Affordable fencing options and electric fencing how much?

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trojanpony

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Hi all, as above, just wondered what affordable fencing options you've come across (having just been quoted £10/metre for post and rail), how much you paid for your permanent electric fencing systems and how you arranged for them to be installed, or did you install them yourself? I'm not sure I'm up to putting fence posts in but could probably have a go at running wire round...
PS I'm looking for solutions that work well on hilly ground!
Thanks in advance
:)
 
We use electric fence and our fields are not entirely flat. It's easier, quicker and cheaper with the electric fence option but it depends if your horse is clever enough to "circumvent" the electrics - using a thick rug, pushing a field mate through etc etc...

We use 3 inch posts spaced 50 metres apart with 1 inch tape, 3 - 4 plastic posts between each and a battery energiser from mole valley farmers. The posts are the taller ones and there's a double run of tape. It cost us around 200 quid to do 240 yards of fence, not including the energiser and the post whacker and we put it up in about 5 hours. Nearly a pound a yard...

Electric fence is also more flexible so if you have to move it for some reason as in sectioning off a paddock...

Hope this helps.
 
Sleepeeze_dad said:
We use 3 inch posts spaced 50 metres apart
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50 metres?? You sure? :confused:

I just spent €200 on a full kit with 18 plastic posts, 250m of electric band & battery (which will work for up to 1km of fencing). Bought my kit here in Italy, but I've seen robinsons and equestrian clearance offer the same sort of thing for a similar price.

I'm also in the process of making my own permanent fencing out of wood I've taken from our own land. Hard work but pretty much free :D
 
Just purchased 80 4ft posts, 800 metres of 40mm tape, Gallagher high power energiser (up to 4000metres capacity) gate handles, insulators, earth stake, warning sign (!) for £299.00. I tried to purchase similar locally, but my suppliers couldn't get anywhere near.
I found the above deal online through Ebay, company called Paddock Perfection. Very helpful chap called Andy, got full delivery to me in 2 days. Very impressed.
 
I've just finished my electric fencing. I have 5 foot posts 6 paces apart with 2 strips of white wire. To divide 5 acres into 8 paddocs it's cost about £450. I bought a mains energiser that will work through rugs (and coats, and gloves, and hats :() and kicks out 7000V! Apparantly it costs £10-£15 per year to run - compared to a battery at £30 a pop every 6 weeks!

I got my bits from here...

http://www.ukcountrystore.co.uk/

A tip is to check out the non-horse stuff when buying anything - works out tons cheaper! My friend has just had EVA rubber matting put in 5 12x14 stables and it cost £650 delivered! Nearest quote from a horsey supplier was £1300! Only difference is this one is sold by a cow supplier...
 
Thanks everyone - those all sound a heck of a lot cheaper than post and rail!! I need whatever I put up to be pretty permanent so was thinking of getting wooden fence posts put in rather than using plastic poles and using a mains energiser.
Has anyone had wooden posts put in? And how easy is it to run a mains charge out to a paddock 100-200 yards away?
Thanks for all the suggestions! Keep 'em coming :)
 
I don't think you can wire up to the mains! (However tempting ;))
You need an energiser, and a 12v battery. I was told 30amp minimum, 60 optimum. Got that locally, cost £60.
I think you can get wooden posts for just over £1 each, and fix electric tape/rope insulators to them, which is a bit more permanent and stable.
 
I have permanent electric fencing with wooden posts every 7-8 metres, 2 strands of wire and 1 strand of rope. At the moment run of 2 battery fencers, but I'm going to install a mains energizer in the spring - the main problem is digging for the lead out cable under the driveway.
We've done most of our fencing ourselves (we own 40 acres, 25 is fenced), got a contractor with tractor mounted post knocker when we wanted a lot of it done fast, but since then we have been fencing an acre paddock at a time, using hand held banger. I can bang in 5-6 posts a day without killing myself and I'm a girl, 5'5'' and about 10.5st; my OH does 10-15 a day, so we can fence a paddock in a weekend between us.
A tip: use nail on insulators - the screw in ones are a pain, even if you have the little tool for the drill.
 
La Fiaba said:
50 metres?? You sure? :confused:
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Yep I'm sure. I ram them into the floor about 15 inches and because it's only tape they will take it. I can then tension the tape on the wooden posts but the plastic ones in between keep the "shape" and spacing on the tape and they are about 12 feet apart. Worked beautifully for the last year...

It's actually cheaper to use nothing but wood posts and the screw in standoffs but that's also an awful lot of post wacking.. :)
 
trojanpony said:
Has anyone had wooden posts put in? And how easy is it to run a mains charge out to a paddock 100-200 yards away?
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I have - I'll get pictures for you tomorrow when it's daylight so you can have a bit of idea of what I mean. It's easy to run the electrics - you just get an insulated wire thingy - they sell them on the site I linked to :)

This is the only pic I have that gives an idea...The paddock gates are at the corner and go across diagonally so that where 4 paddock corners join there are 4 gates - I find it easier to get them in and out this way as there are always 2 gates to get through (Important with 2 mares and an uncut colt ;))

Photo2156.jpg
 
Thanks everyone for your ideas and photos. Especially pleased to hear of the possible 'super-rate' of post erecting my husband might be able to achieve - I foresee many a romantic weekend spent post-banging!! :)
 
trojanpony said:
Thanks everyone - those all sound a heck of a lot cheaper than post and rail!! I need whatever I put up to be pretty permanent so was thinking of getting wooden fence posts put in rather than using plastic poles and using a mains energiser.
Has anyone had wooden posts put in? And how easy is it to run a mains charge out to a paddock 100-200 yards away?
Thanks for all the suggestions! Keep 'em coming :)
Click to expand...

It is dead easy and a hell of a lot cheaper than P&R. We have used 2" posts (cheaper than plastic ones) at 10m apart with 4 strands of rope and a mains energiser running at 10000v. Our energiser is in a building and run out to the fence using lead out cable for both the power and the earth stakes, you can dig this underground for gateways (or all of it). Look at getting at least 3 1m earth stakes (if you contact paddock perfection then Andy will talk you through everything you need, he is really good at what he does!) as you get a much better 'sting' from the fence if your earthing is spot on. If you can afford to go with rope rather than tape then it is more effective and less damage caused by wind.
 
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