any ideas for converting to rotational grazing?

All three poly wires will provide power the other side. Any connection between the "hot" side and the "cold" side will serve to energise the "cold" side. I don't have any personal experience, but I think I understand what he's doing. Here's a crude illustration. The Current pasture is on left, with cows in it (c's) and next days pasture is beside it
The B represents the back polywire, the F is the front polywire. The N is the next days front poly wire.

...current......next
..pasture....pasture
B........... F............N
___________________________________ hot side
| ...c c.... |...........|
|. c c c... |...........|
|________|_______|__________________ cold side

The next day it would look like this, after letting the cattle in to the next paddock by temporarily opening the front line, the putting it back up behind the cows and moving the old back line up to the next days position.

................current......next
................pasture....pasture
..............B........... F............N
___________________________________ hot side
..............| ...c c.... |...........|
..............|. c c c... |...........|
_________|________|_______|_________ cold side



What I don't know is how he moves the lines. My guess is that he un hooks the N and B from the hot side, but leaves them up on the post, just not connected to the hot wire. Then I'm guessing he unhooks the F line to open it and let the cows move forward, and hangs on the post, again not connected to the hot side yet. Then he rolls up the old B line (making the old F line become the B line) and moves it up to become the new N line. Once it's in place, he reconnects all three to the hot wire to energise the paddocks. This allows him to handle the end without a non-conductive roll and attatch it to the cold side without getting shocked, and then use the non conductive roller to handle the other end when hooking it back up to the hot side.

Agman, how'd I do?

PS - sorry about all the dots. The board won't post the spaces, so without them nothing lines up right. Maybe we can pretent the dots are grass...

CBinTexas
This is an easy answer. All 3 are hot! I can work the polywires by determining whether I make them connect to the hot side or if I just pull the polywire across the paddock area and not connect the polywire to the hot wire and instead just place the reel over the post without connecting the polywire to the hot high tensile wire. I can have all hot or all not hot depending on how the wires are affixed to the hot permanent paddock high tensile wire. I cannot have a mix of hot and not hot polywires if I do the tie off to the main permanent high tensile wire on the off side from the hot permanent high tensile wire as the power will feed around the paddock.

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Agmantoo
If they can do it,
you know you can!

I'm getting a kick out of this... it's like, who's on second... lol

I prefer to just handle all the wires as if they are hot all the time, using handles, a reel, a step in post, or my boot. lol

But, for some people it's not worth 40 bucks for a reel and handle.

I noticed someone down the road here put in high tensile and a bunch of polywire dividing fences with white step in posts (every 15 foot or so... way too close in my opinion) but they have their paddocks big enough that the cows are not mowing it off, they have grass eaten all the way down and other grass that is seeded out. I'm tempted to stop and strike up a conversation because i can tell what they are trying to do.. it's just not working yet.
Now that I think about it, I have no idea how their cows are getting water, lol.

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www.franciscanfamilyfarms.com
Chaffee, Mo

So is ArmyDoc correct then? (thanks ArmyDoc) You de-energize all three cross polywires (which also de-energizes the opposite side permanent wire) before working on the back one and bringing it up to become the new front wire? Sounds plausible to me and thanks for the pictures.
One more question, Do you de-energize the whole system before using the pvc pipe gate? Seems like you would have to or only use it on the non-energized high tensile wire.
I know, I'm obtuse but I've also been bitten by hotwires before and don't care to repeat the process.
CB

ArmyDoc is right on!
On the pvc pipe "gate" I work it hot. I do this by using the same insulated pliers that I use for working the high tensile wire.
Do realize that most of the time I disconnect the energerizer as I pass thru the "gate" at the rental house into the pasture area. My cattle respect the fence and I can leave it off/not hot for many hours before they will test the fence. I had a cow today that had left her calf in tall grass when we moved yesterday. I was unaware that the calf got left behind. It had been 26 hours since we last moved. The calf and the cow remained separated for the entire time as the cow was afraid of the fence and the two day old calf could not make its way to the cow. I have to be careful of this type thing when the grass is tall, particularly if I move the herd any significant distance.

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Agmantoo
If they can do it,
you know you can!

Hogleg, The harrow that I use to tear up the cow patties is a typical spike type drag harrow. It is worn out and the spikes are almost non existent. The adjustment on the angle of the spikes is set to where the spikes are virtually lying flat to the ground. I use the cross members of the angle iron to burst the piles. Very little damage is inflicted on the remaining grass and there is very little time involved in the task since I can drive rather fast. I do feel that this is a necessary task that needs done regularly.

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Agmantoo
If they can do it,
you know you can!

Ah, you just said the magic keyword - INSULATED Pliers. This is the first time you have talked about using them for the pvc gates. And is one of my original questions (maybe not here but in my mind at least).
Thanks again for the info and pictures.

Agman, did you happen to see my charger question on post #510?
Thanks!

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Godsgapeach

“There are two ways to get enough: one is to accumulate more and more. The other is to desire less.”

–GK Chesterton

godsgapeach
I did run right past your post regarding the fence charger. Please accept my apology. With the large area you have and the chance that you will have some weeds growing in the fence between clippings I suggest the RM-1. During the 2 year time frame while the charger is under warranty there is always the probability you are going to get a lightning hit and it will be covered. The SE-4 is covered for only 1 year. I run a surge protector and that seems to help with preventing damage coming in on the mains. If lightning hits the fence itself nothing will help. PS.....keep the box the unit comes in as a return shipping box just in case.

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Agmantoo
If they can do it,
you know you can!

Thanks, Agman! That's kinda what I was thinking size and shock-wise, but I hadn't considered the warranty. That'll definitely make a difference.

We always have problems around here with lightning. Any particular type of surge protector? I'll have to add that to my list.

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Godsgapeach

“There are two ways to get enough: one is to accumulate more and more. The other is to desire less.”

–GK Chesterton

[We always have problems around here with lightning. Any particular type of surge protector? I'll have to add that to my list.[/QUOTE]

I just buy the single circuit surge protectors at a box store.

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Agmantoo
If they can do it,
you know you can!

Agmantoo,

Could I bump you for a response on post #517

Thanks

Ed

EdK,
I did not thoroughly understand your request in #517 and I was thinking through your situation and with my recent involvement with another matter got side tracked. Army Doc has the layout defined in his post. I did not have a clear understanding in your post what direction you planned to move in your rectangle. In most situations I will suggest moving in the long direction and pulling the polywire the short direction. We never discussed how your animals will get water. Either you will have to take them to water or deliver water to them since you have no lane. There would be no reason that you could not allocate a lane using the polywire at the scale of your project. Just remember polywire does not work satisfactorily when snow/ice has to be contended with. Snow/ice will build on the polywire to the point the weight will take the fence to the ground.

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Agmantoo
If they can do it,
you know you can!

I understand what Army Doc is saying but my question is for just 2 cows

A) Should I set my cross wires up across the whole 128' width of the field and advance forward down the 275' length exposing only a narrow (maybe only a few feet per day strip but 128' wide?

or
B) Subdivide the 128' width into 3 40' wide sections and advance down the 275' length that way until I reach the end and then move to the next 40' wide section and move back the length?

A) Offers the advantage of 1/3 less times I have to move the water and set up posts since my posts are currently alonng the 128 x 275 perimeter only

B) Offers the advantage of less moving around for the cattle to graze a more squarish paddock

I made a sketch to explain but I'm having trouble adding it to the post.

In either case the water will be pumped from a stream immediately to the left of the long side of the paddock. I plan to pump it to a stock tank located half in the current days paddock and half in the next to minimize water moves.

Thanks for your input

Ed

Ed K
I do plan on getting you a full reply. Is it feasible for you to set up a water source on the side nearest the creek at about center of the 275 ft run? Are you acceptable to making a lane about 10 ft wide using a single wire and the fiberglass/PVC postson the inside of the perimeter fence on the creek side? Doing these 2 things would avoid having to move the water and would give you flexibility with the allocation of forage.

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Agmantoo
If they can do it,
you know you can!

Took this with the cellphone when I moved the herd this afternoon. Thought I would share.

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Agmantoo
If they can do it,
you know you can!

Agmantoo,

Sure, I could put the water in the middle and make the lane along that side.

Thanks

Looks great, Agman!

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Godsgapeach

“There are two ways to get enough: one is to accumulate more and more. The other is to desire less.”

–GK Chesterton

Agman that pasture really looks good. Will you bushog those seed heads off after grazing?

ds40
The cattle will eat most of the seed heads. I have a lot of fescue in the pastures and the opinion of most forage experts is that the endophyte is concentrated in the head and that the cattle should not be allowed to consume the seed heads. My cattle have a year around diet of the same grass, fescue. I have only witnessed one cow years ago that demonstrated the effects of consuming endophyte fescue. I am of the opinion that my herd has adapted to tolerating the endophyte and that there is little or no consequence. I am aware that clover or other forage interdispersed will offset the endophyte and I try to have a good forage mix if possible. Obviously, I am wanting the nitrogen contribution from the clover additionally. I will bushhog the pastures and pull the drag harrow as soon as the ground drys some. The flush of growth I currently have is a result of a lot of rain which we direly needed. A "little fellow" could get lost out here!

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Agmantoo
If they can do it,
you know you can!