Electric Fencing Advice Please

[myheartinahoofbeat]

I have been using plastic posts and electric tape to divide up my grazing but I have a companion pony who has no respect for it. I want to put in something a bit more substantial ready for next summer as I was forever redoing fencing and chucking out bent poles. I rent the land so don't want to spend a fortune. I've been there a year so am pretty clear now on where to put the dividing fences. I'm thinking of putting in wooden posts with electric rope or tape attached to it( which is better)probably two strands? Would appreciate any advice or photos that you may have. Thanks in advance.

 

[meleeka]

You need insulators like this https://www.electric-fence.co.uk/10...MIr9XHpsWO9AIVzbTtCh23sw6REAQYASABEgKyCfD_BwE You need to stop the tape touching the posts or it won’t work properly. wooden posts work well.

 

[honetpot]

I would suggest you need a better energiser, or a better earth, the posts and tape just carry the charge. If you want a semi-permanent straining post, I use these,
https://mcveighparker.com/clipex-standard-post-1-8m, then you can make your fence really tight.
I would also you narrow tape, with the maxium amount of copper tins in it,so there is a better chance of them getting a full shock, with the lowest resistance. Something like this.
https://www.electric-fence.co.uk/el...m-10mm-1x0-3-copper-3x0-2-stst-white-red.html

 

[Melody Grey]

How substantial is your energiser? We had a serial fence buster until we bought a mega energiser and turned it up- soon solved the problem!

 

[pistolpete]

My friend has five strands for her haffy! Hope you can keep him in!

 

[planete]

Buy a voltmeter and make sure the whole fence is carrying a high enough charge. That may involve upgrading your tape and perhaps your energiser and improving the earthing.

 

[The Fuzzy Furry]

You need insulators like this https://www.electric-fence.co.uk/10...MIr9XHpsWO9AIVzbTtCh23sw6REAQYASABEgKyCfD_BwE You need to stop the tape touching the posts or it won’t work properly. wooden posts work well.

I prefer These ones as same to fix but prevents tape being shoved up (or down) by errant fuzzies. I put them alternately facing up and the next one facing down, for max security ?

 

[neddy man]

For posts 100 mm half round posts will be fine, to keep costs down put a timber post then 2 or 3 plastic ones then another timber then plastic then timber etc.

saves money and labour.

 

[Goldenstar]

Round wooden posts are not too expensive and you can bang them in yourself with a post dropper if it was when the ground was not rock hard .
You can wobble them out if you move on .

 

[Lady Jane]

Firstly, get a good fence tester to check you have good power running through the whole fence. If its over 4k I have no advice, the horses should respect it.

If its less you need to check, is it shorting through vegetation, is your tape good enough quality, is your energiser up to the job.
I was endlessly searching for vegetation touching to keep the power up, then realised by energiser was at its limit as we had added electric fence.
New energiser, replaced some tape with better quality - I'm getting 6k min everywhere (nearly 8k in places). Horses dare not touch!!

This is my fence tester Hotline P36 - pricey but has saved me hours of grief: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/252776982575?hash=item3adaaea82f:g:DuEAAOSwfVpYqKFf
My energiser: Voss Impuls V50: https://www.electric-fence.co.uk/vo...mains-energiser-for-medium-length-fences.html

How long is your fence? 2 lines of electric tape count as x 2

Finally, if you can power from the mains you will alwyas get a better result

 

[myheartinahoofbeat]

Unfortunately I can't use mains power as the landlord doesn't want me digging up the garden and paving slabs. However, lots of very helpful suggestions here , thank you everyone.

 

[Nasicus]

I use these for gateways and ends/corners: https://www.electric-fence.co.uk/voss-farming-allround-metal-post-galvanised-120cm.html
Love them. They need bolt on insulators, but they are amazing as end/corner strainers, to make gateways, and best of all they're really easy to remove from the ground and reposition as needed. If the ground isn't too hard, you can stamp them in yourself, or if needed grab a sledgehammer and just drop it repeatedly on top of the ground spikes to secure it in place.

I have also knocked wooden posts in a few strategic places, such as on the corners of the track where it won't require regular moving. And then it's just plastic posts in between, using the wooden corner posts to make sure the rope is tight as can be.

A big one for me was discovering that it pays to buy decent quality rope/tape. I really like this stuff: https://www.electric-fence.co.uk/vo...5-hpc-r-high-performance-conductor-white.html
It has a really low resistance, which is what you want as that helps the current travel all along the length of the rope with minimal losses.

 

[tristar]

get fence tester, minimum 5000 volts

put water on the earth rod every week

make sure nothing is touching the fence and keep it taut

if they get out under put lots of strands lowish if they get out over with the chest use 5ft with 3 strands

 

[Sir barnaby]

Definitely put some wooden post in and good tension on the tape possibly 3 strands. Make sure your battery is fully charged and have your energiser on full strength for a few days.

 

[Sir barnaby]

This is ours

 

[chocolategirl]

Unfortunately I can't use mains power as the landlord doesn't want me digging up the garden and paving slabs. However, lots of very helpful suggestions here , thank you everyone.

Along with everything else, I had a welshie years ago who used to just walk through my electric fence, as the hair on his legs protected him from getting a shock! I cured that by shaving a strip of hair off from top to bottom ??