5 Barb wire fence post height

How many inches above the ground are your tee posts when you put them in the ground when building a 5 barn wire fence for cattle?

It depends how long the t-post is to begin with. I usually just pound the post in so that the bracing plate on the post is a few inches below ground level. With short posts, I allow at least a few inches from the top wire to the top of the post to put on the clip.

In SD, a legal fence is four wires, spaced evenly apart, with the top wire at 48". Maybe 48" is fine for a 5-wire fence...but it really depends on what you are fencing in or out...

Good Luck!
Lon

(quoted from post at 20:51:34 02/27/17) How many inches above the ground are your tee posts when you put them in the ground when building a 5 barn wire fence for cattle?

Click to expand...

I use 6 1/2' tee posts and put the flag about an inch below the ground surface. I'm not sure how much that leaves out of the ground. The top wire is even with the top of my shirt pocket and I'm over 6' tall.

Never saw 2 fences built the same. A good 5 strand is 48" high for non confined areas, T posts from 5'6" up in length and 6' min spacing, or stays at no more than 6' depending on how bad you want your animals to stay in, what's on the other side, and how easily they can be pushed over, aka soil conditions. A weight supporting post needs to occur periodically, especially in clay soils as the ground will crack open in the summer, posts will fall and in the winter it will close back. After a dozen seasons of that your fence is now 38 ft tall and your bottom strand is on the ground supporting your fence.

I liked double braces at each corner with a mid H brace every 300' max.

For standard breeds 10" off the ground for #1 and about 6" spacing. If calves, add a 6th strand splitting the 10". If you don't put that lower wire on they sometimes do their napping on the fence row and upon waking, get up on the wrong side. Rule of thumb is that if they get through it they can get back when they get hungry enough or mommy starts bellering at them, but when they wake up on the other side, they didn't get through it, they got under it and cows only go down in the pen......bears go down, bulls go up or through fences.

If you want them off the fence, (grass is ALWAYS greener on the other side), run a hot wire along the inside about half way up. Good grounding is important and in dry weather soil conduction is minimal and that's when you will have your biggest problems.

On open pasture, I have run what's called a swinging fence where the posts were 8-10". 3' deep and spaced 30 yards (giant steps) apart. Stays were between the posts spaced every 6'. When the cows pushed on it there was some give which helped it in doing it's job. With open pasture they weren't on the fence all that much anyway.

That's my experience, others have theirs....there is a story in every pasture.

Curious what is the overall cost per ft. of putting up a 5 strand barb wire fence these days?

(quoted from post at 21:45:33 02/27/17) Curious what is the overall cost per ft. of putting up a 5 strand barb wire fence these days?

Click to expand...

I'm sure in varies depending on the local prices of wire, posts and what is used for corners and braces. I figure somewhere around 75-80 cents per foot using 6 1/2' tee posts, 12 1/2 ga wire and my own cedar for corners and braces. If you add labor it goes up substantially.

"fence pliers" are designed for perfect wire spacing. Use them as a ruler for wire spacing, and build a good fence every time. Use 3 verticles with at least one brace or horizon deadman, and a top pipe.. all welded and each verticle a minimum of 6 feet apart... I do 8 feet for each verticle.. that way all welded, they will never pull or tilt. If around the pens, I also weld a cattle panel to them for fast climbing for emergency get-aways... HOW high is are the top pipes on the braces and deadends.. why so a 54 inch cattle panel will just weld to the middle of the side of the top pipe, of course. These work well in all types of soils and again, never pull over or give way when the three verticles are cemented in. You can pull so hard it breaks the wire and they stay put.. Anything shorter than 6 foot between verticles will pull or tilt with long tight pulls on 5 or more wires. Welding the "h" and the top rail means the dead man will never fall out and let the end pull out or pull over.

I use 6 foot posts and drive them to the top of the spade.