lowered expectations on fencing

Well, I am making a dent in the fencing project but I have yet to actually stretch a single foot of actual fence. It seems every line has at least one hole that is too hard of rock or needs a brace bar or has to have some pipe posts. I finally got ready to get the H braces for one line and when I got the cut pipe home and unloaded the posts and concrete off it I realized they had cut far too large of pipe for braces. Not to mention what they charged me but we won’t go there. Now I have to go back and get the right size pipe and figure out where I am going to use the already cut pieces. I may be able to use them to brace some pipe post corners since I am waiting on my welder to set those for me. 

I have been waiting for my fence man with the beltex post hole digger to come back and dig the bad holes but since he does not seem to be interested I decided to simply chip away at them myself. I got several done at about 1 hour per hole but the last one was a real bear and I finally found a little seam in the rock and chipped out a hole big enough to get a T post in and cemented to darn thing in. A little unorthodox but at this point I am good with it. Hey its in a bunch of trees so who is going to notice. 

I have also noticed that my holes in rock tend to get smaller at the bottom despite my best efforts to keep the sides even. Amazing how that digging bar bounces off rock:). I have dealt with this by using smaller posts and more concrete. I also have a few holes that I did manage to keep the sides straight up and down but when I get the post in there is barely room for any concrete but I am thinking if the thing is in solid rock where exactly is it going to go. 

Straight fence lines is another area where my standards have fallen drastically. When I first started, I cut down trees and pulled wire up and down hills back and forth between obstacles until I got the line perfectly straight. Now if I find the fence bends around an tree I consider that is one less posthole I have to dig. It is not like an oak tree is going to grow enough to raise the fence to far off the ground in my lifetime. 

As I look at those 150# rolls of mesh wire I am thinking hot wire fences may have a place as well. Madalyn

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About Madalyn Ward, DVM

This blog provides information based on my unique take on horse health and well being. The articles are based on experience of treating and working with horses for over 40 years. In most cases the articles are focused on an holistic approach to health and management. When conventional medicine offers good research or therapy, I share this information as well. Madalyn Ward, DVM

1 thought on “lowered expectations on fencing

  1. syeh

    Hey Madalyn,

    Keep going girl! Boy is fencing a tough one. Alan and I spent 3 years on our fencing project just to get MOST (not all) of our old barbed wire sheep fence replaced by cow panels and T-posts. And we’ve already moved into the repair phase (thank you mustangs!) and I know about lowered expectations. It’s hard when you’re doing it yourself and not paying someone to put it in for you. Tough work. But you should feel good that fencers get paid on par with a lot of professional workers like lawyers and such (no joke! at least in our little neck of the woods — my friend is a fencer and told me what he makes–wowza, but what a lot of exercising your muscles instead of your brain)!

    The important thing is to keep going. And when you do make a big check and can pay someone to put in that pretty plumb-straight fence, how nice will that be? I admire your efforts on your land, having been there myself, and especially the fact that you are in the Texas heat. You go girl!

    hugs,
    Stephanie

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