Welcome Old Age Fencing Problems

"A fence is only as strong as it's corners" a well known fact I learned from a local farmer some 30 years ago.

Subsidiary of Do It Homestead Inc.



Why - There are many problems with ranchette / farm / ranch fences as you will see. I have used oak as well as cedar post and they actually deteriorate after only a few years.

Land owners have tried many ways to ensure that their livestock or neighbors did not get into areas that they did not want them. As you will see they have tried many unique fencing styles, only to find in a few years or decades they have fallen down to do their intended job.

Many types of fences are used for various purposes.

Barbed wire or other wire fences are extensively used to enclose areas to keep livestock or other animals in the area or outside of the area.

Barbed or other wire fences are generally constructed using a plurality of fence posts spaced along the length of the fence so the barbed or other wire used is strung from post to post by attaching the wire to each post.

The posts support the wire above the ground and hold it relatively taut. The fence posts are usually dug or driven into the ground so as to remain upright to support the wire.

Such posts can usually adequately support intermediate sections of fence by merely being dug or driven into the ground because such posts merely have to space the wires and hold them above the ground and from being pushed laterally by the livestock or other animals.

However posts used at corner sections of the fence or in reinforcing sections of the fence where high forces are applied to the posts because the wire is tightened around such posts to be held taut between such posts require additional support for the posts.

While such posts can be cemented into the ground to stabilize them, usually such posts are stabilized by bracing extending at angles to the posts between posts or between the posts and the ground.

Such bracing may use additional fence posts or a combination of fence posts and wire. Many fences today are constructed using steel T-Posts.

These posts have a T shape with projections or lugs extending along one surface which are used to hold barbed or other wire at a preset height along the post when secured to the post.

These posts are easily driven into the ground, but are difficult to brace since it is difficult to connect braces to these posts.

A number of special bracing systems using special brace connectors or brackets have been proposed and are shown on this WWW site.

We have a few pictures on the following pages which will show you some of these problems so that hopefully you will not fall into their mistaken fencing ideas. I do hope that these will help you understand better how to build a good lasting fence.

You should check out the "how to" section to better understand how eazy it is to build a simple lasting strong fence.

Remember good fences make good neighbors.