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fence corners

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jigs

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I had a big battle with my dad on how to build fence corners. though I would drink at the well of knowledge here on Ranchers.net

when building a corner, should the brace be angled so the finished product looks like an "N" or the brace straight so it looks like an "H"
 
Jigs, We always build ours to look like an H. However I have seen a lot of "floating" braces. Always wandered if those worked good.
 
It all depends on the brace wire. If you have a good solid wire going from the bottom of the first to the top of the second on an H that will be about the same as an N, but without it the N will be stronger. I prefer the H becouse I feel it is easier to get the cross post to stay put.
 
I have tried the 'N' and the 'H' with one wire, I won't ever use the 'N' style again, and I use a cross wire each way on the 'H' so it forms an 'x'.

An extra 20 minutes building a brace seems to last an extra 10 years.
 
A lot of this depends on the soil type,clay? sand? depth ? I dont build any fence ever without both,that is a cross brace and then the angle,I make long pulls and they have to be built right.................good luck jiggs
 
I use pipe and rod. No wire. When I used wood I put a wire from the top of the brace post to the bottom of the corner. If you are pulling off the corner I can't understand the reason for the wire the other direction. Is it just to hold your cross piece in?
I always wondered why when bracing level across the corner like a H why do you guys put the brace in the middle. Is it just as strong at the top or bottom of the brace as the middle.
 
My husband & I argue a little, from time to time, but when we fence together, I swear the neighbours probably learn alot of new words. :eek: After 12 years, we've finally come to the agreement that whoever's going to build the brace can pick the style of brace. I prefer the H, he prefers the N. One thing I noticed in the Gallagher book is that they say the H brace is best in soft ground. Somewhere else I read that the length of the brace determines success more than the style of the brace. I think (I could stand corrected) they said the brace length should be two times the height of the top wire. Seems pretty long to me, but I know if I used a "short cull" post to make a brace, I see them leaning in a few years.

Best solution... let your dad build his type, and you build your type!
 
A custom fencing crew in our area uses 12 foot rails for braces. Seems a bit long but there 4 strand fence is as tight as a fiddle string and lasts for years :!:
 
The angle or N brace when properly built has the best holding strength and offers the advantage of having the top wire free of brace wires etc. which makes it easier to electrify to keep bulls where they belong! I agree that long span braces hold better.
 
If you use the designs and principles of enginering the H is what is needed.

I tried the N method but if you have constant pressure on the fence the corner ( or end post )will try to lift out of the ground.

To use the H properly the brace needs to be 3/4 up from the ground and twice as long ( or longer) than the fence is high. In most cases we are talking about a 4' high fence so the brace needs to be about 3' high and 8' long. The brace wire needs to go from the bottom of the end ( or corner) post to the top of the brace post. As the tention of the fence pulls on the end post it will push the brace post back which transfers to the brace wire and then back to the bottom of the end post.

Here I put the end (corner) post 5' in the ground and the brace 4' deep. If your ground is firm you might not need to go this deep.
 
Its getting common here to take a wire cattle panel orm it into a ring set it at the corner and fill it full of rocks.Wire steel pipe's the area's where you want to tie your wire to.These work well in wet conditions some people set the pipe's down in the ground before they fill them others dont..

I prefer the H-Style corners when I build them but I think the key is to set your post DEEP.
 
I have built fence with both the " H " style and the " N " style, and the experience I have had is the " H " type is better if it is cross wire braced properly! The Corner posts and the Second Post should be set at least 4' to 5' deep and preferably in concrete. The "Brace" pole or bar should be notched about 6" to 8" below the TOP of the two posts (which should be the same height from the ground) and THEN two brace wires should be attached in an " X " manner - one from the TOP of the Corner Post to the BOTTOM of the Second Post, and another brace wire attached from the BOTTOM of the Corner Post to the TOP of the Second Post - both brace wires tightened ONLY SNUGGLY - NOT as tightly as they can be made to 'twang'or 'sing'. This is to allow for tension being applied to the fence wire when stretching. After stretching, return to the corner and EQUALIZE the tension on the cross brace wires, but still not so tight that you break the wire. After a few weeks, return and check the brace wire tension. This technique takes a little extra time, but it is well worth the effort. The "Snug Only" method allows for temperature expansion and contraction. If you are driving staples into wooden posts - DO NOT DRIVE THE STAPLES ALL THE WAY INTO THE POSTS! Leave enough space between staple and wire for the fence wire to move by the staples in changing temperatures, otherwise they can pull the LINE posts right out of the ground - or - break the fence wire or pull the staples out of the posts.

The "Physics" Laws of Leverage apply in this situation - the fence wire (either barbed wire strands or woven wire fencing or both) acting as the Force or Weight, - the Corner Post , The HORIZONTAL Brace Post and the Second Post acting as the Resistance with the Fulcrum being at the point where the Fence Posts meet the ground at the Post holes and the Brace Wires acting as an aid to balancing the Resistance. The ULTIMATE Power resistance occurs at the extreme BOTTOM of the Corner Post and the Second Post at the BOTTOM of the post holes , CROSS-TRANSFERRING the resistance through the brace wires. The same type of construction should be incorporated within the fence line itself with THREE larger posts and TWO brace poles and wire braces about every 100 yards (or length of a football field). Makes a heck of a fence and precludes a lot of work later when riding the fence line! Saves money too, - down the line!

DOC HARRIS
 
If you have a long stretch to make you can use both the H and the N in combination. I have seen quite a few corners of this design around here. My thoughts are that the more small triangles you make( for instance the H with 2 brace wires creates 6 triangles, the N with one brace wire creates 4 triangles) the sturdier the brace all other things being equal. JMHO
 
Our method of preference is the H way, but be sure to put the horizontal brace up high between the two posts. If you don't, there is a lot of pressue on the corner post above the horizontal pipe or post. I like to just have the top wire of the fence above the brace and the other three or four wires below the brace. We then put in a "dead-man" about three feet beyond the main corner post. The hole is then tapered so that the brace wires from the deadman to the top of the far corner post run in a straight line. There is no need to make an "X" with brace wires, because the pull is only from one direction anyway. One side of the X is always loose because it does no good. The corner posts should be at least 5" x 8'. Corners made out of just regular 3' or 3 1/2" posts are too wimpy for the strain that is put on them.
 
Here are a couple other thoughts on the subject. When stretching the barbed wires to the new corner, if every other one is put on the other side of the post, it keeps the post from twisting in the ground. We make our braces out of pipe, 56" long. That way each 21' of pipe can be made into four and a half brace lengths. Two of the "half" lengths can then be welded together to make another brace. Out of two 21' lengths of pipe, nine braces total can be made. We then weld old bolts onto the pipe so that about four inches sticks out on each side, to be put into holes drilled into the corner posts.

When making a barbed wire gate, I like for there to be at least five wires on the gate, even if it is just a three or four wire fence. The gate is where the ground gets worn or blown away, and cattle are not apt to get under a five wire gate. We put stays in about every three feet, and make these out of double strand "barbless" wire. Enough wire is used for this purpose so it is doubled, and started from the top and the ends twisted around each other as it is worked down. This forms a very durable gate. On the top horizontal wire of the gate (which the gate lever eventually snaps onto when it is in closed position) we put about a foot of light chain next to the post. This allows opening it from the back of a horse, and carrying it open without tangling your glove in the barbs of the wire.
 
Here's a picture of how we do it. Sometimes we put the cross wires in an X also. Just depends on how far the stretch of fence is.

Corner-posts.jpg
 

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