Essential Components of a Durable Wire Fence
Constructing a reliable and long-lasting wire fence begins with selecting high-quality components. Each part plays a crucial role in maintaining fence integrity and reducing long-term maintenance.
Brace Assemblies
Brace assemblies act as anchor points, providing essential support at corners, gates, and at regular intervals along extensive fence lines. Properly installed braces maintain consistent wire tension, enhancing overall fence durability.
Line Posts
Line posts hold wires securely and distribute tension across the fence. Spacing posts between 10 to 18 meters apart balances strength, reduces construction costs, and effectively absorbs impacts from livestock collisions.
Fence Wire
The choice of wire significantly influences fence effectiveness. High-tensile smooth wire provides flexibility and strength, while barbed wire offers additional security. Both types are durable, weather-resistant, and reliable under varying livestock pressures.
Fasteners and Staples
Properly installed fasteners secure wires to posts without restricting their necessary movement, allowing fences to adapt to temperature changes and animal impacts, thus extending fence lifespan.
Droppers (Stays)
Droppers maintain consistent spacing between fence wires, improve visibility for livestock, and evenly distribute stress, significantly reducing fence maintenance requirements.
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Basic Principles for Building a Strong Wire Fence
Optimal Fence Post Spacing
Effective post spacing, typically between 10 to 18 meters, reduces material costs and enhances fence durability. Wider spacing helps distribute impact stress along the fence line, preventing damage from livestock pressure and environmental conditions.
Proper Wire Tension
Maintaining appropriate wire tension ensures fence integrity and prevents sagging. High-tensile wires should be tensioned around 136 kg at 0°C, allowing for adjustments of approximately 5 kg per 5°C temperature change. Regular tension checks throughout seasonal changes will significantly enhance fence longevity.
Reliable Brace Assemblies
Installing strong brace assemblies at critical points such as corners, gate openings, and every 400 meters along fence lines helps maintain consistent wire tension and prevents fence failure. A well-constructed brace assembly forms the structural backbone of a resilient and long-lasting fencing system.
Purity Feed provides quality fencing materials and components designed specifically to support these fundamental fencing principles, ensuring reliability, reduced maintenance, and long-term cost efficiency.
Fence Materials: Wooden Posts
Why Choose Wooden Posts?
Wooden posts, specifically pressure-treated softwood posts such as pine, are ideal for high-tension and high-tensile fence systems. These sharpened, round posts can easily be driven into the ground and chemically treated to resist rot, providing excellent longevity and strength at an economical price.
Key Features of Pressure-Treated Posts
Pressure-treated posts are straight, lightweight, durable, and sharpened for easy installation. Properly pressure-treated wooden posts resist weather, rot, fire, and termites, lasting up to 40 years. Posts that are merely dipped, soaked, or brushed with preservatives may seem economical initially but offer poor long-term value due to their short lifespan.
Post Strength and Selection
Fence posts must withstand significant stress from wire tension and animal impacts. For instance, wires alone can exert forces exceeding 1100 kg on end posts for a 10-wire fence. Line posts play a crucial role by supporting wire weight and absorbing impact stress. Pressure-treated pine posts demonstrate high breaking strengths, as illustrated below:
- 63 mm: 107 kg breaking strength
- 76 mm: 185 kg breaking strength
- 102 mm: 439 kg breaking strength
- 127 mm: 858 kg breaking strength
- 152 mm: 1482 kg breaking strength
Soil Conditions and Post Stability
Soil type significantly affects post stability and performance. Posts driven into softer clay soils may require deeper installation or larger diameters to prevent overturning. Medium to stiff clay soils offer higher lateral load-bearing capacities, enhancing post stability:
| Post Diameter | Soil Type | Depth Driven (cm) | Failure Force (kg) | Failure Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 102 mm | Soft Clay | 76 | 45 | Overturn |
| 102 mm | Medium Clay | 76 | 408 | Overturn |
| 102 mm | Stiff Clay | 76 | 635 | Lean |
| 127 mm | Medium Clay | 122 | 998 | Overturn |
| 127 mm | Stiff Clay | 122 | 1474 | Lean |
| 152 mm | Very Stiff Clay | 122 | 2540 | Lean |
Recommended Treatments for Wooden Posts
Several reliable treatments extend the life of fence posts:
- Pentachlorophenol (Penta): Mixed with oil and pressure-applied; effective against rot and insects.
- Chromated Copper Arsenate (CCA): Water-based preservative; leaves posts dry and paintable with excellent decay resistance.
- Creosote: Widely used; highly effective against moisture, insects, and decay; provides excellent grounding resistance in electric fences, and can last 35 to 70+ years.
Always verify the quality and standard (CSA Standard 080.5) of chemically-treated posts before purchasing to ensure maximum durability and reliability for your fencing project.
Types of Droppers
Importance of Droppers
Droppers play a key role in maintaining consistent spacing between wires, allowing for greater distances between fence posts—often 18 meters or more on even-contoured terrain. The optimal number of droppers depends on livestock type and pressure on the fence:
- Light-to-moderate livestock pressure: One dropper every 6 meters.
- Moderate-to-heavy livestock pressure: One dropper every 3 meters.
- Heavy livestock pressure: One dropper every 1.5 meters.
Selecting the Right Dropper
Droppers should resist bending from typical livestock impacts, consistently maintain wire spacing, and have durability comparable to the rest of the fence system. Popular types of droppers in Canada include:
- Wooden Droppers: Made from rot-resistant materials such as treated lumber (25 x 100 mm), split cedar (38 x 38 mm), or natural cut saplings.
- Sheet Metal Droppers: Manufactured from 18-gauge galvanized steel, providing strength and corrosion resistance.
- Twisted Wire Droppers: Affordable and easy to install, but suitable only for fences experiencing very light livestock pressure, as they can bend permanently under minimal impacts.
Proper Installation
Since droppers are not anchored into the ground, secure attachment to the fence wire is critical. Droppers may be smooth, notched, or grooved and can either snap onto or be wired/stapled onto fence wires. For snap-on droppers (wood or metal), ensure grooves or slots are slightly offset during manufacturing to prevent sliding along wires after installation.
Types of Wire and Fasteners
Types of Wire
For effective high-tension and high-tensile fencing, always choose 12½ gauge, triple-galvanized (Type III) steel wire. Recommended tensile strengths are at least 4900 kg/cm² for barbed wire and at least 9800 kg/cm² for high-tensile smooth wire.
Advantages of High-Tensile Wire Over Barbed Wire
High-tensile wire offers several benefits:
- Lower cost (less than half the price of barbed wire for equal lengths).
- Easier handling, installation, and adjustment since no barbs cause entanglement.
- Improved safety for livestock and wildlife, as it lacks sharp barbs.
- Elastic properties, tolerating greater shock loads and reducing the need for prestretching.
- Greater tensile strength compared to barbed wire of the same gauge.
Types of Fasteners
Staples
Use galvanized staples (approximately 45 mm long) with opposing slash-cut points. Drive them partially into line posts to securely hold wire without restricting necessary movement.
Dowel Pins and Spikes
Corrosion-resistant dowel pins or spiral spikes are ideal for brace assembly construction, offering superior holding power compared to smooth spikes.
End-post Fasteners and Knots
Wires can be secured to end posts using knots, although knots generally reduce wire strength by approximately 40%.
Barbed Wire Knots
Barbed wire is traditionally secured by double-wrapping around end posts, with staples placed close to barbs to minimize slippage.
High-Tensile Wire Knots
Secure high-tensile wire using a specialized end-post knot. Wrap around the post from the livestock side, loop under the line wire, and tightly secure the free end with pigtail wraps.
Mechanical Fasteners
Compression Sleeves
Compression sleeves retain 100% wire strength when properly installed. Wrap wire around the post, thread through sleeves, and double-crimp with a swager tool.
Wirevise
A Wirevise provides a strong, simple connection by threading wire through a drilled hole in the post, embedding it securely, and trimming excess wire flush.
Wire Splicers
Knots for Wire Splicing
Traditional knots reduce wire strength by approximately 40%. However, they are still commonly used:
- Barbed Wire Splice: Form loops on wire ends and secure tightly around the line wire.
- High-Tensile Wire Splice (Figure-Eight Knot): Overlap wire ends, form opposing loops, tightly interlocking and removing excess wire after tightening.
Mechanical Splicing Methods
- Compression Sleeves: Thread wire ends through sleeves and double crimp to achieve 100% strength.
- Wirelink: Easily butt-splice high-tensile wire by inserting both ends into the device, achieving full wire strength.
In-Line Strainers and Tension Springs
Adjustable in-line wire strainers and tension-indicator springs provide efficient methods to maintain correct wire tension. These permanent fixtures enable easy tightening or relaxing of wires due to temperature variations, simplifying ongoing fence maintenance and repairs.
Planning the Fence
Determining Boundaries
Clearly defining property boundaries is essential before fence construction begins. Whether fencing along terrain contours or property lines, involving a surveyor ensures accuracy. Establishing clear agreements with neighbors about fence placement is also beneficial, especially as fences typically outlast informal agreements.
Legal Considerations
Always check local regulations and guidelines to ensure your planned fence complies with local laws. Consult your district agriculturist for specific fencing requirements and recommendations.
Identifying Hazards
Carefully identify hazards such as flooding areas, bogs, embankments, highways, railways, mining, and recreation zones. Contact utility companies to locate buried lines (electrical, telephone, gas, water, sewer) to avoid costly mistakes and safety hazards during installation.
Assessing Terrain
Topography significantly influences fence construction methods and materials. Hilly areas or curves require specialized construction techniques, such as grading or specialized assemblies, to ensure wires remain parallel to the ground and structurally sound.
Soil Considerations
Soil type greatly affects fence stability. Posts driven into soil have proven up to ten times stronger than posts installed through digging and backfilling. Hard soils might require pre-drilling or special anchoring (deadman anchors) for increased stability.
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Fence Performance Requirements
Clearly define your fence’s purpose: perimeter fences typically require greater security than division fences, potentially needing to contain various livestock types or exclude wildlife. Your fencing strategy should align closely with animal behavior, livestock pressure, and overall property management goals.
Fence Location and Management Benefits
Strategically placed fences can enhance livestock management by improving movement, grazing patterns, water access, and machinery maneuverability, thereby boosting operational efficiency and productivity.
Preplanning and Material Estimation
Before starting construction, sketch a comprehensive layout detailing fence dimensions, gate locations, corners, angles, and elevation changes. Use this detailed sketch to accurately estimate required materials, such as posts, wires, fasteners, and other hardware, reducing waste and controlling costs.
Fence Specifications and Designs
Select fence specifications based on the intended livestock and pressure levels. Designs can range from four-wire barbed-wire fences suitable for low-pressure cattle containment to specialized high-tensile designs for intensive livestock management.
Popular Fence Designs Include:
- Four-wire barbed-wire fence: Effective for low livestock pressure.
- Five-wire high-tensile or barbed-wire fences: Suitable for moderate livestock pressure.
- Six-wire high-tensile fence: Ideal for moderate pressure from larger animals.
- Eight-wire high-tensile fence: For mixed livestock and wildlife management.
- Ten-wire high-tensile fence: Highly secure, suitable for varied livestock pressures and smaller animals.
- Twelve-wire high-tensile horse fence: Specifically designed to secure horses and deter smaller animals.
Laying Out the Fence
Across Level Terrain
Place survey pins or stakes at the ends of the line and align intermediate poles using sighting methods to achieve a straight fence line.
Over Uneven Terrain
Manage rises by placing sighting poles at elevated points, ensuring visibility from both ends. When fencing across dips, position poles at the lowest points and align visually from higher positions on each side of the dip.
Around Curves
When fencing around curves without brace assemblies, use sturdier, deeper-set posts leaning slightly outward (about 10 cm) from vertical. Decrease spacing between posts on sharp curves and staple wires securely on the outside of posts to maintain tension and fence integrity.
Ready to Build Your Fence?
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