Fence chargers that use D cells

[twentynine]

I was cruising the local TSC noticed a fence charger that could be powered by 6v wet cell, 12v wet cell or 4 D cell batteries.

How long do the D cells last?

That is one of the poptions I am looking at. The other is a solar cell fence charger cost about $20 more.

 

[Big Chicken Little]

They will last 2-3 weeks depending on how fresh they are when you buy them... I ended up connecting the fencer to a rechargeable battery and used a 12v solar to keep the battery charged. Worked great for over a year until lightning killed it. Use an arrestor! I did like the unit as it was well made and worked for goats. The only thing I felt is that it was $80 + - and I would recommend getting the solar powered one if you are using it for chickens.

 

[patandchickens]

2-4 weeks, depending what power setting you use, what your fence is like, and whether you run it 24 hrs a day or just at night.

Be careful with the D-cell battery units though -- they are not very powerful (will not power much fence length, especially if it is a very high-resistance material or has weeds grounding it in places or the soil is real dry or your ground system really inadequate).

BUY A FENCE TESTER, preferably spring for one of the good digital ones as the cheap 4-neon-lights jobbies are notoriously inaccurate. And test your fence regularly with it. Just cuz the fence zaps you when you touch it doesn't mean it is carrying enough charge to stop *predators* -- you generally need around 5,000 v for that, whereas 2,000 will give you a noticeable unpleasant zap and 3-4,000 v will make you really wish you hadn't'a touched the fence. An undercharged fence is virtually useless. TEST.

Good luck, ahve fun,

Pat

 

[fhdogs]

If getting power to your fence is an issue, I'd recommend getting a solar charger. I have power at my coop, so I really didn't need to go solar, but I wanted to conserve as much power out there as I could since I only have a single circuit available.

The solar unit has been working great. Even with all the rain a cloudiness we've had it's been keeping itself charged. I do turn it off during the day, but they say they can last up to a week w/o sunlight. There is also a charger available that you can recharge it indoors if absolutely necessary.

I never looked at the D cell units, but if $20 is the difference, there's no contest the solar wins. You'll spend that in batteries in no time.

 

[patandchickens]

A solar fencer costing ONLY $20 more than a d-cell battery one?? That, er, seriously surprises me. I would be concerned whether such a solar unit was able to do more than aggravate a small mouse. Solar units are typically quite a lot more expensive than a COMPARABLY-POWERED battery unit.

If you don't want to use the d-cell one, and I can understand not wanting to, IMO the next step (if you can't do plug-in) would be a 'real' battery operated unit, either rechargeable or not, depending on what sort of use you expect to require of it.

Remember that a solar unit will still require a new battery every now and then (every few years; or sooner if you let it go completely dead during an ice storm or with weeds grounding it out). So the running expenses are not as much different as you might think.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[twentynine]

Okay I am posting the links to the TSC online catalog pages.

First is the solar unit.
http://www.tractorsupply.com/fencin...-6-volt-solar-operated-fencer-3-miles-3604308

Battery powered unit.

http://www.tractorsupply.com/fencin...ed-fencer-controller-10-mile-coverage-3616290

Actually only $10 difference betwixt the two. They also have a solar unit that is much more expensive like $300+.

 

[MIKE555444]

Quote:
If the quality is similar... I'm thinking you would spend $10 on batteries in the first 3 months.. right? Solar would be FREE

 

[Schroeder]

I've had better luck than others, I guess. I use the D cells in a 150 ft run of poultry netting to protect my garden from the raccoons. After a month of 24 hr a day use you definitely don't want to touch the fencing. The corn is perfect and untouched by the masked bandits. Now, if this is to be your exclusive fencing for a permanent run, I'd agree the D cells wouldn't be you best option.

 

[patandchickens]

Gee willikers that is cheap.

However I note that it is rated at only about one-third the released joules of the battery powered unit. . I question whether the solar thing has the power to actually do much at all. Apparently so do they, as you will notice it is qualified as being suitable only for 'pets and shorthaired small livestock', rather than 'all animals including predators'. And that from the people who're trying to SELL ya the unit. Take heed.

(I actually own that particular battery powered unit, btw -- and have had quite a lot of trouble getting it to adequately charge an 80' [half-roll] length of electronet... so I would even be careful about THAT one, because although it is stronger than the little 'toy' solar thing it is still a pretty meagre charger)

For a short, WIRE OR TWINE fence (not electronet) the battery one would be powerful enough to keep out dogs; I would however have serious reservations about the solar unit for the same circumstances.

And if you're trying to keep out dogs with a longer or more challenging-to-charge fence, honestly I'd recommend moving up to a 'real' battery powered unit (if logistics prevent a plug-in).

Having a fragile insufficient charge on a fence is just a waste of money. You need like 5,000 v to keep dogs out reliably (this is about twice as strong a charge as what's needed to contain horses), and it needs to carry that good a charge ALL THE TIME, even in the rain, even with some weeds against the fence, even with some wet weeds against the fence. I'd really, really suggest erring ont eh side of caution.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat