Goat Notes B5: Points to note on fencing Page 1 of 4

Points to note on fencing

• Jock Simmonds, "Rowan Park", NSW
• Kym Hannaford, "Kinross", Adelong, NSW

It is an interesting fact that a very large number of blokes who live in, or have spent some
time in, the country claim expertise in farm fencing, and they cannot refrain from airing their
"expertise" to the new chum. Unfortunately, the advice given is rarely the best advice
available, and this is especially the case where individual circumstances are not
considered. The lesson here for newcomers to farm fencing is to read the most up to date
material on fencing available, from technically qualified sources, and to apply common
sense to adapt this information to the specific situation. Friendly advice can be included in
this process, but it should not taken as the primary source.

Recommended reading would be the most recent agricultural department publications or

pamphlets and the "Waratah Fencing Manual" which can be obtained through your local
rural products supplier. Much of what follows has been taken from the "Waratah Fencing
Manual", which at the time of writing was the most up to date publication available.

Strainer Posts

Strainer posts are the most important components in any fence. If any of these fails, the
fence fails, therefore, it is most important that they are erected correctly and are strong
enough for the job. The functions of strainer posts are to provide:

1. An immovable anchorage.
2. A structure for straining the fence wire.
3. The start and finish of the fence.
4. A point at which major changes of direction and/or topography occur.
5. A structure from which to swing gates.

It is very important to consider engineering principles before embarking on a fencing

project. Research undertaken in the United States into the best method of fence erection
found that vertical movement of the strainer post is the most frequent type of failure. Some
important findings of this work are discussed in the following paragraphs.

The following table shows exactly what sort of results occur the deeper the post is set in the
ground.

0.75m deep 0.9m deep

Total load carried 20kN 50kN
Horizontal movement at 13kN (3000lb) 40mm 25mm
Vertical movement 13kN 15mm 10mm

These results show that by increasing the depth, in this case, by 150mm (6in), the total
load carried by the fence is more than doubled while the horizontal movement has been

http://www.acga.org.au/goatnotes/B005.php 4/4/2018
Goat Notes B5: Points to note on fencing Page 2 of 4

reduced by nearly 50%, and the vertical movement by 33%. This is a lesson that should
never ever be forgotten.

This next table illustrates the benefits of driving the strainer post into undisturbed soil
versus placing it into an oversized hole, back filling with earth and ramming.

Driven Rammed
Total load carried 26kN 18kN
Horizontal movement at 13kN 40mm 100mm
Vertical movement at 13kN 10mm 50mm

It can be seen that where the post was driven into undisturbed soil, it withstood a higher
load, the horizontal movement was reduced by 60%, and the vertical movement by 80%.
Another valuable lesson. Where driving is not an option, the next best approach would be
to drill the post holes. In this case, however, the auger size should be noted and postsÂ
obtained that are only slightly less in diameter than the auger.

These findings disprove a commonly held belief that the greater the size and weight of the
strainer post, the less the chance that it will move. In fact, it is quite possible a 15cm post
driven 100cm into the ground to out perform a 75cm post dug into the ground. Thus,
considerable savings in time and material costs can be achieved, as well as better
performance, by following these engineering principles.

The US research also found that "the horizontal stayed or boxed assembly was 25% more
effective than the diagonally stayed unit. However, on a material cost basis, the box
assembly could be expensive and it is more time consuming to erect". One could infer from
this that, if diagonal stays are used, the depth that the post is sunk in the ground is an even
more important consideration. It is also important that the diagonal stay be attached about
2/3rds of the way up the vertical post, whilst the other end of the stay be placed on a base
plate that is itself is bearing on undisturbed ground. The positioning of the diagonal stay is
important because, unless it is correctly positioned, it can act as a fulcrum and increase the
likelihood of vertical movement of the post.

Some Fencing Tips

When building new fences use the

gripple system on all sections,
including short sections of the fence.
This system was introduced by
Waratah and is described in the
Waratah Fencing Manual. With this
system, the fence sections are
tensioned after the fence has been
erected. This saves considerable time
in fence construction and in long term
maintenance of the fence because the
fence can be readily retensioned at
any time. The up front material costs

http://www.acga.org.au/goatnotes/B005.php 4/4/2018
Goat Notes B5: Points to note on fencing Page 3 of 4

are soon repaid by the long term

savings.

As far as possible, use steel posts

between strainer posts. Attach live
wires with the appropriate insulators
on electric fences, and on all fences
attach non-live wires with steel clips.
This makes it easy to adjust fence
heights and wire widths down stream.

Never use the 15cm picket spacing

when fencing for goats with
prefabricated fencing, because they
can get their horns caught in the
fence. Furthermore, do not fix
droppers on prefabricated fencing
centrally between 30cm pickets as this
Figure 1. Offsets holding wire 25 to 30 cm from
creates local 15cm spacing.
the ground and the same distance from the
On electric fences, always connect all fence.
non-live wires to make the whole
fence an earth matrix, as this
improves the performance of the
fence. Do not omit to run earth
connections as well as live
connections under gates.

In lightening prone areas, do not

have a live line as the top wire on
the fence. Always have a plain or a
barbed wire on top to act as a
lightening arrester by earthing through
the steel posts. This helps to protect
the energiser.

Do not use less than 2.5mm diameter

wire, including lead in wire, on Figure 2. Short post for wire offset. Wire about
electric fences to minimise voltage 30 cm from ground and fence.
drop along the fence.

Finally, keep a checklist of the tools

required for various fencing tasks and
use it before going out on a job.
Otherwise, you will not have all of the
tools with you that you need until you
have finished the task, and you will
probably have wasted a lot of time.

http://www.acga.org.au/goatnotes/B005.php 4/4/2018
Goat Notes B5: Points to note on fencing Page 4 of 4

Upgrading Old Fences

There are a number of ways of

upgrading old fences, and a few are
shown in the following diagrams. Care
should be taken when adding offsets
to old netting fences to ensure netting
cannot be pushed against the offset
wire by kangaroos, wombats etc.
Generally an offset ground wire is all
that is required to deter goats.Â
Additional wires would only be
required in special circumstances
(See Figures 1 to 3).

Figure 3. For maximum security or very old

fences.

http://www.acga.org.au/goatnotes/B005.php 4/4/2018