• If you are having problems logging in please use the Contact Us in the lower right hand corner of the forum page for assistance.

Floating Brace

Floating brace is fine for single or 2 strand electric wire but I sure wouldn't do it for 3 or more wires. On a side note I live about 8 miles from powerflex.
 
cedardell said:
Sounds like something the NRCS would come up with. None of them ever fenced in a cow or handled bull poop.
Click to expand...

I beg your pardon???? But your right on the whole going into the concrete thing well not sure with electric but with wire I'd think you'd want to....I dunno I just don't like the looks of the thing....... :D
 
No, it isn't something the NRCS came up with, they aren't smart enough to think of something new. I think it came from New Zealand. Putting the brace into concrete totally defeats the purpose of this brace. It saves time and materials over an H brace. When I asked NRCS about it they did find that they're experience in the country shows it doesn't work well for barbed wire, that I can understand. But, I've never bought a roll of barbed wire and never will.

The following is from the Beef Cattle Handbook, Fence Systems for Grazing Management, 2. Permanent Electric Fence Materials, by Jim Gerrish when he was working at U of Missouri.


This corner will be adequate for up to 5 hi-tensile
wires. For fewer wires the corner post dimensions may
be reduced accordingly.
Click to expand...

If you haven't heard Jim Gerrish speak you're really missing out. I've heard him speak 3 times and it's not enough.
 
Do you work for NRCS? If you met the guys in my county you'd understand.

Yes, Gerrish can be a little Arrogant. His talk down in Jackso for Graziers Money conf. was interesting. It wasn't about managing animals. It was about going throug his mid life crisis and moving to Idaho leaving behind a good job to pursue his dreams. You can get the CD or Tape from Stockman Grass Farmer.
 
We've used the floating brace system for 12 1/2 years now and have never had one move. My brother in NW Iowa turned us on to them and he has had them in for more than 15 years now. In fact, you have to be careful not to overtension the brace wire or you will shove the post away from the tension and put your fence out of line if you use a floating brace for a crossfence off an existing fenceline. Put another way, the post leans away from the pull of the wires if you over tension it. I didn't think these would ever work, they sure do. They don't pop out because the brace is long enough.

Badlands
 
I have only put in about 40 posts since I got my new driver, previously I augered them, a few deflected and are a little off from vertical when viewed down the fenceline. With floating braces should I take the time to dig, pull or do whatevever to get these vertical or does it not matter with a floating brace?
 
Badlands,
I understand what you mean by forcing the post too far back when you are creating a "T", I'm talking about the end post if view it looking from down the fenceline. If it leans to the left or right is that going to continue to twist over the years, if so then I think I need to dig one side of them to straighten them up, not really something I would prefer to do.
 
We've put a few of these floating corners in. Not 100% satisfied. They were used on 3 strand barbed wire fences. Had trouble with that bottom wire coming off the brace post. The problem I see is that your wire that keeps the brace post where it needs to be is right down there close to the ground, so over time as your brace post sits there and gets wet and covered with dead grass it begins to rot and the wire won't stay where its supposed to. An h-brace done right is pretty hard to beat in my experience. I will say that in very clayey soil the floating brace would probably be better than an H brace though. The way that stuff heaves, a floating corner is one of the few ways to deal with it.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top