lancaster.