Running fence

[Robert F]

I'm getting ready to put up a fence it's going to be 48" wire fence with bard wire on top and at the bottom.
One side of my land is 712' feet it rises up about 30' in 100' then goes flat for about 80' then starts to go down to the north down about 20' in 100' then drop 15' in about 20' then slopes gently on down to the end.
My question is how do i run this fence? do i start at the back and go to the front (south) or start at the front and go to the back (north) and were do i stretch it from,the middle at the drop? I have ran fence before but not like a roller coaster like this is. If i get a chance i will post a picture this sunday.

Robert

[Alice In TX/MO]

You are going to have to do it in sections that may vary in length depending on the slope of each section.

[MELOC]

i have heard a wives tale that says to plant fence posts at the new moon or not to at the full moon. anyone heard this? another fellow i talked to thinks this is related to the gravitational pull of the moon and that the saying has merit.

[Country Doc]

A human being next to the post has more gravitational pull than the moon on a post.( my guess- did not do the math- all objects have gravitational pulll and the equation includes mass of object and distance).

[fordy]

.....................On the front of my land there is a small valley that is probably 8 feet lower that the sides . This is a gradual dropoff over a span of 200 feet . When I built my fence I stretched the field fence from one hbrace over to the other . The wire was so tight that it was basically suspended above the valley as i tried to touch it but couldn't . I had built an 8 foot long h-brace at the lowest point in the valley and i had welded some hooks on the pipe just about 2 inches above the ground . Then , my neighbor and I started on opposite sides of the wire and we started moving towards each other . We were standing on the botton wire of the field fence which was being forced down to ground level by about 400 pounds of weight . We did this very slowly not knowing IF the wire would simply snap or hold . Finally , we both arrived at the H-brace and hooked the bottom wire in the hook I had welded and then we tied the rest of the wire too each Tpost , and it's still there , and Very tight after 11 years . This just goes to prove two fat butts are better than one . fordy...

[Quint]

Originally Posted by MELOC

i have heard a wives tale that says to plant fence posts at the new moon or not to at the full moon. anyone heard this? another fellow i talked to thinks this is related to the gravitational pull of the moon and that the saying has merit.

One of those bizarre country myths with no basis in reality that just won't die.

Makes for a good science project for debunking for all you school kids out there. A similar thing with planting by moon phases won me a prize.

Like country doc said it is bunk.

[walkinghorse]

Robert F
I would say to work it in sections ,starting at the high points ,working down . It will be easier to get tight .

As far as country folklore...ever read any of the Foxfire Books ?
Most Vets. around here won't cut a horse unless the moon is "right" .Most won't tell you that ,but check the calender as to when they say they can make it out, coincides with the moon phases .

You can ride down the road and notice , most farmers seem to be cutting hay that day. Yep , look at the calender when I get home , moon phase is right . It is not talked about by some ,but it is obvious some live by it.
[ young and old]
Wheather it works or not ,I'm not completely sure , but I won't plant my garden without looking checking what phase the moon is in any more.

Say what you like , but many a generation have lived by it for way longer than you and I have been on this earth .
Is it ALL accurate ? nah , I don't think so . It is very interesting stuff though .

walkinghorse

[GeorgiaberryM]

The moon has the same gravitational pull on the earth at all phases, which is substantial, hence the tides--being the center of balance of a dual planetary system, but being constant and slight could not make any difference to a fence post. People don't have much gravitational influence on anything. Phases could only affect light, which couldn't possibly affect inanimate objects and is not likely to be substantial enough to affect plants.

Woven wire is easier to use on uneven terrain and pulling downhill is much easier
than up. Still, Robert F. will likely have to do a good bit of bending and cutting and will likely use a lot of Tposts with land like that. Our solution was to live as flatlanders.

---usband of G

[walkinghorse]

might want to look at a tidal chart for any coastal area in regards to the low and high tides and their relation to moon phases .
high tide is always higher with a full moon than during any other moon phase . [more gravitational pull ]



walkinghorse
[also capt. dave]

[Iddee]

Plant one wood post a day,identical posts, for 28 days. Untreated wood, like locust, cedar, ETC., as the old timers had no other kind. Then 2 years later, check them. Some will have rotted away and fallen on their own, while others are stronger than when planted. Compare them with the moon phases, than tell me it has no basis.
It definitely does, but probably not on metal or treated wood.

[bill not in oh]

Fences for Garden and Pasture by Gail Damerow - good starting point for fencing.

[GeorgiaberryM]

At full moon and new moon (or no moon, as dd calls it) the sun and moon are aligned to some varying degree throughout the year and their gravitational forces are combined to make stronger tides. The moon's gravitational force is the same. The sun's force is added to it. As the earth moves around the sun through the year, the tilted axis causes different hemispheres of the earth to be toward the sun - hence the seasons. So the perfect alignment doesn't happen every month. This is all math and that's how they make the tide charts.

The phases of the moon are reflected light - that's all. The light is reflected off different portions of the moon based on where the sun and moon are in respect to each other. The moon's mass does not change.

I still see no reason why this would affect fence posts, but it is probably harmless. And to devise an experiment to test the efficacy you would need to plant more like 1000 fence post a day of all different kinds of wood, for 28 day periods in all seasons of the year. Then the results might have statistical significance. Prob a grant is available somewhere for this.

-GeorgiaberryM - not the husband this time!

[MELOC]

there is the answer to any budgetary problems you may have. just apply for a grant and charge your fence to some university or maybe the government. who knows, maybe the way nasa spends money they would grant you the funds, lol.

[Qwispea]

Every time I see this "Running fence" thread in the list of topics..I always think somebody better hurry up and catch it before it gets away.