Pulling Fence

drjay9051 · Oct 5, 2015

Going to be fencing an acre for sheep. Using Redbrand sheep/goat fence.

I am making a fence stretcher out of 2x4 and considered using the tractor to stretch. I was told to spend $25 for a come along and use tractor as anchor but do not use tractor to pull.

Any thoughts?

Also when I reach a corner do I wrap the fence around corner and pull or better to cut fence at each corner and start new section?

I ask because I think I want the fence inside the posts so I will not be able to run around corner.

Any thoughts on fence inside vs out and if outside can I use length of fence or as I asked cut at each corner

Thanks.

cmyoung2 · Oct 5, 2015

Use the tractor as anchor, come a long to pull, or you could over stretch the fence. Last woven wire I put up had "humps" in the top wire. Do not straighten these out completely, fence will expand/ contract through those "humps".
Put the fence inside the posts, except for the corners. Then it doesn't matter if you cut at the corner or not. Do a good job on the corner H braces, don't use angle braces inside the fence incase you ever get goats.

cmyoung2 · Oct 5, 2015

Use the tractor as anchor, come a long to pull, or you could over stretch the fence. Last woven wire I put up had "humps" in the top wire. Do not straighten these out completely, fence will expand/ contract through those "humps".
Put the fence inside the posts, except for the corners. Then it doesn't matter if you cut at the corner or not. Do a good job on the corner H braces, don't use angle braces inside the fence incase you ever get goats.

KubotaToy · Oct 5, 2015

Your have a good plan, I have many goats and used redbrand fence at first since it was cheaper, I latter moved to a 9 gauge wire field fence, I think redbrand is 12. I ended up putting electric around also, as goat want to climb and push on a fence. I made a stretcher out of 4 " post, nailed it on with fence staples, roll it around one wrap and used a come along to pull tight. I would not go on the inside of the corner post, any stress may pull the staples out. You can cut at each corner to allow for some adjustment but if you can wrap around the corner post, nail it and keep going.

zzvyb6 · Oct 5, 2015

I use a ratchet type wire puller bought at TSC. Each end has a quick release wire clamp. I actually pull from the wire after it turns 180 degrees back towards the starting point. This tends to imbed the wire into the wooen posts and helps to restrain the wire better. It also ensures that you have good corner or end posts. I don't try to get the wire real tight at first. After a few days, I go along with a claw hammer and give some wire sections a 90 degree twist. This gets it tight and puts a bit of spring tension into the sections. By all means don't pound the staples all the way into the posts. The wire should be able to float a bit in case there is a deer contact or a temperatire rise or fall. Otherwise, your posts may snap.

countrybumpkin · Oct 5, 2015

I use hooks on the top of the loader bucket. I have a clamp on stretcher for woven wire or field fence, I run a short chain from the clamp to one of the hooks , I start with the bucket rolled down and back up till I put just a bit of pull on the fence then I can roll the bucket to put how ever much Tension I want on the fence. Also I can raise or lower the bucket to raise or lower the fence height. Also I never cut the fence unless I have to for a gate opening, at the corners I always stay on the outside of the posts , stretch each section to the corner post staple and then wrap the post and stretch to the next anchor point.

todd walker · Oct 7, 2015

I use 2 fence pullers one on the top other on bottom they are thick enough to pull, and can crank 3-4 times on top them bottom
until tight then staple. Fastest way I've found. As far as what side to put wire put on inside to keep yours in, outside to keep others out,
Depends if you live in a open or closed range. Closed meaning you are responsible to keep yours in, open range meaning you need to keep
others off your land.
And like said above do not cut corners, only cut gate or end after wrapping.
I put a wood post in every 30 feet t-post every ten, just roll out wire staple one end stand up fence and pull. I use 12 wood post per 330' roll 1 per 30 feet ending the roll in a H brace. And I pull from every other wood post as they are concreted.

zmansmac · Oct 7, 2015

I have put up 3 fences now using the Red Brand fencing and T posts. I've braced the corners using 8 foot T posts and those aluminum pieces that TSC sells for that purpose. I take 2 pieces of 2 x 4 wood the as long as the height of the fence and use 3 inch deck screws to fasten the 2 x 4s, on on each side, to the fence. It help to put the screws as close to intersecting wires as you can. You want to tighten the wood so that it crushes into the metal fence for a good grab. I then position my tractor in the appropriate spot and use a couple of my 2 inch nylon ratchet straps (the ones I normally use to secure the tractor on my trailer) as come alongs. You can find places on the tractor to secure that end of the straps. I usually use the rear axle for the lower one and the ROPS for the upper one. The straps give you much better tension control than just using the tractor, which I did once when I was in a hurry and had to replace a bend over, cemented in place gate post. You can cut at the corners but I've always stretched to a corner then secured the fence with wire ties and went to the next intersection or end.

bdog · Oct 7, 2015

How big is your tractor and how good are your corner posts? Last net wire fence I built I was using a 45 hp 4wd tractor and I stretched the wire as tight as I could with the tractor in 4wd. I then cut wires one at a time and tied them off to the corner post. I used welded double H braces on all corners made of heavy wall 2-7/8" oilfield pipe set 4' in the ground with 160lbs concrete each.

If your corners are not solid you could pull them out with this method. I don't think you can get the wire too tight with a small tractor.

zmansmac · Oct 7, 2015

bdog, I only have a Kubota B7500 and with my loader and MMM on I'm sure it weighs in under 3000 lbs. As long as you have the brake on I've not had a problem with it moving. Of course, my fencing projects have all been small, i.e. no more than 150 feet for a straight line. But I've gotten the fence plenty taught under these conditions. I don't know if I would have any issues if I were trying to tighten several hundred feet of fence though. I'm impressed with the T post corner bracing system. No issues with strength ;my oldest fence is about 10 years and still looks like the day I installed it.