Electric fence

daytrader · #1 12/05/05, 01:38 PM

How bad is the shock?

I mean if my dogs want to roam the area they will not be killed will they?

JanO · #2 12/05/05, 01:41 PM

No, it won't kill dogs. The shock isn't much at all... it'll just set them on their heels a bit.

daytrader · #3 12/05/05, 02:12 PM

what aboutto a human? Any one ever touch a electric fence?

warrior · #4 12/05/05, 03:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by daytrader

what aboutto a human? Any one ever touch a electric fence?

"Hey Steven check the fence to see if I turned it off right" OUCH "Okay try it now" OUCH "Hmm, I think I got it right this time" OUCH "Okay, I swear it's off this time" OUCH "Hey, put that stick down, get away!" "OW,OW,OW"

My baby brother wasn't my mama's brightest LOL. Though it must not have effected him to much as a later "pee on the wire" experiment hasn't prevented him from producing three beautiful younguns. Fortunately they all seem to be much smarter than their dad LOL.
Seriously it depends on the charger that runs the fence. You can purchase chargers from D-cell operated "Oh, that tingles" up to some high voltage "

" jobs that will knock you for a loop. General rule of thumb if you can hear a buzz when standing near it you don't want to touch it. I have heard of reports of animal fatalities with some systems though these seem to be aberations due to a faulty charger or some other odd set of circumstances. I know of one whitetail buck that was found dead tangled in a wire. It was theorized that he was wet from crossing a creek on a rainy night them got tangled and couldn't get away from the current.
If you thought the fence was fun you should have seen the games we played with the hot shot (cattle prod) LOL. Seriously dad should have beat us more often, we deserved it.

Trisha in WA · #5 12/05/05, 08:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by daytrader

what aboutto a human? Any one ever touch a electric fence?

When I was 5 years old. That was my first experience with a hot fence. Cried like a baby! A few years back I hit a cattle fence that my neighbors had. I had a wad of my own hot tape in my hands and it bumped their very ON fence. Knocked the wind out of me and droped me to my knees! Don't want to EVER do that again. It really depends on your fence. Get one of those testers that has 5 or 6 lights on it. Test you fence with that and you'll have a better idea of how hot it is. Mine lights up all the lights very brightly and I can tell you it packs one heck of a punch. But it hasn't killed the dogs though they have learned to stay clear of it.
Blessings,

woodenfires · #6 12/06/05, 07:04 AM

Once when fishing a brook that ran beside a field I got natures call. Standing there minding my own business when I heard something behind me off in the woods, I turned and looked and at the same time found myself propelled through the air several feet. When I regained my sences I noticed an old very rusty electric fence running thru the tall weeds, very much alive and kicking. I was 10, some things a person never forgets.

genebo · #7 12/06/05, 08:45 AM

I was pushing a mower along the electric fence line, far from anyone. I was wearing rubber boots. The mower wheel got caught in the bottom wire. In order to pull it free, I grabbed a T-post for leverage. Suddenly I heard a girl scream, nearby. Only there weren't any girls around. It was me!

Genebo
Paradise Farm

vtfarma · #8 12/06/05, 09:37 AM

It can make a calf moo, a dog yelp and a person swear. Our dogs know where the low spots in the fence are and be sure to drop their tails when scooting through. The neighbors kid grabbed it and the little one is still alive. Your voltage will vary depending on if it is grounding out somewhere: trees on line, plants growing up into it, dead deer in it????!, getting wrapped back around itself after the moose walked through it. Just remember to hook it to 110 not 220!

Hammer4 · #9 12/06/05, 11:23 AM

Our fence tests out at over 9000 volts...the cattle and horses won't get any where near the wires on it, I've brushed it a couple times and its given me a memorable zap.

I didn't even make a fully grounded contact with it, the thought of that makes me cringe.

If I get a short on an insulator on a t-post, you can hear it zapping 50 yards away on a quiet night, it looks like a giant spark plug type blue spark.

DrippingSprings · #10 12/06/05, 02:40 PM

I ran into a sizeable rattlesnake once cleaning the fence row out when I was about 13. I had always heard snakes travel in pairs so as I was disposing of the rattler I killed I accidentally in the excitement of the moment backed my lower leg into the fence. That zap and immediate thought of ''snake bite'' I bet I had a 12ft vertical leap going on.

I also was standing next to my uncles beagle pens getting ready to rabbit hunt and I had my back turned taking a leak and I pulled the old "aahhhh strong wind" joke and as i spun to pee towards my cousin i saw it arc into the air in slo mo and come down on the fence. Felt like a hornet sting. I was 9 I still hear that story repeated every christmas at grannys house 30 years later.

Columbia,SC. · #11 12/12/05, 10:57 PM

Back in my younger REDNECK daZe my best friends dad had a small farm. There was a small pen that he held goats in... all electric. A time or two I would hold out a hadfull of corn while the other hand was on the electic fence.. yea I got shocked alot. But then not now~ it was funny for me and my friend to watch that mean old billy jump up and run away. I taught him not to ever butt me anymore because I HAD THE POWER!!

So the question was will it hurt/kill my dogs... NO it will not unless they have a heart condition I supouse.
Columbia,SC.

Whip Hussmann · #12 12/13/05, 08:47 PM

I had one a long time ago . It said it had 30,000 volts. I was walkin' around checkin' the fence . I noticed it was down in one spot . Since I personally unpluged the charger myself I just reached down and picked it up. I felt like a tractor ran over my arm. My wife was walkin' by and saw the charger unplugged , so she plugged it in. I found out later in life its not the volts that kill you , but the amps will fry you. It only takes a half amp to kill you.

Celtic Herritag · #13 12/13/05, 11:29 PM

Our neighbors were hosting a party and the people were getting pretty hammered. Thier property is about 200 yards away from ours, separated by a pasture with an electric fence, so you can see the general but not the finite. Anyway I was out feeding and I look over and this guy walks out to the fence, and from the general stance you can tell what he's doing. About two seconds later he's figured out the fence is electric in a rather painfull way. Screaming rolling on the ground and cussing up a storm.

djuhnke · #14 12/14/05, 03:48 PM

I have a 20 mile charger on one strand with 2 grounding rods 10 feet apart. I've had to work on the fence a few times with the pigs around and I always work with insulated tools. Once in a while I forget to grab on the insulated part of long nose pliers and ZZZZAAAAPPP. Makes me scream and go to my knees. It made my 450lb sow jump and run backwards.

daytrader · #15 12/15/05, 11:14 AM

With my using insulators on every wire. Should I ground more times?

I mean like put in a ground rod every 100 feet? I could do this easy and have the ground rods. I have about 50 of them. Just been laying around the lean too. Maybe I coould sink like one every 100 or soo feet to get a great charge?

woodspirit · #16 12/15/05, 08:23 PM

I think that what is usually recommended is three copper grounding rods close to the charger. I think that would change depending on the location of your farm. In the northeast we usually have more water than we need so the ground is moist enough. Drier areas may have other methods that work better there. You need to have insulaters on every wire. The wire shouldn't touch the posts or weeds or trees etc.

Rob30 · #17 12/20/05, 09:29 AM

What type of fencers are you using that 'knock you down'? I want one> I have a name brand fencers, tester sayd 2500+-, but it doesn't hurt much at all. My goats walk, even saw one stand under it for a few seconds. Keeps the pigs and cows under control though, with good training. I think I will have to do much more training with goats in the spring.
Constant fencers are dangerous though. I had one that burnt grass, chocked the **** out of you. But to dngerous to keep.
I tripped on th hog wire once, landed with it under my shins. Seemed lik it took for ever to get off that wire. Muscles don't work well when under an electrical load.

woodspirit · #18 12/20/05, 10:15 AM

I must be a little twisted, but this topic has been good for quite a few laughs. I'm enjoying it way too much I think.

daytrader · #19 12/20/05, 12:58 PM

Its shocking isn't it.

beeman97 · #20 12/20/05, 04:50 PM

these stories are absolutly great to read ,,, i thought i was the only one to ever have pulled some of those stunts described so far in this thread,,,,,,
daytrader ,, no do not ground ever 100 feet it will jsut be a waste of good ground rods,,,,, 3 rods 10 feet apart close to the charger is right ,, then again if you have any strands you want to ground out ,, this is done for goats mostly because they are hard to ground for some reason or other.....
Rob30 ,, put a chain around the necks of those goats so that it hangs a good bit off of them & have it good & snug around there necks ,, then ground every other strand on your fence & you will need no further training for the goats,,,

Our fence is about 5 to 7 thousand volts ,,, it makes a good CRACK & POP when ever someone touches it,,, yes ive gotten it several times & it is not pleasant ,, it hurts my heart if the ground is damp,, makes my arm or leg numb & makes me walk up to the charger to unplug it kicking myself the whole way for not turning it off before it bites me ,,,,,,, some of us will never learn i guess ,,,,
Rick