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NE | Cujo ,
I've been building Hi tensile fences commercially for clients for past 28 yrs. Hi Tensile fencing is wonderful in many ways . With that being said and you being a "first timer" there are a few things in your post that throw caution in the wind to me . 1) Cows not ever been kept in a electrified fence system. 2) Remote area no available electricity. 3) I'm assuming that also means you can't see the cows from your front porch of the house also ?
Here is my thoughts as I look over your decision you are about to make . Hi tensile elec fence that all the above posters are talking is about the cheapest form of fencing today possible.....can it work ?......most definately ..without any potential problems or maintenance ? definately not ! Hi tensile wire can be bought for .02 cents per foot per wire or less easily,so you can see quickly you can't buy barb,woven or any other form of wire for that low of cost. You realize tho a 160 acre pasture will involve approx 1280 rods of fence to complete all 4 sides ? Is this all your fence reponsibility or half your neighbors? You'd have less than $1700 in wire costs using 4 wires in the whole project, thats the cheapest componet of the fence tho . You'll find your end sections,corner sections ,gate holes,creek crossings (if any) line posts and lastly your energizer to be your most costly items. Line posts spacings can be argued about forever...obviously the closer the are the stronger any fence is but with a electric fence you are relying on the "shock" to deter the cattle not so much the strength of the fence. I can help you located some small diameter plastic composite posts that I've been using quite a bit for paddock divisions or temporary fencing that work quite well without the headaches of insulators and shorts developing . I'm not sure where you are located but drop me a e-mail if you'd like and I'd be glad to discuss this with you more.
The biggest downfall to ANY electric fence is: when and if the energizer gets disrupted because of battery dead, tree on fence, wires shorted on steel posts,lightning strike on fencer etc... your cattle liability exposure is huge ! Usually once cattle get adjusted to the electric fence they respect it well and won't know its not working right away( this also varies greatly from herd to herd ) depending on the cows dispositions and grass availability. But you must have the mindset if the electricity is faulted so is your fence !
Long story short there is no cheap way to fence this much area without some headaches....it can be done with hi tensile either electric or permanent. It all boils down to what your checkbook wants to do and how well you want to sleep at night. Sorry this got so long ...if you want more info on products or suggestions feel free to contact me or leave your email and I get back to you . Good Luck with your project!
PS: I'm jealous, wish I could find 160 acres of pasture available in my area !
Fenceman | |
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fencing 160 acre pasture??
