How do you maintain your fences during the closed period

Base price

Every Summer I spend a couple of evening a week either spraying with the knapsack or trimming with the hedge trimmers/hedge knife to keep the weeds and briars from encroaching on the electric fence along the hedgerows. We have a small flail that we use to trim behind the fences in the Autumn/Winter and that works well until we get active growth in the Summer.
I was moving cattle into a field on Tuesday and noticed a healthy growth of nettles (about 30 yards) under the fence near the gate. I got the knapsack out but spent most of the time picking ladybirds off the nettles before spraying.
TBH as I get older it's becoming a major chore.

rangler1

Base price wrote: »

Every Summer I spend a couple of evening a week either spraying with the knapsack or trimming with the hedge trimmers/hedge knife to keep the weeds and briars from encroaching on the electric fence along the hedgerows. We have a small flail that we use to trim behind the fences in the Autumn/Winter and that works well until we get active growth in the Summer.
I was moving cattle into a field on Tuesday and noticed a healthy growth of nettles (about 30 yards) under the fence near the gate. I got the knapsack out but spent most of the time picking ladybirds off the nettles before spraying.
TBH as I get older it's becoming a major chore.

Definitely putting electric fences at hedges is only making work, I think I'd be mechanising it if I had them.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vlPyvSe8l18.

I see the guy that has my land taken has done it too....I just thought, god help you

The part time boy

rangler1 wrote: »

Base price wrote: »

Every Summer I spend a couple of evening a week either spraying with the knapsack or trimming with the hedge trimmers/hedge knife to keep the weeds and briars from encroaching on the electric fence along the hedgerows. We have a small flail that we use to trim behind the fences in the Autumn/Winter and that works well until we get active growth in the Summer.
I was moving cattle into a field on Tuesday and noticed a healthy growth of nettles (about 30 yards) under the fence near the gate. I got the knapsack out but spent most of the time picking ladybirds off the nettles before spraying.
TBH as I get older it's becoming a major chore.

Definitely putting electric fences at hedges is only making work, I think I'd be mechanising it if I had them.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vlPyvSe8l18.

I being looking for something like that all my life ! Anyone got one or knows how much they cost ?

_Brian

Base price wrote: »

Every Summer I spend a couple of evening a week either spraying with the knapsack or trimming with the hedge trimmers/hedge knife to keep the weeds and briars from encroaching on the electric fence along the hedgerows. We have a small flail that we use to trim behind the fences in the Autumn/Winter and that works well until we get active growth in the Summer.
I was moving cattle into a field on Tuesday and noticed a healthy growth of nettles (about 30 yards) under the fence near the gate. I got the knapsack out but spent most of the time picking ladybirds off the nettles before spraying.
TBH as I get older it's becoming a major chore.

We usually spend one day with the electric spot sprayer behind the tractor and blast under all fences soon as ground is traffic able. Brambles and gorse all get sprayed as well as stripe directly under fence. It really has lessened the workload keeping under electric fences and the odd stray bramble is all we have to contend with after that.
Went to do it yesterday and the electric pump was dead, it did 9 years which ain't bad, but didn't realise until had a tank of mix ready to spray. , very disappointed. Some shopping required !!

Username John

The part time boy wrote: »

I being looking for something like that all my life ! Anyone got one or knows how much they cost ?

Is it basically a finger bar mower driven by a hydraulic pump?

I wouldn't be great around machinery, but have used a finger bar mower a good few times - I could see that turning to hardship quick enough with the bar getting all stuck up with grass and ****e...

_Brian

Username John wrote: »

Is it basically a finger bar mower driven by a hydraulic pump?

I wouldn't be great around machinery, but have used a finger bar mower a good few times - I could see that turning to hardship quick enough with the bar getting all stuck up with grass and ****e...

It would want a serious blade to stay sharp trimming hedges and the like.
It's a while since but I remember sharpening blades in a finger bar mower and it was an evil form of torture.

dzer2

Username John wrote: »

Is it basically a finger bar mower driven by a hydraulic pump?

I wouldn't be great around machinery, but have used a finger bar mower a good few times - I could see that turning to hardship quick enough with the bar getting all stuck up with grass and ****e...

Have an old finger bar mower here I know well that it wouldn't do that kind of work. You wouldn't get four acres mowed with it with out sharpening the blade. When I was young my Dad used do the mowing and I had the job of whetting the knives in the corner of the field and turning out the back sward.

patsy_mccabe

+1 on the fingerbar. They're nothing but hardship. You'll break blades regularly with thick branches and barbed wire would be fun. The whole bar has to be removed then and that is dangerous in itself. A lot of guys down this way lost fingers at that crack.
On the advice from someone here, I got one of those battery operated hedge-trimmers for €60 from Aldi last year and I've worked it hard since. Fierce light and handy. You'd be surprised how much you'll cut with it in 30 mins.

davidk1394

Would a hedge cutter or a slasher be a safer option ?

Who2

davidk1394 wrote: »

Would a hedge cutter or a slasher be a safer option ?

Strimmer with a steel blade is what I use

davidk1394

Who2 wrote: »

Strimmer with a steel blade is what I use

Use that here but ya wouldn't want to hit a stone

dzer2

Who2 wrote: »

Strimmer with a steel blade is what I use

Only have to use it on the silage ground, as the cattle keep every thing else grazed down. Spray with a knapsack in april to kill every thing the cattle won't eat

Buford T. Justice XIX

The part time boy wrote: »

I being looking for something like that all my life ! Anyone got one or knows how much they cost ?

I think somewhere around 3.5k, a friend of mine enquired a while back about one.

MIKEKC

The question asked was about during the closed period. Yet everyone is talking about cutting and spraying. Hope they don't have a Cross compliance inspection

rangler1

MIKEKC wrote: »

The question asked was about during the closed period. Yet everyone is talking about cutting and spraying. Hope they don't have a Cross compliance inspection

As far as I know spraying is allowed and we're only discussing cutting briars back off the wire

MickeyShtyles

davidk1394 wrote: »

Use that here but ya wouldn't want to hit a stone

This is the stuff I use. Will do ivy/briars.
Ya can get it cut into lengths or in a spool.

Who2

Bought a weed licker with spot sprayer so I've great intentions of keeping paddocks right this year. In regards elec fence, I try to keep all hedges and ditches stock proof and mainly use the electric for divisions, but there still always seems to be something earthing.

Cavanjack

Just keep the electric fence back far enough from the ditch so a hedge cutter can get in to keep them trimmed every few years.

Muckit

MickeyShtyles wrote: »

This is the stuff I use. Will do ivy/briars.
Ya can get it cut into lengths or in a spool.

What do you work that on mickey, will it replace strimmer cord? Looks like it'd make life a little easier

MickeyShtyles

Muckit wrote: »

What do you work that on mickey, will it replace strimmer cord? Looks like it'd make life a little easier

It goes onto a different style head than the bump'n'go head.
Ya cut the cord to 16inch lengths and feed it through two holes in the front, then they come out the two sides further back.
I find it handy.
I'll get a pic of the head.

Username John

MickeyShtyles wrote: »

It goes onto a different style head than the bump'n'go head.
Ya cut the cord to 16inch lengths and feed it through two holes in the front, then they come out the two sides further back.
I find it handy.
I'll get a pic of the head.

Is it this type Mickey?

https://www.outdoorspares.com/image/cache/catalog/brushcutter/WP02569_01_L%20(1)-800x800.jpg

MickeyShtyles

Username John wrote: »

Is it this type Mickey?

https://www.outdoorspares.com/image/cache/catalog/brushcutter/WP02569_01_L%20(1)-800x800.jpg

That's it there. I've 3.3mm round in at the moment. But I've two tubes of that serrated stuff.

Muckit

Good man. Every day's a school day!

Base price

MIKEKC wrote: »

The question asked was about during the closed period. Yet everyone is talking about cutting and spraying. Hope they don't have a Cross compliance inspection

You cannot spray on the bank of a drain or stream. I too would be worried about a cross compliance inspection.
If you move the fence into the field you will be docked that area on your sfp maps.