How Do You Put Up A Short Run Of Fence?

mikefoxo

Been doing a bit of fencing. It's mostly short, akward bits. Lots of turns, on top of walls and ditches. Putting up sheep wire and 2 strands of barbed. Problem is when I go to Strain it. All I have is a nail bar/crow bar. You tighten one strand and nail it on but when you strain the next one you loosen the previous one:(.

Has anyone any tips or hints to get a good tight fence. I've considered getting one of those monkey strainers but I think they only work on long runs?

farawaygrass

mikefoxo wrote: »

Been doing a bit of fencing. It's mostly short, akward bits. Lots of turns, on top of walls and ditches. Putting up sheep wire and 2 strands of barbed. Problem is when I go to Strain it. All I have is a nail bar/crow bar. You tighten one strand and nail it on but when you strain the next one you loosen the previous one:(.

Has anyone any tips or hints to get a good tight fence. I've considered getting one of those monkey strainers but I think they only work on long runs?

Gripples are brilliant for tightening wire. Check out your co op for them.

arctictree

farawaygrass wrote: »

Gripples are brilliant for tightening wire. Check out your co op for them.

+1. Great for short awkward stretches. The tool can be expensive though.

Good loser

Hayes wire strainer.

J.O. Farmer

arctictree wrote: »

+1. Great for short awkward stretches. The tool can be expensive though.

I got the tool back in the summer in a pack with 250 gripples. I can't remember exactly what I gave it could have been €250. If I went to buy the gripples on their own they would have cost what I gave meaning the tool was working out free.

mikefoxo

Good loser wrote: »

Hayes wire strainer.

How much would a wire strainer cost?

kowtow

farawaygrass wrote: »

Gripples are brilliant for tightening wire. Check out your co op for them.

Worth spraying them with WD40 or similar every so often though if you ever want to have a chance of unlocking them. Even with the little gripple key which is nearly impossible to get they are tricky to release once corroded.

Other than that they are brilliant, we've been known to hang cable trays and lights with them for the "post industrial" look.

tomwaterford

mikefoxo wrote: »

How much would a wire strainer cost?

About e60....though you need two IMO for straining sheep wire

Or you could make up a clamp....prefer to use two pullers myself though...gives a better strain IMO
And if your going to the expense of putting up wire....may as well do it right

davidk1394

Is it for straining sheep wire ? Best thing is strain it top and bottom with a wire strainers and then put in gripple to give it the last little bit of tension

49801

Would u not tension the top first and work downwards. And by that I mean stapled too.

With bits like you discribe a moderate tension first and let the staples take the last tensioning

davidk1394

We used do that. It doesn't tension straight if you get me.

tomwaterford

davidk1394 wrote: »

We used do that. It doesn't tension straight if you get me.

We use two pullers
Pull top and bottom together to get even nail home/tie off

Then do second from top and second from bottom until even and tie off and so on....pain in the balls.....but nothing worse than looking at badly put up sheep wire

mikefoxo

tomwaterford wrote: »

About e60....though you need two IMO for straining sheep wire

Or you could make up a clamp....prefer to use two pullers myself though...gives a better strain IMO
And if your going to the expense of putting up wire....may as well do it right

Don't suppose you could put up a link to these €60 strainers? All the ones I see are about €100. Any particular brand?

Snowfire

Cheaper ones are usually cheap for a reason. If you are buying one, but a good one. we have a Hayes one for the last 20 odd yrs and couldn't fence without it.

Sheepman123

I use 3 ratchet straps.top and bottom and in the middle. Does a good job. Pulls very tight and straight.

larthehar

The biggest problem I see is that the end posts ppl use are just normal posts. You need a decent post... 7ft 5-7in are the Only job.. Expensive But you don't have to be tighten the fence every year!

tomwaterford

mikefoxo wrote: »

Don't suppose you could put up a link to these €60 strainers? All the ones I see are about €100. Any particular brand?

I bought them in a local Agri supply place here which specialise in fencing for e60 over the counter
Hayes is the brand

Belongamick

'Has anyone any tips or hints to get a good tight fence. I've considered getting one of those monkey strainers but I think they only work on long runs?'

Few small tips and by no means an expert... but because of work committments, small kids etc I try to do fences once and well.
- Use strainers at the ends - could be 7/8 foot long. Get a small track machine or JCB to sink and secure. Post driver may not be able to sink them deep enough. The expense may put people off but is you lay out your posts and wire, put strainers up first, then wire, finally posts along the line of wire, the machine will tap down a huge amount of posts in a couple of hours.
- Have used the concrete gate posts in long runs and wire can be run 90 degrees apart. Again this is a bit time consuming but a great (almost lifetime job)
- Use the various rachet strainers on the market - some used for electric fences, some used in chain link fences. Again a bit expensive to start with but great comfort to tighten up wire fencing.
- Very difficult to tighten a fence that is not in a straingh line. Have had to take the 'best straight line' and where there is a severe angle use a stariner to maintain a taught fence.

About 30 years ago the folks did a great job fencing along by a river, the line snaked along for about 300 meters and they put up a nice three row fence. Five years later half of it was falling into the river - fence in straight lines as far as possible.

Siamsa Sessions

We made a clamp for sheep wire but have been struggling with pulling it tight. I've seen a few rachet straps of varying sizes and prices.

What width strap would people recommend? Would a 35mm strap be enough for tightening, say, up to 50m of fence?

dodo mommy

Have about 1500-2000m of fencing to do I will be using sheep wire and two strands of barbed I'm wondering what's the best method of joining the sheep wire just tieing it or going to the expense of using grapples?

Nekarsulm

Gripples very handy. With high tensile wire its difficult to get lengths joined evenly by tieing, and then when you strain it, there is a "belly" in it. Most make a of high tensile sheep wire come with the gripples already attached.

J.O. Farmer

Nekarsulm wrote: »

Gripples very handy. With high tensile wire its difficult to get lengths joined evenly by tieing, and then when you strain it, there is a "belly" in it. Most make a of high tensile sheep wire come with the gripples already attached.

Go with the gripples where you're joining in the middle of the fence. High tensile wire is hard to manipulate to tie too. If you do want to join by tying try to join on strainers mid-fence by tying around the post as if it was the end.

pedigree 6

Nekarsulm wrote: »

Gripples very handy. With high tensile wire its difficult to get lengths joined evenly by tieing, and then when you strain it, there is a "belly" in it. Most make a of high tensile sheep wire come with the gripples already attached.

Yea the sheep wire we got already had gripples on the wire.
Easy enough then to join to previous roll and can then get joined evenly by the square on the wire. You don't have to have gripple tool to join the wire, just push in by hand and then tighten wire at the strainer or nearest stake if it's drove down enough and put staples in every wire where you are tightening.

davidk1394

dodo mommy wrote: »

Have about 1500-2000m of fencing to do I will be using sheep wire and two strands of barbed I'm wondering what's the best method of joining the sheep wire just tieing it or going to the expense of using grapples?

I'd you buy tornado wire the grippers are on the end of the roll

paddysdream

dodo mommy wrote: »

Have about 1500-2000m of fencing to do I will be using sheep wire and two strands of barbed I'm wondering what's the best method of joining the sheep wire just tieing it or going to the expense of using grapples?

For barbed wire tying it is the easiest way.H T barbed wire is a doddle to join but the other stuff is harder to get a decent join on it.Gripple's are a bit of an overkill for barbed wire unless you have them free.Simple figure of 8 knot works a treat.
With sheep wire gripple's come into their own.Slow annoying job joining rolls of sheepwire "properly". Well worth the cost IMO.Also those gripples designed to tie wire around a strainer post are a godsend compared to tying the eight strands around a post.Big saving on the hands anyways.
If wire is loosening when you strain it then your strainer posts ain't doing their job although a good pull on the top strand of barbed wire can test even the best of strainers and props at times.
To pull sheep wire a simple frame with holes for gripples to hold the wire and pull with pullers ,tractor etc is the only way.Think I put up a picture a while ago in another thread.
Hammer will pull sheepwire only on a very short(10 or 20 foot)pull.Gripples and a gripple puller will pull a fair old bit.With the gripple pullers make sure and pull it even as if you overpull one bit it can be hard enough to get it sorted correctly.

sea12

davidk1394 wrote: »

I'd you buy tornado wire the grippers are on the end of the roll

Do you not still need the tool to tighten them ?

paddysdream

sea12 wrote: »

Do you not still need the tool to tighten them ?

No.The gripple tool is only needed if you strain with them.For joining strands of wire all you do is push both ends of the wire into the gripple.

sea12

paddysdream wrote: »

No.The gripple tool is only needed if you strain with them.For joining strands of wire all you do is push both ends of the wire into the gripple.

Learn something new every day.😀

mugsyy

dodo mommy wrote: »

Have about 1500-2000m of fencing to do I will be using sheep wire and two strands of barbed I'm wondering what's the best method of joining the sheep wire just tieing it or going to the expense of using grapples?

have to say used the gripples for the first time putting up sheep wire last year and they were deadly job

only tip id say is take the extra time to get your strainers 100% right and it will leave the job nice and simple

i drove mine in with the digger but didnt go down deep enough with one. the gripple tool gives you fairly good torc and it started to move once i put the pressure on. had to go back and start again... needless to say i drove the rest down an extra bit!!

9935452

Belongamick wrote: »

'Has anyone any tips or hints to get a good tight fence. I've considered getting one of those monkey strainers but I think they only work on long runs?'

Few small tips and by no means an expert... but because of work committments, small kids etc I try to do fences once and well.
- Use strainers at the ends - could be 7/8 foot long. Get a small track machine or JCB to sink and secure. Post driver may not be able to sink them deep enough. The expense may put people off but is you lay out your posts and wire, put strainers up first,
.

I had the opposite experience.
I worked in a gasline fencing so we could give the land back to the farmers.
I was brought in because the track machines failed to drive the fence posts.
30t track machines we snapping 6/7 inch posts when they tried to push them down but a malone post drive could. in some cases we snapped posts ourselves but we used to make pilot holds with a crowbar for the post to follow down through the rocks.stones

Bullocks

9935452 wrote: »

I had the opposite experience.
I worked in a gasline fencing so we could give the land back to the farmers.
I was brought in because the track machines failed to drive the fence posts.
30t track machines we snapping 6/7 inch posts when they tried to push them down but a malone post drive could. in some cases we snapped posts ourselves but we used to make pilot holds with a crowbar for the post to follow down through the rocks.stones

One of the drivers with the steel crowbar/rock breaker attached would be the job for that work

9935452

Bullocks wrote: »

One of the drivers with the steel crowbar/rock breaker attached would be the job for that work

It would be ideal, All the post needed was a path to follow and it pushed the rocks to the side,
It took some hammering though