fence project and post hole digger

[copperhead1967]

Ok, We now have 3 dogs, a beagle pup found it's way into our pack two weeks ago. My daughter and I where traveling to a volunteer event early saturday morning when I came around a bend to see a dark object literally crawling weakly across the road. I though it was a small coon that got nipped by a passing vehicle at first but when I drove closer I saw it was a young pup. I pulled the truck over and ran back to the little animal. The pup was a shivering mess and looked really scared.
I scooped him up as I heard a coal truck coming up the grade, I then decided me and the pup need to get the heck out of the middle of the road.
The nearest houses where a good half mile down the road, I stopped and no one was home. There was a kennel out back but it had a white husky mix inside.
We went to the event and the pup was a big hit with the kids and folks that where there. Several people offered to take the pup but at that time I wanted to make sure it wasn't a little kids dog that got loose.
We left the event about noon and headed back home. When we got to the road where we found the pup we had a sad discovery. Another small beagle pup was hit and killed about a mile in the opposite direction from the spot where we first saw the first pup.Neither dog had a collar on.
I stopped again at the only house in the area. There was a older gent there but he didn't know anything about the dogs or anyone who had beagles in the area. I've heard and had several people tell me how some dog owners will sometimes dump pups if they think they wouldn't make good rabbit dogs.
I had a beagle about fifteen years ago that was found by friends of ours in a similar fashion along a state highway. I'm a hunter myself and plan on giving the little guy a shot at the bunnies. ( a whole seperate project)
We took the dog to the vet this past week, wormed him the first day we had him. The vet seems to think he was dumped. We checked the area for lost dog signs and the local papers but no one has tried to locate the pup.Guess he's picked us to live with, like the last beagle we owned.
So now I'll get to the reason I posted on a tractor forum. The Mrs decided we need a fence to keep our growing pack around the house and 9 acres a bit better. We have a 7 YO shep/husky mix "Haley" who pretty much stays on the property. Our middle dog "Echo" is a 4 YO pure breed Husky who has a 30 foot chain and cable run in the area I want to fence off. She's a runner, we've tried the so called invisible fence with her and it was a complete failure. Husky's are just too stubborn to worry about a little shock.
Then there's the new pup ( We named him "Dunkin" because his first meal was a piece of my breakfast that saturday we found him) He was sitting on the seat between my daughter and I and helped himself to my donut. I've forgotten how much a hound dog can scarf down. He has adjusted well to the other dogs, he even has become fast friends with the housecat.
I want to install about 300-350 feet of fence. I'm looking at a 6 foot dog ear panel fence on the flat areas closer to each end of the house, about 100 feet of fencing total. The gates will be on each end of the house in this "solid"part of the fence. One gate will be a double gate set up big enough to get the BX22 thru for firewood in the winter. It will also serve as primary access to the rear house doors. The other gate will be big enough for the riding mower and provide a path to the tool shed and far end of the yard.
The rest of the fence, about 200 feet, I want to use a post and rail set up with a dog friendly farm fencing attached to it.
Now for the questions.
What size augers should I look at getting for the post holes? Split rail post or 4,5 or 6 inch round post with dimentional lumber to frame the farm fence and wire. What height should I have this part of the fence ? The Husky is the main concern about escaping. I'm thinking 5 foot at a very minimum. Cement every post? Also what PHD is a good fit for the BX22? (Everything attachments vs Tractor supply).I've been wanting a PHD for several years and have some other fencing I want to tackle after this project. After those projects I don't see much use for the PHD in a few years. Money is as always a concern, I'm figuring $1000 for the PHD and auger(s).
Fencing materials will run about $1500-2500. Also thoughts on hiring out the split rail portion and doing the dog ear portion myself? The split rail portion goes up each side on about a 30 degree slope. Then levels out across the back area parallel with the house. I believe a experience fence crew could complete this portion in two days at the most. I could then attach the wire myself. The dog ear portion is relatively flat so I can tackle that myself using prefab panels.
Sorry this is so long, if you made it this far....Thanks. Any insight on the PHD purchase, fencing knowledge in general or if it's worth the investment in the PHD vs. hiring out the project is greatly appriciated. I'm in western PA if anyone has recommendations on the PHD or fencing supplier or a good fencing contractor to consult with. Thanks all.

 

[bullbreaker]

Really like your avator pic ! :thumbsup:
I recommend you do a search on PHD's(TBN). Also fenceing even on YouTube.
Lots of PHD's come shipped dry,check your oil 80/90 B-4 using.
Also might want to do a PHD search under "safety".
Keep them dogs and children away from PHD-ing operation.
Not trying to come across as a safety jerk but don't know your level of expertise.


Wishing Ya well ! :thumbsup:


Boone

 

[bullbreaker]

More good instuctional video's.

Boone

How To Video Demos - Implements & Attachments

 

[Jeff F.]

I went with the Everything Attachments PHD with a 9 inch auger for my BX2660. So far all I used it for was deer stands last fall. I will be using it to put up a lean to for firewood this summer. I agree the uses are limited but you can't beat it when you need to dig a post hole.

I would guess you would be using 4x4 posts so you could go with a smaller auger unless you have potential for other projects in the future.

I think you would want the fence done relatively quick to avoid run aways or the inconvience of a tie out. Panel section fence goes up quick. If you were a little closer I would give you a hand.... more time to play with my PHD.

 

[Boris1]

Thanks for saving the little pup, do you have any pics of the pup to share?

 

[fcoats]

I've had several pens and one thing you might want to consider is that dogs in a pen want out and like to dig. I found that chicken wire or a smaller net wire buried about 4" to 6" and extending into the pen about 2 feet from the fence seems to limit the digging. I would also suggest you look on Craigslist or a local used source. Most post hole diggers don't get much work and typical resale price in this area (MS) is about 300 to 500 with a 6" and often one other auger.

Good luck,

Fcoats

 

[jesseb3@att.net]

I have horse fencing that's five feet high, and I don't think the previous owner used cement on any of them. Maybe the corners are cemented, but I don't think so. They're in the ground a good three feet though; anything shorter and I'd consider cement. I would use crusher waste/quarry fines to set them though... Instantly solid versus soil.

 

[copperhead1967]

I've seen 5 and 7 foot rail 3 foot split rail post at Home depot or somewhere. I'm guessing 7 footers are corners and 5 footers are line post. In effort to get 5 feet of desire height I'd have to go all 7 footers and only have them in two feet. Doesn't sound too good for a dog to be jumping on.
I'm leaning towards 4x4's or 4 inch round ag post from Tractor Supply or similar source. Square post would be easier to frame to but I like the look of the round better on the wire fence part of the project. I'm planning on 8 foot spacing and already know I need 16 foot dimentional lumber for the rails. That way I can stagger my joints every other post. I'm thinking 3 boards just to give it a 3 rail look. 2x4's or 1 x 6's? I see there are 16 foot 1x6 available but are made from popular and not treated. I've seen too many rough cut fences falling apart to go that route.
Thanks all, good stuff so far. I'll try and post a couple pix of the pup. I always have a hard time getting the sizes of the pix to agree with TBN. Off to work for now. Keep the info coming. Thanks

 

[copperhead1967]

Click on pix to enlarge.

Here's the pup and one of the Husky who's the real reason for the fence. I'll post property pix next to get idea what I'm trying to get accomplished.

 

[copperhead1967]

Click on pix to enlarge.


This will be the main entrance to the rear of the house. The fence will start behind the big bush on the right of the pix. I need a double gate , 8 foot wide in the flat area for deliveries and for the BX to haul in firewood to the french doors behind the pop up tent. The fence will continue up the slope toward the woodline. The black spot in the foreground left is a apple tree with a 4" tree guard. This will be outside the fence. It will continue along the hill to enclose the dog run.( third pix shows the dog run alot better) I want to stop short of the actual woodline to allow mowing the outside fence area. Somewhere between the doghouse on the far left and dog run.

This is back rear of fenced in area. I will tie in the center of the house to the left of the window. I will come straight out 30 feet or so and then turn up the hill. Basically around where the trampoline is sitting. I plan on removing the tramp, wood pile and enclosing the oil tank. On this side I need a gate wide enough for a riding mower w bagger. ( 4 feet minimum) (Note the drainage ditch I installed back when the tractor was new 6 or 7 years ago, holding up well and keeps house and yard dry.)


This is a view from the top back corner, far end of cable run. You can see the grade and get a better Idea of the slope and project in general. The dog run is cemented in on both post, the Husky can't budge the poles. (Glad I took these pix to see where my son left the gas can yesterday evening. I also really need to start spraying this back area for weeds!)

Echo is thrilled by the whole project as you can tell.

 

[copperhead1967]

Heres a pix from Home Depot's "how to" site. Click to enlarge.

This is sort of an option. I could add a rail in the middle or even a 45 degree crossbuck alternating on every section. I'm not too sure about the 2x4 boards being on the flat between the post. They use a 16 foot 1x6 deckboard as a cap (A) staggered over every joint of the (B) boards. The top board (B) is nailed directly into the top of the post and 16 feet to span two sections of fence. The bottom (D) is cut to fit between the post (E) and toenailed or screwed. This would make it easier to attach the wire on the inside of the fence and also the second mesh I'll bury underground to prevent digging. I'm pretty set on using a 5 foot "no climb" horse wire. It's woven instead of welded and holds up better. Cost more, but should last many years of dogs pushing on it without it snapping. ( think of a paperclip getting bent back and forth)
I think this design would work well with the slopes.
I could use this design as a start then add 2 or 3 rails or some other pattern to the outside later on to give it more of a farm fence look. It probably would tighten up the fence some too.( Would it aid in climbing from the inside ?)
I also like the open feel of this fence. I'm back in the woods and would hate to have to look at a fence instead of (C) mother nature.
8 foot 4x4's as post would give me 3 feet in the ground, 5 feet above. I could use 4x6 on the corners and cement them and every second post to line up with toprail joints. Not the most beautiful of fences but should hold up well and still have a open feel. I can upgrade it however even with 6 foot dog ear boards if the 5 feet isn't high enough.

 

[Old Blevins]

Copperhead, I just kinda scanned the thread, so excuse me if I offer something that's already been covered or isn't needed.

We do a lot of fencing for our horses and dog and I use a 6" auger. It seems to dig holes slightly larger than the actual auger size, so it's worked fine for the round posts we use. We usually get 4"-5" posts (7 1/2'). Our dog (a very nice German Shepherd) doesn't climb or jump fences, so we're okay with a 4' high fence. The posts are 5' high and if they're around the horses (or if the dog climbed), we can put a hot wire across the top.

My B7500 barely lifts the tip of my Leinbach PHD clear of the ground. That means I'm limited to the amount of slope I can drill in. The auger simply won't clear the ground backing up a slope that's very steep. It might make it on yours... But that's something you might want to check out in your PHD/auger purchase.

We've set some posts in concrete, but most we just fill with crushed rock and pound it in with a big bar we have to set it up. The concrete-set posts don't seem to last any longer and they're harder to replace when they eventually rot out (10-12 years I'd guess).

I use the tractor to tension the wire before I attach it - so I need strong end-posts. Often we'll brace the end post with a diagonal piece to the adjacent post(s). To tension the wire fencing, we'll pin the end of it between two 2X4s that are lashed together with heavy twine, then hook a line up to the top and bottom of the 2X4s.

The most difficult part of the process for us has always been getting the posts perfectly in a line. If they aren't, it can be tough connecting the wire fencing once it's been tensioned. I'd swear I have the starting drill-points perfectly lined up, but we have plenty of rocks and the auger gets moved around a bit - so the fact that our holes are a little larger than we need is helpful for getting the posts in alignment.

Well, look at me run on. Anyway, I hope some of that is useful to you. Good luck with your project. Fencing is a heck of a lot more fun with a PHD!

- Old Blevins

 

[copperhead1967]

Thanks Blevins, lots of good stuff. Didn't think about ever removing a post (although I've planted a few new utility poles) so the crushed rock makes sense to me. The slope and auger lift advice is something I didn't consider either.
I've read somewhere that a 12 inch auger is good for a 8x8 post and a 9 works for a 4x4 or 4x6. Good info on the round post are easier to align with a little wiggle room. Thats what I was looking for. Thanks again.
Once I pull the trigger on the PHD i'll try and update with pix on the project. I have almost 9 acres so I can see alot of fencing if its as fun as you say. I like projects that you can see the improvement at the end of the day.

 

[BeezFun]

If you're still in the shopping stage I'd consider a post pounder rather than a PHD. I started with a phd then my neighbor bought a pounder. We share equipment and my phd hasn't been out if the shed since I used his pounder. We have really rocky soil, I can pound a 6" round post in a minute once its in position. Also works on steel posts, they go in like butter.

 

[copperhead1967]

If you're still in the shopping stage I'd consider a post pounder rather than a PHD. I started with a phd then my neighbor bought a pounder. We share equipment and my phd hasn't been out if the shed since I used his pounder. We have really rocky soil, I can pound a 6" round post in a minute once its in position. Also works on steel posts, they go in like butter.

Yep still shopping and came across a guy who pounds post or will run the whole fence. Going to have him give a estimate for around 36 post and 300-350 feet of fence.
Anyone have a idea what it should run? I think most fence guys charge by the running foot.

 

[Boris1]

I just gave about $3700 for roughly 550 ft of 4 board with black vinyl coated wire. drilled posts, not pounded though. 3 gates. Hope it helps