Agri Vehicles Insurance from Greenlands

Author Topic: Electric Fencing  (Read 5061 times)

MrRee

  • Joined Jan 2008
Electric Fencing
« on: April 11, 2008, 08:30:55 am »
Help!  I went to Point Vert yesterday with the sole intention of buying one of their electric fencing kits. Turned out my French is worse than my Mongolian,and the "kit" was just a solar panel charger thingy.
  So I thought,be brave,buy the things separately and proceeded to put together what I thought was needed to make up a complete unit. Having no idea what so ever,and only going from memory of seeing bits of fencing around this area,I ended up with a trolley-load of "bits and bobs". I then bottled it at the last minute.
   The "charger pack/control box" had a pic of a pig on it,but it required a battery to be fitted. Ok,so now the crux of the matter..... I have two brand new car batteries 12v 60amps,that I had intended to run in series,also a solar panel to charge them up,obviously they won't fit inside the charger and wiring stuff up is like trying to plait snot for me.Does it all have to be self-contained and if not,can it be sat outside with a bit of rubber over it,or,is there someone who can teleport in?  Answers on a postcard to Totally Confused Ree, Electrically Challenged Avenue,Deepest Darkest Normandy.
They don’t join cliques — more times than not, they stand alone — but they recognize and gravitate towards one another. Only warriors understand other warriors.

Farmer Giles

  • Joined Dec 2007
Re: Electric Fencing
« Reply #1 on: April 11, 2008, 01:38:59 pm »
Hello MrRee

How is the weather in Deepest Darkest Normandy?? I wish I could graduate to just being electrically challenged instead of totally mentlly challunged as welll as spellin wise challunged two!!

OK, Firstly your car batteries are not really the batteries for electric fencing. The best batteries and indeed the correct ones are are the same to look at but are deemed 'leisure batteries' they are used to power things like caravan circuits and speed boat/narrowboat circuits or anything that requires a 12 volt supply in the leisure world, they have a larger amp hour rating as well. The difference is the way and the rate of discharge and the ability to accept a charge when flat. Have a look on't old internet and thoust see what I be a meanin.

I have a fencing unit here to power a ribbon fence that is meant to contain Rhubarb & Custard (our two looney goats that are doing a re run of escape from Alcatraz & Colditz all rolled into one) and the unit is an amplifier with no box/container/housing for the battery so it has to sit outside in the elements and without any cover at all so your's will be OK too. The acid content in the water stops them from freezing in very cold temperatures which I hope we are away from now. A good idea though to wrap them in rubber, ooh er missus I know a story about being wrapped in rubber but that's not for this forum!!!

Hope it works out and let us know how you get on.

ATB
FG

MrRee

  • Joined Jan 2008
Re: Electric Fencing
« Reply #2 on: April 11, 2008, 01:56:09 pm »
Fantastic,thanks for the advice. I'm still in two minds whether to get a unit yet though.
   I've put up 80cm high sheep fencing attached to 6 feet posts that are driven in 3 feet,and plan on putting a couple of strands of barbed wire at 12cm and 25cm and one strand along the top the posts. It's to contain a couple of weaners when I get up the nerve to go and get some,and at the moment,can't justify paying out 200 euros for 5 or 6 months usage a year,when,if they did escape they couldn't cause any damage and the dog would go ballistic alerting me to the escapees anyway.....Thoughts??

Oh,by the way,the weather has been quite sunny and dry the last 3 days,if only the wind would stop blowing.Major frost each morning though because of the clear skies at night..... that's my excuse for not double digging over the veg plots yet,and I'm sticking to it!!!
« Last Edit: April 11, 2008, 01:58:08 pm by MrRee »
They don’t join cliques — more times than not, they stand alone — but they recognize and gravitate towards one another. Only warriors understand other warriors.

Rosemary

  • Joined Oct 2007
  • Barry, Angus, Scotland
    • The Accidental Smallholder
Re: Electric Fencing
« Reply #3 on: April 11, 2008, 02:48:03 pm »
This is only obliquely related to electric fencing, but we have a two strand electic fence (which you can step over with ease and carrying a water bucket) across the orchard to keep our Ryeland sheep away from the trees.

My chum, Carol, who has Shetland sheep, came for lunch today and fell about the place laughing at our fence. She assured us that her sheep would laugh too, as they headed off up the road. Our girls don't go near the fence at all, so it's perfectly adequate for them! I think Carol's going to move to Ryelands!!

PS Hope I haven't tempted Fate by saying this.

Guy

  • Joined Feb 2008
  • East Devon
Re: Electric Fencing
« Reply #4 on: April 12, 2008, 08:19:57 am »
Hi MrRee - we use 3 strand electrics powered by an energiser (cost us £90) this is used in conjunction with stock fencing ,tends to keep our pigglies in ok. but if ours got out it would cause untold damage to the rest of our garden!!!!! if them getting out is no issue to you  (although the barbed wire should look after that, im not sure , but i believe the bottom strand is better off closer to the ground so as to disuade the pigglies from rooting?? )no probs. as long as youve got loads of time to chase them to get them back in again :D !!!  bon chance!
relax and enjoy life - let others do the worrying

Hilarysmum

  • Joined Oct 2007
Re: Electric Fencing
« Reply #5 on: April 12, 2008, 12:45:24 pm »
Hi Mr R. if you are not too far from Kate at Pigs at the Rues, why not pop over and see their setup.  If ever you are in Brittany we run both battery and mains its so simple even I can just about cope with it. 

Barbed wire - meets Hilary  :pig: they dont have  a smiley for the results, needless to say Hilary won.

Rainyplace

  • Joined Jan 2008
Re: Electric Fencing
« Reply #6 on: April 15, 2008, 08:23:01 pm »
Hey, had exactly the same problem, not in France, but just down the road in Arnprior, Stirlingshire, so many bits and pieces, tried the old car battery, my pigs broke thru in minutes, reset and hoped, no chance they were whistling the tune of The Great Escape every time I walked by. Finally bought a leisure battery and they now seem to be contained, the chap in the store was very helpful and didint  make me feel too silly,(even after three visits) although I am sure I heard them whistling a few notes of that familiar tune this afternoon.......

 

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