Hot wire and High Tensil fencing

[wmsff]

Hello all.

Does anyone know if you can use the 14guage hot wire for high tensil fencing, or do you have to buy the wire specifically for it? The fencing guys at TSC claim the hot wire is strong enough to use.

Thanks all

[arabian knight]

I misread the post. Sorry. Yes Only go with High tensile the others are not strong enough. If you want the Strength of high tensile that is. As Cattle and other critters that may "test" the fence strength, so you want Only the strong high tensile wire as the smaller dia. wires will break.

[Callieslamb]

The smaller wire has been fine for my cows. But I have a ewe that pushed through it for grass on the other side -broke the wire. I use the heavier for the sheep.

[Bearfootfarm]

Regular electric fence wire is NOT the same thing as "High Tensile".

High Tensile is made to have at least 250 lbs of tension, and helps create a PHYSICAL barrier.

http://www.fishock.com/advice/all-about/high-tensile

The wire, when strung and strained to the recommended 250 lbs. of tension, withstands up to 1650 lbs. of livestock pressure per strand and low temperature contraction without losing its elasticity.

Regular fence wire is nowhere near that strong, and is a PSYCHOLOGICAL barrier due to the electrical charge.

The fencing guys at TSC claim the hot wire is strong enough to use.

The fact that they sell fencing doesn't mean they know anything about it.

True HIgh Tensile wire comes in coils, and not rolled on a spool:

•12-1/2 gauge
•200,000 PSI•4,000 ft. coil
•Class III zinc coating

http://www.tractorsupply.com/high-te...t-coil-3601326

High-tensile fencing was developed in New Zealand several years ago and is now coming into use in Florida. This fencing system uses smooth 12-1/2 gauge wire with a yield strength of 200,000 pounds per square inch, or a strength of 1,600 pounds for each wire. Conventional fencing wire normally has a yield strength of less than 60,000 pounds per square inch. A conventional 12-1/2 gauge wire will yield at tensile force of less than 500 pounds and break at less than 550 pounds.

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ae017

[wmsff]

What I plan to do is make the bottom 2 or 3 hot as well as the top one. The hot ones will be the hot wire and the other 2 or 3 will be regular high tensil.

What I am containing are dairy goats and horses. Perhaps a young steer as well.

Is it OK to mix them like that?

Thanks so much

[Jalopy]

14 gauge steel wire is not as strong as high tensile wire. The high tensile wire is hard to splice by twisting but easy if you use crimpers to make splices. If you try to use high tensile spring gauge for tension or rachet type tightener on the 14 gaugle electric fence wire it will probably break. You do need special tools to work with the high tensile but I feel it is worth it since deer won't break it near as often as regular electric fence wire.

[oneokie]

Your best plan would be to energize the top, middle and bottom wires of a 5 strand fence. Ground # 2 & #4, so as to make sure that any animal that tries to reach through the fence will complete the circuit between an energized wire and a ground wire.

Adding to what Bearfootfarm said, the 14 ga. wire will rust in 3 years if in a wet/humid climate.

[Bearfootfarm]

Is it OK to mix them like that?

It "can" be done, but it's really not needed.

A "regular" electric fence will contain your animals, and won't have to be built as strong.

I use ALUMINUM wire for all my electric fencing.
It's more expensive, but carries a LOT more current, and will NEVER rust.

With a strong charger, you don't need to stretch it like a guitar string., but just tight enough so it doesn't sag between posts.

Mine doesn't sag, but is actually so loose that I've had trees fall across it and merely push the wires to the ground instead of breaking them.

It's the SHOCK that keeps them in and not the wire itself

[rambler]

Are you putting up regular fence or actual high tensle fence?

Regular fence you put a post every 8-12 feet, string your wire, pull it firm.

HT fence you put a post up to every 50 feet apart, pull the wire _tight_, build very strong corners to take the pressure.

Reguilar fence costs a lot in posts. It relies upon the posts to keep the fence up, keep it strong.

HT fence costs a lot in corners, but is much cheaper on the long runs. HT relies upon the strength of the wire to keep it from sagging, stretching, and keep it up strong.

You need the very strong wire for true HT. If you are using regular wire, it'll work for a while, but it won't be 'right' and either the wire will sag, break, or you'll need more posts - which eliminates the cost savings of HT fencing.

You can do it. But something won't be right, and the end results `0 years from now will be less than doing it right.

--->Paul

[time]

Originally Posted by rambler

Are you putting up regular fence or actual high tensle fence?

Regular fence you put a post every 8-12 feet, string your wire, pull it firm.

HT fence you put a post up to every 50 feet apart, pull the wire _tight_, build very strong corners to take the pressure.

Reguilar fence costs a lot in posts. It relies upon the posts to keep the fence up, keep it strong.

HT fence costs a lot in corners, but is much cheaper on the long runs. HT relies upon the strength of the wire to keep it from sagging, stretching, and keep it up strong.

You need the very strong wire for true HT. If you are using regular wire, it'll work for a while, but it won't be 'right' and either the wire will sag, break, or you'll need more posts - which eliminates the cost savings of HT fencing.

You can do it. But something won't be right, and the end results `0 years from now will be less than doing it right.

--->Paul

+1

My corners are made with drill pipe. Line posts are 1/4" fibre glass about 50'.

The corners hold the fence. The line posts are barely neccissary.

[time]

Sorry, did'nt rotate this one

[Bearfootfarm]

Regular fence you put a post every 8-12 feet, string your wire, pull it firm.

HT fence you put a post up to every 50 feet apart, pull the wire _tight_, build very strong corners to take the pressure.

Mine is "regular wire" (12 1/2 Ga Aluminum) with telephone poles for the corners set 4 ft deep with no extra bracing, and line posts 50 ft apart, but I run from 5000-8000 volts to keep the sheep off of it

[wmsff]

Well the corners are 3 posts concreted in with wooden posts just pounded in 14 feet apart. I thought he was going to use the actual high tensil wire they sell at TSC, but when I went into the barn the other day I saw "hot wire" the 14 guage type. He said he was just going to use the hot wire for the "hot" lines and the high tensil for the rest. I trust this guy, but I know there is just so much experience on this site ! If there needs to be a change, I need to talk to him soon, the water is finally retreating ! haha

[time]

I never had much luck with standard electric fence wire. Any where I used it I was always having to fix it. It breaks.

The fence in the pics has HT wire. Has only been up five yrs but I've done absolutley nothing to it since. My Dad,s has been up nearly 30yrs. His corners were weak and the fence eventually sagged due to corners pulling but reset corners and still using same HT wire and same line posts(fibreglass).

But, there are allot of fencing ideas and whatever works for ya.

I did mine with the idea of little to no maintanance for 20+ years.

[plowjockey]

Originally Posted by wmsff

What I plan to do is make the bottom 2 or 3 hot as well as the top one. The hot ones will be the hot wire and the other 2 or 3 will be regular high tensil.

What I am containing are dairy goats and horses. Perhaps a young steer as well.

Is it OK to mix them like that?

Thanks so much

If you are putting up a new HT fence, might as well just do it right.

Make ALL strands high tensile and just insulate the wires you want to be hot. That way even if there is no electricity to the hot wires, you will still have a very strong fence.

[rambler]

Originally Posted by wmsff

Well the corners are 3 posts concreted in with wooden posts just pounded in 14 feet apart. I thought he was going to use the actual high tensil wire they sell at TSC, but when I went into the barn the other day I saw "hot wire" the 14 guage type. He said he was just going to use the hot wire for the "hot" lines and the high tensil for the rest. I trust this guy, but I know there is just so much experience on this site ! If there needs to be a change, I need to talk to him soon, the water is finally retreating ! haha

Are the corner posts metal, or wood concreted in? In my climate you don't want to mix wood and concrete & livestock, the posts rot off in a couple years. I hear it works ok in some other places tho, so not saying it is wrong 'there'. 'Here' I'd run the guy off right away for concreting in wood posts......

It sounds like you are putting up a multi-strand fence of hybred design, using materials that are at hand. That's fine, works ok.

Me, I'd kinda prefer the wire to all be the same, so it expands and contracts the same. Over time, I'd think the ht wire will hold steady, as the 'regular' wire will sag a bit.

'Here' a good fence is woven wire at the bottom, a strand or 2 of barbed wire, and the top (2nd or 3rd) barbed wire is electrified. One can put stand-off insulators lower down and run ana additional electrified wire for smaller critter down low so thay don't work over the woven wire so much. Posts would be about 12 feet apart.

The others have good pictures of a real high-tensile fence, which is a different concept - wire pulled very tight, and very weak spacer strip posts to hold the individual wires apart.

You're getting a kind of in between fence, which should work just fine, but you miss the cost savings of very few posts; and you miss the solid design of a woven wire conventional fence. But you are getting a good enough working fence made of stuff from local sources, I'm not nagging at it.

--->Paul