H frame strainers

Dupont

Hi all doing a bit of sheep fencing next week. What way do yous tension the hi tensile wire around the h frame strainer. Gripples, an off cut of a post and twist it or wire pullers on it. Also what are yous putting on top of 3ft sheep wire, two or 3 row of electric on top

Strainrite wire pullers for the diagonal wire, then tie the wire off, gripples cost money, tying wire is free. In my ground gotta be careful and watch that while tensioning I'm not pulling a post out of the ground at the same time. Some times strutted posts work better. I got an auger for the drill and use 12mm rebar as pins for the horizontal post. I'm putting electric on boundary fences this year, too many issues with tourists and ramblers. I've two strainrite pullers which are orders of magnitude better than one, can tension the net and staple on bends and in dips, then tie off around the strainer. Sounds odd, but it works here.

sandman30

I wrap the wire round the posts two and half times and put in a staple loosely each end to hold the wire at the right height. I then make sure the wire ends are underneath the wire as it comes through the staples. Then pull the wire ends towards each other with the wire strainers. When it's as tight as it will go can take off the wire strainers and the wire won't move as caught on itself and can then tie off. I put a couple more staples in to stop the wire sliding down the post, but never drive home.

Have also seen a contractor do it by putting the wire on first, not very tight, then cutting the cross beam slightly too long and wedging it in, which then tightened the wire, as the posts moves slightly.

bogman_bass

sandman30 wrote: »

Have also seen a contractor do it by putting the wire on first, not very tight, then cutting the cross beam slightly too long and wedging it in, which then tightened the wire, as the posts moves slightly.

That’s the way I’d do it. Very hard to get it tight the other way.

We’re changing the fencing element in the farmskills competition in Macra next year and adding H-Frames.
I was amazed that most farmers from Laois downwards hadn’t even heard of them

Dupont

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Strainrite wire pullers for the diagonal wire, then tie the wire off, gripples cost money, tying wire is free. In my ground gotta be careful and watch that while tensioning I'm not pulling a post out of the ground at the same time. Some times strutted posts work better. I got an auger for the drill and use 12mm rebar as pins for the horizontal post. I'm putting electric on boundary fences this year, too many issues with tourists and ramblers. I've two strainrite pullers which are orders of magnitude better than one, can tension the net and staple on bends and in dips, then tie off around the strainer. Sounds odd, but it works here.

I wouldn’t mind the expense of the gripples I just find once I tension it with pullers and tie it off it always seems to have slackened a bit

sandman30

Dupont wrote: »

I wouldn’t mind the expense of the gripples I just find once I tension it with pullers and tie it off it always seems to have slackened a bit

Doesn't slacken at all so long as the wire is catching on itself; in fact impossible to get the wire off, even before it's tied off.

Have used gripples before and had them slip, wouldn't want to trust them for that job, okay elsewhere, but serious pressure on the H frames.

Nekarsulm

Use a strainer board, and pull it from something beyond the H frame. A tree, a tractor or whatever is to hand.
Nail each strand, then remove strainer board and tie the separate strands around the end post if the H frame.
Frame should always be longer than it's high.

sandman30

Nekarsulm wrote: »

Use a strainer board, and pull it from something beyond the H frame. A tree, a tractor or whatever is to hand.
Nail each strand, then remove strainer board and tie the separate strands around the end post if the H frame.
Frame should always be longer than it's high.

Hard nailing will create a weak spot in the wire. Using that method the strain will be on one side of the post, so create a tortion force and possibly cause the post to twist.

bogman_bass

Nekarsulm wrote: »

Use a strainer board, and pull it from something beyond the H frame. A tree, a tractor or whatever is to hand.
Nail each strand, then remove strainer board and tie the separate strands around the end post if the H frame.
Frame should always be longer than it's high.

What do you mean by a strainer board?

Nekarsulm

bogman_bass wrote: »

What do you mean by a strainer board?

This is a home made one, but you can buy them factory made from about €80.
Some come with wedges instead of faffing around with nuts and washers like mine requires.

Nekarsulm

sandman30 wrote: »

Hard nailing will create a weak spot in the wire. Using that method the strain will be on one side of the post, so create a tortion force and possibly cause the post to twist.

The rotational force of the strain on the end post will be minuscule, because it'll be shared by every post along the lenght of the wire.
Nail them all before letting off the strain from whatever you're pulling it with.

I wouldn't hard nail either, shooting offence, but seeing as it's not my fence work away

Another small tip, place a loose staple on top of each staple you run the diagonal wire through, helps it move much better.

bogman_bass

Nekarsulm wrote: »

This is a home made one, but you can buy them factory made from about €80.
Some come with wedges instead of faffing around with nuts and washers like mine requires.

Ah! I would have called that a sheep wire clamp

Nekarsulm

Started in sheep in the late 1980's.
The perimeter fencing we put up then, hard nailed ( new term for me!) to holly, white-thorn and occasional posts is still good.
It'll still be good when 90% of the posts being driven today are rotted to pulp.
It'll see me out, bar places that a tree gets blown down or something.

Cattlepen

sandman30 wrote: »

Hard nailing will create a weak spot in the wire. Using that method the strain will be on one side of the post, so create a tortion force and possibly cause the post to twist.

I think the effect of hard nailing is highly over exaggerated when nailing to Irish timber. I have done it both hard nailing and leaving a little bit of staple out over miles of fencing and have yet to see it snap. I can understand purists demanding it though

Cattlepen

Cattlepen wrote: »

I think the effect of hard nailing is highly over exaggerated when nailing to Irish timber. I have done it both hard nailing and leaving a little bit of staple out over miles of fencing and have yet to see it snap. I can understand purists demanding it though

I've seen it go in a few places. We've an environment here with a high chance to rust, so taking the protection off the wire is a hair tearing out thing to do.

bogman_bass

Cattlepen wrote: »

I think the effect of hard nailing is highly over exaggerated when nailing to Irish timber. I have done it both hard nailing and leaving a little bit of staple out over miles of fencing and have yet to see it snap. I can understand purists demanding it though

I agree. However there is a disadvantage in that it makes repairs very difficult

Dupont

Save starting another post for this. Have the strainer posts h framed now. I have a coupon outside corners to wire around. Is it ok to pull it straight stain wire, staple it and then turn it around post 90 degrees and continue. That post is h framed both ways so should take the pull each way? Also gonna put plain wire above and run it through insulators. 2 row or 3 above 3ft sheep wire ? And what distance between it

I'd tie it off, but others will differ