electric fence,, with a chopper

[columbia,sc]

I have a elec. fence charger that burns weeds. It is an older model Sears and Robucks type. It is hot! as in it will burn weeds on the fence line and ruin a nylon tape line if something falls on it. Bet you wish you had one like it,,,LOL. I got it out of an old barn before it was torn down. I had to replace the 'Chopper' to get it to work again. The chopper is a silver three prong capacitor type thing that cost about $9.00 .

Is there anyone here that knows what I am talking about? This bad boy has 2 lights, one lets me know it is working and the other lets me know if something is wrong with the fence. I have a charger that will keep a Bull in line! WOO HOO~cost me $9.00 bucks!

[columbia,sc]

Also forgot to post this.
part of the nylon tape fence rested along side the step in fence post, it caught on fire! It grounded out and started to burn. I am going to work DS and myself 2-morrow 2 replace the nylon fence for new 14 gage wire. Hot fence good, Fire Bad!

[palani]

I had one like it once. Wind blew the line down and started a grass fire. After I got the fire out I got curious about how hot the line really was so I ran and got a Heathkit engine analyzer (with a sparkplug range about 30 kv). I set it on the ground, pushed a nail into the ground to attach the black lead to and put the red lead on the line. Every time the fencer pulsed the needle would peg on the meter. Then I looked a little closer and could see these arcs from the engine analyzer case to the ground.

No doubt about it ... a good fencer.

[ksfarmer]

Definately use 14 gauge wire. However, be aware, anything which shorts the wire and causes a spark can also cause a fire. I burned up 150 tomatoe plants loaded with green tomatoes because a spark caught the straw mulch on fire. Just lucky I saw the fire before it traveled down the fence line to the hay barn.

[oneokie]

Originally Posted by columbia,sc

Also forgot to post this.
part of the nylon tape fence rested along side the step in fence post, it caught on fire! It grounded out and started to burn. I am going to work DS and myself 2-morrow 2 replace the nylon fence for new 14 gage wire. Hot fence good, Fire Bad!

Have had several of those type fence chargers. My descriptive term for them was "Fire Starter".

A good low impedence charger is much better, IMO.

[Bearfootfarm]

I had one like it once

Every time the fencer pulsed the needle would peg on the meter

If you had "one LIKE it" the fencer WOULDN'T pulse, since the old "weed burner" types are always on

They aren't worth the risk to me.

[columbia,sc]

Originally Posted by Bearfootfarm

If you had "one LIKE it" the fencer WOULDN'T pulse, since the old "weed burner" types are always on

They aren't worth the risk to me.

not so much, mine pulses every 1-3 secs. I have seen tall green grass burnt and dead at the wire and or tape from the 'chopper'. It has 2 lights on the front of the charger to show when it hits, if the light on the left is weak or off, there is something on the fence. I look at it several times day and night, lets me know of any problems.
P.S. I was a bum today, didn't feel like pulling wire, my wife was gone and I cooked some chickens and some turkey legs out on the grill, real slow,about 3 hours on 200*, basted every 15 mins. OH BABY!

[Bearfootfarm]

not so much, mine pulses every 1-3 secs

The ones I've always heard called "weed burners" didn't pulse.

They are bad about starting fires, and killing animals that grab on and can't let go

That dinner sounds good!

[columbia,sc]

Originally Posted by Bearfootfarm

The ones I've always heard called "weed burners" didn't pulse.

They are bad about starting fires, and killing animals that grab on and can't let go

That dinner sounds good!

LoL 'that dinner' turned out not so great, the marinade and sauce I made was not very good, A lot of work for a poor result. You live and learn. My folks were polite and choked it down. I told them it was bad tasting but mom was sweet. I am working on a sauce recipe so it is trail and error!

Back to the charger, I hijacked my own thread there a little. DS 8 y/o ran under the nylon fence wire to catch a ball, his left arm touched the ribbon tape and it made him cry. He has a stamp sized bruise from the contact. This charger is a BAD boy, I wish I knew more about it's joules and stored energy. Any ideas would be helpful. Columbia,SC
How can I figure the power it is sending out?

[Bearfootfarm]

How can I figure the power it is sending out?

Some of these testers show voltage
I don't know of any that show Joules

[agmantoo]

I have found that it takes 3500 volts to contain cattle. One of the fence compasses which measures voltage and is often mentioned on HT is a great investment. The fence compass will also show you the direction where a short exist. It can save a lot of time in locating a fault.

Here is a copy and paste of an article that has a lot of truth in it.

Comparing Energizers

We hate to keep mentioning the local farm stores in a bad way, (and if you have a good one, by all means patronize them) but most of the farm store counter guys you talk to will probably not know the difference between a hog jowl and a fence joule. Before you buy, you should probably understand something about a joule. A joule is a hard thing to understand, but basically it is an electronic measurement of 1 watt for 1 second. That probably tells you nothing - we don't know either. But, you need joules to push the pulse down the fence wire. The more joules, the more power. The shape or length of pulse time also has a bearing and a high powered, low impedance, short pulse will travel through much more resistance (vegetation & fence load). Anyway, the point here: some energizer packaging will state the amount of wire or acreage their unit will power. Don't believe it! Others will only state the output joules or only the stored joules. Make sure you are comparing apples to apples and not one's stored joules against another's output. At the very least, drop their claim in half. We feel that the best way to size an energizer is to find out the output joules and figure that 1 joule will power between 3 to 5 miles of wire. If they can't give you the output joule rating, then don't buy it.

A simple laymans test is to connect 100 watt incandescent light bulbs in series to the energizer output. Then in a dark room observe how many bulbs that the charger will make glow as it pulses. The more bulbs that glow the higher the output

[palani]

I had a New Zealand style fencer at one time. Used one of those neon $8 testers on it every time the wind blew the fencer wire into a barbed strand. If no short or close to the charger then the tester showed 8kv. The closer to the short the lower the voltage as the resistance of the wire and the current flow reduced the voltage. The relationship is proportional so the distance to the short could be estimated fairly easily.

A joule is the work down by 1 amp being pushed through 1 ohm for 1 second. If you have a perfect electric fence there will be no return path to ground at the end of the fence. Instead you have distributed capacitance to ground with no terminating resistor at the end. When the pulse reaches the end of the wire (or it hits a short to ground) it will reverse polarity (on a short ... on an open it stays the same polarity) and travel back to the charger as a reflected pulse. When the reflected pulse hits the charger it is going to again reverse direction and polarity and so on until it deteriorates. The only way to prevent these reflection pulses is if the electric fence wire is terminated at each end in its own characteristic impedance. I don't know of anyone who goes to the trouble to do this or even if there is any advantage to doing this. It just means that for each pulse the fencer puts out there are multiple pulses traveling back and forth on the wire for a while.

Actual joules would be hard to figure. You would need to know the width of the pulse, the resistance of the line and the current flow. The best way to estimate this would be to monitor the 110vac side of the charger with a kilo-watt meter. I believe they only cost around $20 now.

[oneokie]

I have an IAB (NZ) digital tester that max's out at 10K volts. Red Snapper/Zareba used to have a tester with multiple neon lights that would also max out at 10K volts. Only charger that I have owned or now own that would/will max out either of those testers is a 12 volt battery powered charger.

That thing will hurt you.

[columbia,sc]

I bought a cheaper tester today, it has 5 lights on it, my fence lit up the first 2 lights real bright (950 volts).
Across the road neighbor's barley light the bottom light (625 volts). It is a solar unit.
Other neighbor's down the hill from us almost blew it out! hahaha It the (tester) goes up to 4,650 volts. I don't understand this, I grabbed his wire a few feet from his charger right after he put it in, it hurt but not like mine does. I checked all 3 right at the chargers so I know there are no shorts in the line. I always touch a fence to 'see how hard it hits', but with this fence tester mine is showing less than the one down the hill. I don't understand this. This is not a 'mine is bigger than yours' kinda deal, I just do not understand. All 3 where tested within 20 mins of each other also.
thanks again

[columbia,sc]

Just thought about the chopper/capacitor on the side of the unit, could it throw a bigger hit when I grab it or a weed /vine touches it? Just a thought.

[fixer1958]

Originally Posted by columbia,sc

I always touch a fence to 'see how hard it hits', but with this fence tester mine is showing less than the one down the hill. I don't understand this. This is not a 'mine is bigger than yours' kinda deal, I just do not understand. All 3 where tested within 20 mins of each other also.
thanks again

You weren't grounded good enough. Put your knee on the ground and touch it.

A couple of years ago I made a hog contaiment area on a couple of acres. half of it is in a thick wooded area, out of site. Had to do alot of clearing for the fence line. Made it very secure because I don't like chasing hogs. Took awhile to do after work and weekends. Got it setup as perfect as I could get it. Setup the charger, 12v Parmak, supposed to put out 7 or 8k if I remember right. Checked it with my tester and it said 6k. I was thinking close enough, it should make my fat jiggle a little bit so I grabbed the wire. Nothing......walked the fence with the tester, double checked everything.

That is where I discovered the knee test. After I picked myself up off the ground and collected my teeth, I thought yeah, I think this will work.

[Our Little Farm]

I always touch a fence to 'see how hard it hits'

Now I know who to call when I want to see how 'hot' mine is. Fence tester is never found when needed and the kids are not willing any more.

[oneokie]

Originally Posted by columbia,sc

I bought a cheaper tester today, it has 5 lights on it, my fence lit up the first 2 lights real bright (950 volts).
Across the road neighbor's barley light the bottom light (625 volts). It is a solar unit.

That is not enough voltage to contain livestock. BTDT

[columbia,sc]

Originally Posted by oneokie

That is not enough voltage to contain livestock. BTDT

that is the neighbors not mine, his barely lit that light (625 volts) but it works for him. He has 3 goats and a horse. That one is hooked to a nice wire 6 strand fence though, top 2 hot and the ground for every other to the ground.

Mine burns the (950+ volt) lights bright, just not up to the 2000 volt light.

I used to be able to hold the red snapper charger, it was a red 30 mile unit, it had no time with this older model. It got hit by lightning so I can't test it,I tried. Can I change a fuse or something to make live again? I will have to open it up and see. My horses and used to be mine mule does not try to eat the grass under or beyond the single ribbon tape hung at 30" for some reason!

One day before I got this charger I was working in the summer and had my shirt off, also in shorts. I tried to pass under the fence and when I got up I told my wife 'carp, felt like I got hit with a 2x4 across my back! I put my knee and hand on the ground to pass under!
My son was wearing rubber mucking boots when he got the bruise though his shirt on his arm from this new to us old charger. Also it was before the rains came through and wet everything.

[columbia,sc]

Originally Posted by Our Little Farm

Now I know who to call when I want to see how 'hot' mine is. Fence tester is never found when needed and the kids are not willing any more.

when I was a young man I would spend most of my summers around the farm, we had goats, pigs, chickens, cows, crops ect. I am a reformed older man now, not by the state mind you, just older and wiser! hahaha

I used to make my friends laugh by holding a handful of corn and calling the Billy goat over for a 'bite to eat' . I would hold the fence wire getting shocked till he took the corn, he would jump and run, buddies thought it was funny!
I know that God looks out for stupid people! I hope I never get to far away from the 'stupid' I need a good looking after! LOL

I am sure I am the only one that did something like this, uh huh.