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Fencing questions

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Treacodactyl
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Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Mon Oct 17, 05 3:22 pm Post subject: Fencing questions

What's the standard distance between fencing posts for stock fencing? Is there a standard or does it depend on the height of the fence etc? It will probably only be a 3 strand barbed wire fence with the main aim of deterring people from agricultural land rather than keeping hungry stock out. Are there any guidelines about using barbed wire next to footpaths or are we still aloud to assume people will take care when in the countryside?

sean
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Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 42219
Location: North Devon

Posted: Mon Oct 17, 05 3:37 pm Post subject:
I think there may be rules about barbed wire. We're not allowed to use it at the allotments anywhere where there is public access, which seems fair enough. A footpath is a right of way and may well be used by unaccompanied children as well as 'responsible adults'.

Northern_Lad

Joined: 13 Dec 2004
Posts: 14210
Location: Somewhere

Posted: Mon Oct 17, 05 3:40 pm Post subject: Re: Fencing questions

Treacodactyl wrote:

.. or are we still aloud to assume people will take care when in the countryside?

People? Take responsability for their own actions!? Are you some sort of madman!?!

I know of a few paths that have barbed wire at elbow height.

Treacodactyl
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Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Mon Oct 17, 05 9:23 pm Post subject:
I'm mainly concerned with the post distances, there are many fields with footpaths and barbed wire. Anyone know much about pole distances? Am I going to have to stop on the way home from work when I see a decent fence and leap out with my tape measure?

sean
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Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 42219
Location: North Devon

Posted: Mon Oct 17, 05 9:54 pm Post subject:
How are you going to know it's decent though. Or do you also carry an assortment of large quadrupeds for assessing the efficacy of fences? About every 3m is normal post spacing I think. Moind you tis all hedges round here.

Rob R

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 31902
Location: York

Posted: Mon Oct 17, 05 10:31 pm Post subject:

Post spacing depends largely on two factors- the tensile strength of the wire & the load to which it is subject. High tensile wires can have much wider post spacing (> 10m) with good ground conditions & well strung wire.

For stock fencing (as opposed to barbed wire) about 3.5m is a good maximum, ours are spaced at 2.5m and 2m is usually the minimum. You can space posts wider if there is a lower stocking density and/or for smaller animals. Barbed wire fences can be spaced wider, in which case a post every five or six metres should be OK.

Avoiding barbed wire near public access is often advised, although there are no rules to say you can't use it near a footpath (apart from not allowing it to cross a footpath/stile).

Treacodactyl
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Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Tue Oct 18, 05 6:00 am Post subject:
Thanks for the replies. As with the gate question I'm using the info for estimating and before I actually do anything I'd look into it a bit more and check the various fences in the area. A good fence is easy to spot, if the field has been full of animals for a few weeks that's a good start. Any fence would be to keep people off a young hedge as a natural hedge is the way to go.

Gervase

Joined: 17 Nov 2004
Posts: 8655

Posted: Tue Nov 29, 05 1:43 pm Post subject:
DEFRA guidelines are 3m post spacings for stock fence - at least that's what everyone around here tells me. Don't forget the strainer posts on the corners - and good luck with knocking them in. If you can, try to beg, steal or borrow a tractor-mounted post knocker - it will transofrm a three-day chore into a morning's work.

Mary-Jane

Joined: 13 Jan 2005
Posts: 18397
Location: The Fishing Strumpet is from Ceredigion in West Wales

Posted: Tue Nov 29, 05 3:29 pm Post subject:

I can testify to my husband's tale (above) of a 3-day task of knocking in posts. It was me and my friend Kath (not Gervase) that were knocking them in with a hand-held post basher to create my new fox proof chicken run. It nearly killed us and we ached where we never knew we had muscles before. Mind you, we had a laugh and sang sea shanties during the said bashing, whilst Gervase and Bill (Kath's husband) looked on from their delicate re-pointing of the outside of the house from the safety of the scaffolding.

Take it from someone who knows, find a friendly farmer with a tractor-driven post basher and offer them anything...hot food, cash, your body, anything...just don't do it by hand.

gil
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Joined: 08 Jun 2005
Posts: 18415

Posted: Tue Nov 29, 05 3:51 pm Post subject:

Mary-Jane wrote:

find a friendly farmer with a tractor-driven post basher and offer them anything...hot food, cash, your body, anything...just don't do it by hand.

or a friendly fencer (farmers' fencing can be a bit rough sometimes), with post-knocker, or a good set of digging shovels and a large mell (mallet).

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