Does welded wire mesh w/ 4''x4'' squares and at least 5ft high exist???

[Willowspirit]

I don't have goats, or (so far!) bears, but without electric fencing there wouldn't be a fence still standing here. Horses eat treated lumber like candy, and both horses and cattle would rub it down in no time!
When we used wood, we found a local sawmill that sold green true 2"x6" oak boards, less expensive than treated, that the horses wouldn't eat. After ten or fifteen years, they ate them too, but electric fencing protects things very well. Only electric fencing works against bears!
Mary

Most of our pasture fencing for horses will be e- tape. Cheap, easy effective.

 

[Folly's place]

We installed a MILE of woven wire fencing here after moving in! It was much less expensive than wood fencing, and has held up pretty well (after 20 years!). I'm over it, though, and couldn't do it again. I do a very nice straight steel post, though...
Mary

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Yep. Like that. I did a bit of google searching and found some information that suggested that warping can be an issue if you get the lumber from a big box store, but that it shouldn't be an issue if the lumber comes from a true lumber yard as they go through a much more meticulous process of treating the wood and drying it before selling it. The info suggested that the process can be fairly haphazard with lumber from Lowes, etc. and that you may wind up with many warped boards 2 years down the road.

That's wood from Menards, and Home Depot. You gotta sometimes pick out the best, and straightest boards. Don't buy twisted boards. We also use screws as nails eventually loosen.

 

[Folly's place]

We started with electric tape for the horses, but then I went even crazier and decided to raise foals. Woven wire with electric tape or rope on top, safer.
Mary

 

[Willowspirit]

We started with electric tape for the horses, but then I went even crazier and decided to raise foals. Woven wire with electric tape or rope on top, safer.
Mary

Yep. No foals for me! I'm too old. Or horses aren't really youngsters either and just like hanging out eating hay. As long as the food is on their side of the tape they're happy!

 

[tlatham72]

We just got a quote for 180 linear feet of four foot high 2x4 welded mesh fence with a rail across the top for just over $5,000. $6,000 if we want them to take down the old fence. Gak!

This would be for our chicken yard only. My dog could jump over four feet before she was six months old so no real deterrent there. We plan to put netting over and electricity at least on the top rail. We are planning to get more estimates or reduce the size of the yard.

The white fence with white rails is my favorite. You can put that up with mesh behind it (black maybe) and you can even run a hot wire along the back of the top rail.

Not a fan of chainlink. I think there's no way that it doesn't ultimately look ghetto.

I concur on the chain link. I keep trying to like the fence designs I'm seeing that use the wood frame and the black coated chain link, but I just can't sell myself on it. Our first two quotes for a 900ft linear fence with 2 10ft tube gates were $15,000 and $16,500! As I looked at the details on the quotes and started investigating the different items, I got way down in the weeds on fence design, but then decided that I couldn't just leave it up to fence contractors to give me the best fence for me since I didn't even understand the basic pros and cons of different approaches. I needed to be able to tell anyone that was going to build my fence for me exactly the way I wanted it to be installed right down to what type of fasteners to use to the put the wire on the posts. Then, if they offered alternatives I'd be able to discuss and judge. But, at this point, I'm working with someone who has done other work for me to get a quote for how much for him to build it. I expect it to be a good bit less.

I agree the white is very pretty. Unfortunately, I can't afford any of the non-wood "boards" and would rather stain my wood boards than paint them. So, I think I'm going for a really dark, rich brown stain and black coated wire (which I finally found online tonight in a product I like but not sure I can splurge for the cost of it).

 

[Willowspirit]

That sounds like a beautiful idea! Our advantage/disadvantage i that everything on our place was done and then half undone. It's sometimes easier to start new than start over!

 

[tlatham72]

Thanks everyone for all of the tips! I found the fence book and was able to download it to my nook account as an ebook.

I also finally found a wire mesh that I'm 100% sold on (after HOURS of research while I should have been packing my house). It is Baekert Gaucho No-Climb Horse Fence. It has:

• A woven construction with an s knot, which I had decided I wanted instead of the welded wire for strength and has the added bonus of not catching on my dogs' or future goats' fur
• 2x4 openings, so no stuck heads or hooves
• 5ft tall(!) to stop my dogs from jumping and a 200ft roll
• High tensile construction with 805 lb break-through strength, but is lighter than the more common low carbon wire
• A Bezinal coating that gives it a 30 year life expectancy (better than class 3 wire)
• A galvanized appearance or a black coating (but the coating increases the cost greatly and it ain't cheap to begin with)

My only issue is that I've got to all Baekert on Monday to get help tracking down where I can purchase it without having to pay $560 in shipping costs! My local Tractor Supply doesn't have the 5ft one in stock. A tractor supply 1.5 hours away has the black coated one but not the galvanized appearance one. If I skip the black coating and can pick up at a store, the wire will cost me about $1800. Wowza. But I'm sold on it being a truly superior product that will be very difficult for my dogs or goats to damage and won't need repair or replacement due to the elements for decades.

For my backyard perimeter fence, with a primary purpose of containing my dogs, I've finally made most of my decisions.

• Pressure treated lumber from lumber yard inspected to make sure it isn't green and has been seasoned to some degree to prevent future warping
• Probably pine, but am interested in pricing poplar. I don't want rough sewn as I don't like the way it looks and don't care for the splinters
• 4x4 posts every 8ft set 2ft in ground with cement. (6 ft posts where gates are added)
• The 5ft wire above attached to the posts from ground level up with fasteners from Baekert for treated lumber and their wire; the wire is on a 200ft roll and has to be stretched during installation
• Four 1x6x16 boards for the horizontal rails that are staggered horizontally so that they don't all end on the same post over the top of the wire. Staggering is supposed to help limit warping and enhance fence strength.
• Bottom rail will be to the ground. Top rail will be at 5ft.
• A vertical oriented face board will be attached on the front of each post over the top of the rails which will hide any shrinkage and also help prevent warping.
• I will either have the posts angled off at the top or have them cut to 5ft and have a "topper" board that runs flat across the top of the top rail and posts for the entire fence.
• I am going to add the electrified wire at the fence top, either from post to post (if left at 6ft and not cut to 5ft) and 5-6 inches above the top rail, or on the backside of the top rail (if the posts are cut down to 5ft). The electric wire is primarily to prevent bear access.
• I may also later add a 24 inch apron of hardware cloth on the ground the entire perimeter of the fence held in with stakes and left to settle into the ground over time...but I may wait and see if my dogs try to do much digging first. But, then I'm also thinking I might want to do it to keep predators out, which would mean that i would put the apron on the back side of the fence.

 

[tlatham72]

That sounds like a beautiful idea! Our advantage/disadvantage i that everything on our place was done and then half undone. It's sometimes easier to start new than start over!

I'm actually jealous that you have some fence though I know what you mean. I'm a little on the perfectionist side and it would make me crazy to have my fence built in different materials and patterns in various places. But....I have no way to manage my three 80 lb dogs after I move next Saturday until I get this darn fence installed, and I can't even get it on a schedule because I'm still deciding what it needs to be. LOL.

 

[res]

• A woven construction with an s knot, which I had decided I wanted instead of the welded wire for strength and has the added bonus of not catching on my dogs' or future goats' fur
• 2x4 openings, so no stuck heads or hooves
• 5ft tall(!) to stop my dogs from jumping and a 200ft roll

• 4x4 posts every 8ft set 2ft in ground with cement. (6 ft posts where gates are added)
• Bottom rail will be to the ground. Top rail will be at 5ft.

I slimmed down your post to just the points I want to address.

I think you will be MUCH happier with the woven wire vs. the welded wire. Woven wire is far superior, both in gauge, tensile strength and ability to withstand abuse by livestock and pets.

On the posts.... you should also price out round posts - 4-6" rounds for line posts (or even 6" half-rounds!). These are often cheaper than 4x4 posts, and IMO, for whatever reason, they last longer then the 4x4's. I do not know what to attribute it to, maybe it is the fact that the rounds "keep" their "trunk" shape??? Any professional installer can just as easily use rounds for the fence you describe as using 4x4. Just make sure you DO NOT let ANYONE convince you to use landscape timbers as line posts.

You may want to reconsider the concrete for your line posts. While concrete *seems* like a good idea, the first time you have to replace a broken line post, you will be cursing your decision as you have to dig up the concrete to set the new post. There is also some speculation out there that the concrete "holds" the water around the posts, causing them to rot off faster.

In order to tighten your fence AND support 10' gates without them sagging, you will NEED to have H-braces made of 6-8" rounds at your corners, ends, gate hangers, and possible spaced along your lines, depending on how long the span is. H-braces literally make or break your fence. Without them, when you try to tension your woven wire, your end posts will simply lean in, even with wood posts along the line. Your gates will sag, making them look unsightly and likely impossible to freely swing open/close. And even with the gates hung on a H-brace, NEVER EVER let a gate "swing" open in the wind. It is either locked open or locked closed. Constantly swinging gates (like in the wind) damages the hinges and pins. Also consider installing a "rest" for it to sit on when it is closed, thereby supporting it and preventing it from sagging.

Running a bottom rail flush to the ground sounds easy enough, but it really is a huge challenge given the miniscule differences in terrain between each post. You might want to consider running it 2-3" above the ground, instead. Otherwise, your labor costs will likely increase as the installer will have to spend time clearing a "path" for it to sit in. Also, even though the rails will be pressure treated, any contact with the ground will cause them to rot off faster. It is amazing how fast a 1" board can rot away when it is on the bottom. If you don't plan to run any large livestock - like cattle or horses - you can likely just use "deck boards" for your fencing. They are not true 1" boards, but are easily found in 16' pressure treated length. I would NOT recommend using them if you do plan to run horses or cattle, as they splinter and break far too easily. I have spent the last 6 years slowly replacing the deck boards and woven wire fencing that was installed at the barn I manage. One butt-rub from an 800lb pony is all it takes to bust them.