"H" brace spacing question - barbed wire fence

[Josephm]

Hello All,
Thanks again for all the help with my other question. I have a question about barbed wire fencing. I am planning to run a barbed wire fence on one side of my property. It is about a 2000' broken up in the middle by a 300' jog to the right and then another 2000' run.

My question is regarding "H" brace spacing. I had read some info on the internet regarding barbed wire fence design. I had originally planned on running the 2000' stretches in sections of 700' - each section separated by an "H" brace.

However, I talked to an old high school buddy over the weekend (who builds fence part time on the side) and he told me that is not necessary. He told me to just set a double "H" brace at both ends - run the fence to the 1300' that is on each barbed wire roll (1320 ft per roll, I believe), set a double "H" and run the other 700' section. This would save me some work.

So, for each 2000' stretch, I would end up with something like this:

Double "H" brace ------1300'-------Double "H" brace ----700'-----Double "H" brace


I was planning to use 8' (6") posts on the "H" braces. The fence will be a 1 wood post to 3 metal "T" post design. It will be a 5 wire fence. I will be using 6.5' (4") treated posts for the line posts.

Does anyone have any suggestions on whether that will be OK (i.e. not splitting up into 700' sections)?

Thanks,
Joseph

 

[whistlepig]

I've never ran barbed wire. When running woven wire the spacing of the "H" braces is determined by how far you can stretch the fence tightly. I think if I tried to stretch 1300' of woven wire it would never get tight. Maybe the same with barbed wire. If you stretched 1300 feet of barbed wire to the point of breaking it the middle may still sag a lot. I may be all wrong here. I have never worked with barbed wire.

 

[QRTRHRS]

Hello All,
Thanks again for all the help with my other question. I have a question about barbed wire fencing. I am planning to run a barbed wire fence on one side of my property. It is about a 2000' broken up in the middle by a 300' jog to the right and then another 2000' run.

My question is regarding "H" brace spacing. I had read some info on the internet regarding barbed wire fence design. I had originally planned on running the 2000' stretches in sections of 700' - each section separated by an "H" brace.

However, I talked to an old high school buddy over the weekend (who builds fence part time on the side) and he told me that is not necessary. He told me to just set a double "H" brace at both ends - run the fence to the 1300' that is on each barbed wire roll (1320 ft per roll, I believe), set a double "H" and run the other 700' section. This would save me some work.

So, for each 2000' stretch, I would end up with something like this:

Double "H" brace ------1300'-------Double "H" brace ----700'-----Double "H" brace


I was planning to use 8' (6") posts on the "H" braces. The fence will be a 1 wood post to 3 metal "T" post design. It will be a 5 wire fence. I will be using 6.5' (4") treated posts for the line posts.

Does anyone have any suggestions on whether that will be OK (i.e. not splitting up into 700' sections)?

Thanks,
Joseph

If I am following you correctly, you are wondering if the offset double H brace will work correctly? If so, sure.

When you wire the end double H braces, go with a single wire figure eight pattern diagonally across the three posts.

Set the posts for your line brace to follow the angle. Then wire each side independently same as if it was a single H corner brace.

From what I have read, eight foot for your horizontal beam is the best for a brace but I have used seven or seven and a half foot ones with no problem.

For a five foot high fence, I use eight foot posts buried three feet. Either seven or seven and a half line posts depending on soil type.

I have lived where the ground was rocky and did not use concrete. The soil at my current farm is clay so I dump in a bag of Sacrete and work the air out with a piece of 1/4 inch rebar then a one inch bar. I let the ground moisture do the rest. The standard here is a wood post every 32 feet with a T stake between.

 

[tanglefoot]

The better fence builders in my area of northeast Texas want a brace every 700' with a 2 7/8" pipe line post every 350'. But the braces we use are welded 2 7/8" schedule 40 or oilfield tubing. We use an H-brace with a kicker angled to a stub set at least 3' in concrete. Ideally, T-posts should be 10' apart, but I have gone as much as 25' with two twist stays between posts.
Butch