Livestock Fencing EquipmentIf you install your own livestock fencing, you'll need a variety of specialty tools for setting it in place and for ongoing maintenance. You'll need tools for digging fence post holes, stretching your fences, attaching fences to posts, gates, and latches, handling electrified strands, and so on. See also the new liquid fencing product review. Fence Posts Steel T-posts, are usually painted a color with a white tip for visibility, and they are economical and enduring. These posts, manufactured according to ASTM A702-89 specifications, have a double-coat of paint, including an exclusive primer coat, for superior rust protection. All these posts weigh 1.25 pounds per foot, and all have a heavy-duty spade to anchor them in the soil. They typically come in lengths from 5 to 8 feet. Buy posts that are 2 free longer than your fence height, so you can sink them between 18 to 20 inches into the soil. When you buy T-posts, clips are included in their price, so don't forget to get your clips. Post Hole Diggers
Post hole diggers are available as a hand tool that you can buy at any hardware store. Use a ruler to mark the handle with tape for the depth that you want to dig your holes. That way all your holes will have the same depth. This is certainly the cheapest way to dig post holes. Hand Tools
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Almost all types of wire fencing is stretched over steel pipe at the corners and gates and on T-bars
in between. Steel pipes are set in cement. Corner H's and gate hinges are welded together. And for that you'll
need welding equipment and a way to mix and pour cement.
However, if your soil land is rocky, clay, or hard pan, or you
have thousands of feet of fencing, then a power auger will be more efficient. There are
mechanical hole diggers that are attachments to a tractor and stand-alone gas-powered augers that
run with their own moter. You can also rent power augers and tractor attachements. 
A pair of fencing pliers is a must for installing all types
of wire fencing. One side can be used to lift and remove staples, and the other side is a hammer. Fence pliers
are also available with a locking grip. 
If you do not provide sufficient tension when stretching the run of wire, time, gravity, and the
weight of the wire itself will cause the fence to sag. Use fence stretchers, not just a tractor or
truck to stretch wire. Fence stretchers or come-alongs provide gradual and adjustable tension on the
run of wire. This is nearly impossible to do if just using a tractor or truck, when overstretching
is the normal result. |
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