Fencing, how about it?

I think I might be able to just run through the N end of the gully. It appears the county sloped it rather gently when they ran the road through, so it should be nice and wide for water to slow down as it passes. I was thinking the corner is likely close enough for one brace, and another at the other bank. I'll have a better idea when I get the high weeds and brush cleared.

The S end I'm not sure about yet, it's a lot rougher and I can't picture the slope in my head. The gully is at least 6' deep most of the way through the woods, and another culvert comes under the road from the E about halfway down the property. Could present a problem in that I might have to do a bit of work on the grade. I guess I'll ply it by ear and figure it out when the time comes.. I have a couple neighbors with new big pricey tractors that would likely jump in and help if I need some grade work.

..................I would be very surprised , IF , you are able too complete this project in one week ! In one week I'd expect too finish , cleanup fence line , layout , dig and pour all posts except entry and gates , drive all Tposts ! Once you pour the cement around your posts you should let them cure for several days before stretching any wire , This is why I would plan on stretching your wire on a second working trip too your property . Stretching 2x4 , no climb wire is very labor intensive and is NOT an easy job , even , for those , who do it for a LIVING ! One last thought , about the Most footage you should expect too stretch , in ONE pull is 660 feet or (2)-330 foot rolls of 2x4 because it takes LOTS of force too get it tight ! Your land is very scenic and well worth your investment . , fordy

Well there will be three of us with 8 days to get it done. I'm putting the posts 36" deep and using a bobcat with a front auger for holes and a pneumatic T-post driver. Should save a lot of time.

I'm going to just tamp the posts, as the soil there should be good for that, no concrete, just good bracing. I think I'll get an extra ten posts as from suggestions I may want more braces than I had planned.

My longest straight run is 700ft, one 500ft, the rest are mainly about 2-300ft per run.

If I don't get it all done in 8 days, then so be it, I'll be back..


Thanks, I really wanted more land, this is 11 acres. But the place is very nice for 11 acres and it was a pretty good deal for about 6500 an acre including a nice barn with slab, a cabin, good large septic and a 450ft submersible well already there and working.

Cheap for that area, I couldn't pass it up. The county had it appraised at about 9500 an acre.

The previous owner poured a slab with plumbing and put up steel framing for a house, wall framing and brick for it are sitting there along with windows and doors stored in the barn, though I may not use them but get better higher efficiency ones.

The pasture is Bahia, but not kept up with for 6 years, and weeds and drought have taken a toll. Still gotta figure out to improve that later.

The 10 acres to the north and especially adjoining south of me are owned by retired folk who live hundreds of miles away, I may make them offers later. Though the ten acres adjoining to the south has a non producing oil well almost spot in the center of it.

My soil is layers of sand and clay.
I set the 8 ft poles 4 ft deep, and tamped.

I used some "dead-man" braces on some corners, and none at all on others and they haven't moved in over 6 years.

My line posts are 2-3 inch, 6.5 ft , set 30 inches deep, spaced 50 ft apart.
Where I used field fence, the line posts are 10 ft apart

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ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ

..................I built a perimeter fence for a customer once kinda like you're planning on doing , he had access too some telephone poles for his posts . I set them all four feet deep , then I welded a rectangular steel plate , 8 inches wide by about 14 inches long too each end of a piece of 2.5 inch pipe . Then, I used a victor torch too heat the plates(1/4 inch steel plate) so they would curve around the face of the poles , then I used about 6 , 1/2" by 6 " lag bolts too attach each end too the poles . He wanted to use 4x6 yellow pine beams for the horizontial members , but once he saw the first horizontial steel and pipe member he forgot all about the 4x6's . Wood dries out , shrinks , and over time looses a lot of its natural strength that it had when first installed . The telephone poles by virtue of their strength will last many years , longer , than conventional wooden posts used too construct a fence . Good luck with your project . , fordy

This is a really great post about fencing. Need to keep it for reference.

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We will meet in the golden city, called the New Jerusalem,
All our pain and all our tears will be no more.....

Guess I should take pics and bring em back when I get it done..

I can tell you how we did our gulleys and they are still in good condition. (I would have liked to use "locust" fencing posts; but didn't have any.)

We placed a post 2' deep on each side of our gulley (gulley being 5' wide at lowest part and about 6' deep) and a 10' treated 4 x 4 in the middle (concreting them well into the ground); then strung a galvanized fence across to each post topped with a 2 x 4 treated board. Then on the top part of each side of the gulley we placed posts to connect the rest of our parameter fencing to. We then ran that "regular" fencing across the gulley. We secured the bottom of this second layer of fencing to the first layer with wire we wove in and out all the way from one side of the gulley to the other and stapled that 2nd lvl fencing to that 10' post in the middle of the gulley.

I did a similar thing with our garden to keep deer out and, when it came to the gates (3 to our garden: 16' and two 4' gates), I drilled 4 holes in 6' 2x4s and secured them to the gates (separate from the fence so they would move with the gate) with wire, adding the "top" row of 4' fence wire over them as well. Now our garden (about an acre size) has an 8' fence around it and I won't have to worry about deer getting our vegies and fruit trees anymore.

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I am what I am! Acknowledging this is the beginning; and my growth is yet to end. http://motdaugrnds.com/farmsales ~~~~~ http://motdaugrnds.com

Well the fence is done.

I set 8' line posts 36' deep at 40' spacing with 8' heavy duty T-posts at 10' spacing between the wood posts with 8-10" corner posts.

Wood posts, T posts and 2"x4" mesh 48" tall horse fence and supplies along with clamp, comealongs etc. were 6k delivered for 2600ft of fence.

I know a lot more about the soil at my new place now. Sandy loam about 2' deep with a layer of rocks over red clay which right now is hard as a rock.

I rented a skid steer (bobcat) with tracks with a 10" hydraulic auger, would never have gotten anything done without it through that clay. Even the skid steer had issues but all the holes went in taking a full day and a little more for about 90 holes 36" deep. Cost $300 total.

I also rented a pneumatic T post driver, Rhino brand. Had to rent a towed compressor to run it and 50' of hose. Drove the 8' T-posts 36" deep. That T-post driver may well be the best money I have ever spent in my life after watching it pile through roots and rocks and hard clay. Cost $200 total.

Took 3 of us 9 days to get the job done, I got my unemployed younger brother and a friend of his that is out of work to come up and help but with conditions we barely got in 8 hours of work per day most of the week. May have taken another day but a couple of my teen aged nephews pitched in and clipped all the T-posts following us along as we stretched wire.

I paid my two helpers $1500 each, my nephews though they were working for free but I gave em $100 each for clipping the T-post clips.

I ended up putting 2 10' gates on one entry, and a single 16' gate on the other and it worked out real well.

All in all about 10k for a very well built 2600ft non climb horse fence with deep set poles and almost a foot of pole left over the top to run a hot wire or such if I decide to later. Not a perfect job, but a decent one.

On;y other issue was the rural water supply runs a 4" main line down the two sides of my property that are gravel road frontage.. The contractors who laid them had no sense of staying within their easement and we did break that water main where it runs through a gully where my wet weather creek runs under the road. Might have a fight on my hands if they try to bill me for the repairs to it.

Looks like you hit it a runnin'. Great job. Yeh them waterline installers go where it is easy, hope that is over. Do you have 1 call? So many of them PVC lines got installed without a tracer wire and no good maps. My brother in law worked for a water co. and couldn't find a line, dug 100 ft into a pasture to find it with the big yellow locator (backhoe). Our lines are a given footage off the centerline of the road. I work for a city water division but we have 30 miles of outside waterline, all Blue Brute PVC, no tracer wire. After 16 years I know where they all are LOL....James

Sounds like a nice solid fence! Smart of you to get some machinery and family to help out.

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Shari

Yeah strange part is we dug that post hole 36" deep with the bobcat, but actually broke the water main with hand post hole diggers when cleaning out the post hole..

The first guy out said they will likely send me a bill for repairs, but the repair guys were saying repeatedly it was broken on my property where the line went outside the easement onto the property, and when they dug it up to fix it it was clear that it ran even farther inside my property as it was angled pretty good going off into my property or at least tell them if they can't locate the line I should not be responsible.

The county has a 25' easement from the road center into my property and 25' into the neighbor across the roads property, phone and water lines are supposed to be in the outside few feet of that 50ft county road easement. The phone line is, and it's straight as an arrow about 15-18" from the edge of the easement. The water line is all over the place.

The roads run down the north and east sides of my property. They put their water main shut off valves on the corner where the roads meet. I hit the pipe on the north side, it's water main shutoff valve is in the easement where it supposed to be and looked like it was likely run in the easement where it was supposed to be, but it wasn't. They couldn't trace it and that is where we hit it.

The pipe running down the east side the shutoff valve for the pipe down that road is itself at least 6' outside the easement and way into my property. I had to skip the whole corner with my fencing and cut it across 10-12' from the corner of the easement line to leave their valves outside my fence, and still had to cross the water line twice on the east side where it went back out off my property to the easement.

The water guys said I had a choice of putting in the fence, stay under 36" in that area where I hit the pipe and hope for the best or they could come out with a trac hoe and just dig the whole main up for about 100' and move it.

Worst comes to worst if they demand I pay for the repair, I'll answer with a demand they come out and dig up the 100' of main across the north side that's outside the easement, and dig up the water main shutoff valve and the 100' or so water main down the east side that is 5-6' outside the easement and relocate all that as well and put it out into the easement where it belongs, and repair the fence they have to take down to do it.

I'm not totally sure where my rights are with them running the mains outside the easement and into my property, but I'm thinking I'm likely within my rights to demand they stick to keeping their water mains inside the easement they were granted.

....................My guess is , is that , when you voluntarily move your fence line too accommodate their Illegally placed water line , that may mean that you give up any redress in a court proceeding as you have tenatively accepted their mistake thereby giving the contractor and the country a legal defense in any legal action you might bring against them ! I wouldn't wait on them too "send you a bill" , I'd get an attorney , fill a suit(contractor and county) too make them move the water line . Don't allow them too dictate the agenda , be proactive ! , fordy

Look into renting a propane power T-post driver. Really cool and quick.

Whereabouts is this property exactly? Sounds like we might be neighbors

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"Perhaps I'll have them string a clothesline from the hearse I am in, with my underwear waving in the breeze, as we drive to the cemetary. People worry about the dumbest things!"
by Wendy

We have no climb.. 4x4 wood posts in concrete every 8 ft with a 1x6 top rail.

Here in Oregon if they located it and it is outside their leaway (or couldn't find it) it is their problem to fix. If they marked it and are within the 3' leaway and you knew it you should have hand dug until you found it....James

Wow! Nice setup - and horse blankets, too. You guys can adopt me anytime .

One of my clients would like to have that fence!

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The three divine teachers of man: worldly calamity, bodily ailment, and unmerited enmity, and there is but through God alone a deliverance from them. Maine Farmer's Almanac

Let's pretend for a minute that costs is secondary to quality. I would go with 10/48/3 fixed knot. It does stretch a lot better than the 2" x 4" woven or welded. Your Billy goat or your Ram can charge it at full steam and they will bounce off. If a limb falls on it, it will pop back into place when the limb is removed. I would put one strand of barbed along the ground. Because when a dog or coyote tries to tunnel under they will raise up from time to time to check their progress. When they do they will poke their back or shoulders with the barbed and usually be discouraged. I would of course put several hot wires offset inside and outside to keep the good critters in and the bad ones out. Whatever size posts you use they should be driven into the ground and approximately 40% of the post height should be underground for stability. You don't want them getting loose on you. A driven post is always the most stable, an augered post is much more likely to get woobly (unless you are setting it in concrete.)

My personal preference is a 10' wooden post with a 4" - 5" diameter, driven in 4'. That leaves 6' for the 48" fence and room for some smooth hot wires above that. Personally I believe in Hot chargers. Something that will zap a coyote or bobcat or your neighbors dog etc. silly. As my company commander in boot camp used to say, "Pain teaches dummies." (He was right!)

As to the distance between posts, that is going to depend on soil and terrain. On firm fairly level soil you could go 15' to 20' with the fixed knot. Although since I like overkill I would keep them 10' to 15' apart in those conditions and closer when terrain calls for it.

Sorry I am late to this thread.

Txrider, just a few weeks ago, I watch my LGD CLEAR, with air to spare, a 48" fence. He was chasing a small pack of coyotes who had also cleared that fence without even looking like they had a tough time of it.

For dogs, coyotes and goats, most folks suggest a 60" fence. I know I am having to replace all this 48" fence with 60" fence....and I am hating every minute of it.

(Have I mentioned that one of the things they have REALLY evil people do, who have been sent to Hell, is dig post holes in hard-pan clay?)

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Peace,
Caliann

"First, Show me in the Bible where it says you can save someone's soul by annoying the hell out of them." -- Chuck