Our acreage is currently fenced with barbed wire except where we have the wood slat fencing around the front and sides and where the previous owner had installed "no climb" fence. I don't know why it's called "no climb" It's a wire mesh fencing with wooden posts and a strip of wood across the top to keep the horses from mashing the fencing down between posts. Tom has decided to replace the barbed wire with field fencing. That's a wire mesh that is good to use for keeping goats in. The wire squares at the bottom are something like 2x6 and they gradually get bigger towards the top of the fencing. We need something other than barbed wire to keep our goats in and to keep Harry off the neighbor's property where he steals their belongings, brings them home, and chews them up. We've apologized and offered to replace said items, but our neighbors insist that they love Harry and don't mind him coming over. Personally, I think that after having to replace several items over a period of time, that love will wane. Harry needs to stay home. Period.
This is a section that Tom has already installed. This extends from behind our barn out to the road that runs along the side of our property and is between us and the neighbors behind us. That small section of wood fencing was installed by the neighbors during our previous owner's tenure in which there was a bit of tension over the fact that neighbors could see previous owner's unsightly burn pile. Maybe the wood fence will be coming down soon?
So, here's Tom's fence installation process. First, he takes down and rolls up the old barbed wire, then he pulls up the old metal t-posts which have been bent in towards our property because the neighbor's Longhorns subscribe to the belief that "the grass is always greener on the other side". Then he takes the tractor and levels out the fence line, measures nine to ten feet apart for the t-posts and lays them out. The house in the background is the neighbor's house out behind our barn.
Then he uses a level and pounds the post in with a couple of knocks with the small sledge hammer to get them started straight.
Next, he hefts the t-post tool, which weighs about 50 lbs. way up over the top of the post.... Aaaaarrrrrr!
...then he lets it drop to pound the post into the ground. Ooofff!
Lift again. Aaaaarrrgghhhh!
...and pound! Ummmph! It usually takes three or four pounds to drive the post in far enough.
And then we have a row of poles ready to attach the fencing to.
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3 comments:
Tom is a harder worker. I'm thinking if I came there for the summer..I'd lose all my extra weight and gain some muscle.
Mom, The Pionner Woman also makes a post about her husband building fence.
Just found your blog -- I love it! We had the exact same problem when we got our goats. The seller said they'd stay inside the fence because 'why would they want to leave?' I guess goats just do, because they were all over the place until we did the field fencing. We've had it for a year, and only one has gotten out, and only once, during that time.
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