8, 10 or 12 feet?

[Icu4dzs]

I'll be using field fence w/the 2x4 mesh. At the top, I plan on putting a board. <snip> plus I'll be putting up a strand of electric to help contain them. But, I'm not sure how far to space the posts. I'd prefer to go w/12 feet.

12' is going to be very unstable and not last as long.

With a small very wind-catching mesh like 2x4 *plus* a board, I owuld not contemplate a higher spacing than 9-10' myself, and honestly what i would actually DO would be 7-8'.

(Note that it is common, when there will be boards involved, to have your spacing 6-12" shorter than a standard board length increment, because even if you do your holes very very carefully you are almost certainly going to end up with some that are spaced more like, say, 10'2" o.c., which really sucks for obvious reasons)

If you have very good firm post-holding non-heaving not-getting-liquid-in-spring ground AND a not very windy site, you can TRY longer spacings but don't say I didn't tell ya so when five years later everything has come apart and keeled over )

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

Post and board fence is high maintenance and expensive. Obviously you have some weird neighbors who like to call AC primarily to harass you; sorry about that.

The distance between posts is often a difficult question and may depend on several criteria. As Pat says above, there will be some occasional disparity between the centers of the posts. I've never gotten them dead on center no matter how hard I've tried because frost heave, softening ground etc. tends to prevent that. If you try to use 10' o.c. you will have to buy 12' boards because they don't make them any longer that you might need (on occasion).
Additionally, you may want to consider the fact that if the boards are straight from the sawmill, they might be a bit green and will have a tendency to shrink as they dry. That can set you off a bit when trying to cut the boards to a close 10' tolerance (don't ask me how I know THIS).

Type of material is to some extent important. If you get oak, it will last longer, but has to be properly finished and the finish needs to be maintained from time to time...hence the whitewash you frequently see on horse farms.

The top rail can be either a rail or the electric band if you are using 2/4 horse wire. The top rail for horse wire is a visual clue to the horse rather than an aesthetic purpose. The electric band can be as wide as the top rail for the horse and if they get a snoot full of E's they will think carefully about going near it again. This will be a good solution rather than a board AND electric wire.

Don't forget to properly ground the electric wire and keep it away from weeds which will disturb your current path and make it ineffective. If you put it on the top rail position, that should not be much of an issue but it won't do much for goats unless they climb it and I HAVE seen that.

BTW FWIW, I use 3" self-drilling screws for the wood fence and have yet to lose a board except to a falling tree from the neighbor's side of the fence because it broke the board. I was building a rather long fence so I got the SENCO screw gun that shoots 3" screws. It was a bit spendy, but the time it saved and the materials it saved was worth the price. Additionally, the screws come back out exactly the same shape they went in...they don't bend when being attached...which I like...very forgiving.

Just as a reference, an acre (being 832 linear feet requires 69 poles at 12', 85 poles at 10' and 104 poles at 8 feet. While that 12' spacing may seem more reasonable in cost for the poles you need boards that you can be certain are 12' long and given their increased cost and reduced stability, the 8' spacing should appear more reasonable. The boards are a standard length and decidedly cheaper in 8' lengths. The labor saved by using 12' spacing of the poles will eventually cost you more and be significantly less satisfying in terms of "life expectancy" of that fence. 8' is also easier to repair.

 

[patandchickens]

An afterthought:

How do you feel about high tensile? I am not talking high tensile wire (NZ electric), I am talking in particular about high-tensile pagewire with one of those 4 or 5" vinyl-covered-several-HT-wires strips at the top instead of actual wooden boards.

It provides the *look* of pagewire-with-board-on-top, with better structural soundness as long as it's installed CORRECTLY, and in many cases lower cost over a lifetime (b/c of durability).

Now, you WOULD need to have fairly flat land (a prerequisite for any HT) with a minimum number of gates and corners; and be willing to make the corner and gate posts about 10x more serious than any corner and gate posts you would normally build (6" diam posts sunk 3.5-4' into the ground, *super* well tamped or better yet backfilled with concrete). It is not a DIY for just anyone.

However if you were in a position to do it right, it might actually make more sense. And your run posts do not have to be especially serious or closely-spaced, that way.

Just a thought,

Pat

 

[rebecca100]

I would think 12 feet would hold if it were nailed to the top board and you have good posts in especially if you ran electric about midway up to keep them from pushing on it. I know what you mean about ac. I have a niegnbor now who threatens it all the time. She told me that in her opinion that noone living near a highway should own an animal including cats and dogs. Seriously. And we live beside her and her perfectly manicured yard and landscaped flowers.

 

[Denim Deb]

An afterthought:

How do you feel about high tensile? I am not talking high tensile wire (NZ electric), I am talking in particular about high-tensile pagewire with one of those 4 or 5" vinyl-covered-several-HT-wires strips at the top instead of actual wooden boards.

It provides the *look* of pagewire-with-board-on-top, with better structural soundness as long as it's installed CORRECTLY, and in many cases lower cost over a lifetime (b/c of durability).

Now, you WOULD need to have fairly flat land (a prerequisite for any HT) with a minimum number of gates and corners; and be willing to make the corner and gate posts about 10x more serious than any corner and gate posts you would normally build (6" diam posts sunk 3.5-4' into the ground, *super* well tamped or better yet backfilled with concrete). It is not a DIY for just anyone.

However if you were in a position to do it right, it might actually make more sense. And your run posts do not have to be especially serious or closely-spaced, that way.

Just a thought,

Pat

I hate high tensile. The field the horses used to be in had high tensile. We didn't realize that 2 of the posts were rotten. Licky is a fence explorer, and realized this. I came out the next day to find her on her side w/her right back leg all wrapped up. W/the position she was in, I thought she was dead. Scared me half to death. I had the vet out, took her to New Bolton, and had to have a chiropractor out for her. While it may be safe, I'll never use it.

 

[patandchickens]

I hate high tensile. <snip> I came out the next day to find her on her side w/her right back leg all wrapped up. W/the position she was in, I thought she was dead. Scared me half to death.

I utterly agree about THAT kind of high tensile (the plain wires).

That is however NOT AT ALL what I'm talking about.

I'm talking about high tensile MESH (page-wire), which is the same as any other page-wire only safer; and the wide vinyl belting at the top, which I have never heard of ANY injuries from when used as a top rail.

Now if you are not comfortable with the larger-meshed pagewire and really want to use 2x4, that is fair enough, especially for a smaller paddock for active or silly horses i could understand that; but I just want to clarify that <horrified voice> I am TOTALLY NOT recommending high-tensile WIRE, because I have known too many people who experienced the events you did to feel good about *that* for horses (including seeing a really nasty *mounted* accident involving it).

Pat

 

[Denim Deb]

I hate high tensile. <snip> I came out the next day to find her on her side w/her right back leg all wrapped up. W/the position she was in, I thought she was dead. Scared me half to death.

I utterly agree about THAT kind of high tensile (the plain wires).

That is however NOT AT ALL what I'm talking about.

I'm talking about high tensile MESH (page-wire), which is the same as any other page-wire only safer; and the wide vinyl belting at the top, which I have never heard of ANY injuries from when used as a top rail.

Now if you are not comfortable with the larger-meshed pagewire and really want to use 2x4, that is fair enough, especially for a smaller paddock for active or silly horses i could understand that; but I just want to clarify that <horrified voice> I am TOTALLY NOT recommending high-tensile WIRE, because I have known too many people who experienced the events you did to feel good about *that* for horses (including seeing a really nasty *mounted* accident involving it).

Pat

I'm not familiar w/that type of high tensile. Do you have any link to show what it looks like?

 

[patandchickens]

Not certain which part you are asking about...

I am suggesting that you could make the fence of high-tensile pagewire (field fencing, farm fence, whatever you want to call it -- heavy gauge wire mesh with the mesh size usually 6x12 or you can also get versions with smaller spacing towards the ground), this looks basically the same as traditional pagewire (field fencing, whatever) but is HT and thus more durable and much less apt to produce slack for animals to get hurt in. For instance http://www.rangemasterfence.com/high_tff.html It is a standard in-stock type farm store item.

And then at the top, for visibility, instead of wooden boards use one of the many "stud rail" type products (HT wires encased in vinyl belting, looks like board fence and is very safe when installed correctly), here is one brand http://www.systemfence.com/index.php/browse/category/id/4fr

I am not determined to convince you this is better or anything LOL -- 2x4 no-climb with a top board and electric standoff is a very good fence -- I am just bringing this up as another option to consider, largely because it requires fewer posts.

Pat

 

[miss_thenorth]

The one from system fence is what we have. We have the vinyl roll running along the top rail, with 3 electric rope strands running below it.which wouldn't do for goats, but the top rail would.) it looks very nice. and the vinyl roll was put to the test two years ago, when I tree fell on it. A huge tree. and it held it for two days before we could go out and chop it down.

 

[Denim Deb]

Not certain which part you are asking about...

I am suggesting that you could make the fence of high-tensile pagewire (field fencing, farm fence, whatever you want to call it -- heavy gauge wire mesh with the mesh size usually 6x12 or you can also get versions with smaller spacing towards the ground), this looks basically the same as traditional pagewire (field fencing, whatever) but is HT and thus more durable and much less apt to produce slack for animals to get hurt in. For instance http://www.rangemasterfence.com/high_tff.html It is a standard in-stock type farm store item.

And then at the top, for visibility, instead of wooden boards use one of the many "stud rail" type products (HT wires encased in vinyl belting, looks like board fence and is very safe when installed correctly), here is one brand http://www.systemfence.com/index.php/browse/category/id/4fr

I am not determined to convince you this is better or anything LOL -- 2x4 no-climb with a top board and electric standoff is a very good fence -- I am just bringing this up as another option to consider, largely because it requires fewer posts.

Pat

That's what we call field fencing around here, and is what I plan on using. But, thanks.