[LeanneR88]

So we had a new Ryelock fence put up last year round the boundary of our 4 acres of grazing, lately we have started to notice it is leaning.

At the time they did fence they dug into the bank before putting in the posts, this seems to be causing them to slip also.

Would you complain? I intend to write a letter to the company but wondered what you all think?

[harmony]

I would contact the company.

[henchard]

You say Ryelock but presumably you're talking about standard wooden fence posts and strainers with Ryelock stapled to them? If so the only way they would lean (in my opinion) was if they were not knocked in very far or they are on extremely wet ground.

In the case of the former you may have a case. You could knock the staples off one of the worst posts and pull it out and have a look). In the case of the latter I can't see that the fencing company can be responsible for your ground conditions.

Certainly approaching them first is the way to go but having evidence that they were not knocked in far would give you more ammunition.

[SallyintNorth]

In the case of the latter I can't see that the fencing company can be responsible for your ground conditions.

Not sure I wholly agree.  If a local fencing contractor didn't set your expectations correctly, you could certainly have a conversation.

In Cumbria, the good local fella would install the fence in such a way that the inevitable slack could be taken up, giving the fence a much longer lease of life

[Fleecewife]

Sometimes fencers will give a guarantee of the quality of their work, other times not - depends who you use.  I don't see that it would be a problem with the mesh, definitely the stobs.  Where we are, getting the stobs into the ground is the hard bit, as the rock layer is very close to the surface, so it take ages with a pinch bar and trowel to get a deep enough support hole for the stob to withstand livestock pressure.  You mention that they dug into the bank which might now be slumping, or the stobs might be less deeply in on the downhill side. If the fence is leaning away from the slope, towards the livestock, this could be what's happening. Whatever the reason, the fencers who did the work should have been able to assess the work and decide on the best way to do the job properly.
I would approach the fencers, not aggressively, and ask them to assess what's gone wrong, then ask what they are going to do to correct the problem.

[oor wullie]

This might be a stupid question but does the fence have a top wire and what is it (ie plain wire, barb or electric)?

If you have cattle or (much worse) horses against a fence that doesn't have barb or electric on top then even the best installed fence will soon be leaning.

[farmers wife]

It would have to be a pretty poorly installed fence.   Crikey we use industrial post banger and huge corner posts.  I cant think of anything that would make it lean.


The trouble with fencing contractors is 1. they use the cheapest posts 2. not all have the correct machinery/tools 3. they aren't experienced enough and 4. they are cow boys and charging cheap as chips service.   Finding excellent fencing contractors who really care and listen is like gold dust here and the good boys are always fully booked up. Expect to pay well above the average if you want a good fence.


Also Ryloc is the brand and is one of the best.  Don't assume they are using Ryloc unless you see the label.