Rusty Fences, Help!
Hello
Here on the farm we have to replace the fences every 3 years because of cattle and rust damage. This is simply insane in my opinion and there must be another solution.
Given that we use barbed wire fences, and that wooden fences would be impractical and expensive, How would you go about insuring the fences last longer?
PS, Paining 10 kms of fencing wire is insane please don't suggest that
I've thought of using electrolysis to plate the iron fencing wire, but it turns out that can only be done with expensive chroming acid, which I don't have and can't afford.
If you can think of any solutions it would be greatly appreciated !
Thank you
Here on the farm we have to replace the fences every 3 years because of cattle and rust damage. This is simply insane in my opinion and there must be another solution.
Given that we use barbed wire fences, and that wooden fences would be impractical and expensive, How would you go about insuring the fences last longer?
PS, Paining 10 kms of fencing wire is insane please don't suggest that
I've thought of using electrolysis to plate the iron fencing wire, but it turns out that can only be done with expensive chroming acid, which I don't have and can't afford.
If you can think of any solutions it would be greatly appreciated !
Thank you
Comments39
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Electrically connect it to a bag full of bits of aluminium? A bag of screws or something every 400m or whatever. Replace when needed?
Wrap aluminium wire around the existing barb wire and electrically connect it with some solder periodically?
Use copper wire instead of the barbed wire?
PVC coated chain link fencing?
The aluminium every so metres should help, yeah, might be worth while
Strange. Here in the midwest I see plenty of farms fenced off with wooden posts and, quite frankly, rusty barbed wire that looks like it might've been used in the Great War at one point.
All I could suggest is finding wire with a thicker gauge. That's a tough one. 10 kilometers? If it weren't so much, I would say a good way to stave off rust for now would be to spray it with rubberizing compound from an automotive parts depot.
a local farmer suggested the exact opposition. they said thin malleable wire takes longer to rust.
I'm not to sure if this is just a marketing gimic or if it's true but I'm trying it out
I also bought 25 meter lengths of hard durable plastic wire and then remembered that we burn the fields every summer
still they are installed now so if they do or don't burn we will see.
hmm my other idea is to replace the iron posts with aluminium ones. this will cause the wire to last longer through an electrical process where by the aluminium rust first since it's valence is more positive than iron. however I haven't found a place that sells aluminium posts since they are probable very brittle
more ideas are certainly welcome. keep on keep on keeping on
I'm not to sure if this is just a marketing gimic or if it's true but I'm trying it out
I also bought 25 meter lengths of hard durable plastic wire and then remembered that we burn the fields every summer
still they are installed now so if they do or don't burn we will see.hmm my other idea is to replace the iron posts with aluminium ones. this will cause the wire to last longer through an electrical process where by the aluminium rust first since it's valence is more positive than iron. however I haven't found a place that sells aluminium posts since they are probable very brittle
more ideas are certainly welcome. keep on keep on keeping on
Aluminum...... Yeah, I can definitely tell you are from the UK, man! Aluminum/Aluminium.
Nevermind!
Anyway, good aluminum doesn't exactly rust so easily. Take a look at Audis and newer Ford trucks, rust isn't so prevalent with them because the aluminum they use in the body is corrosion resistant.
Exactly, but if you look at the valency it rusts faster than iron due to the electrical process between the two metals when they are exposed to air and water
This means that aluminium will be forced to rust first, and since it is so rust resistant the fences would naturally last longer
This means that aluminium will be forced to rust first, and since it is so rust resistant the fences would naturally last longer
In theory.
Well I can only say that IKEA might have a sale on garden supplies in the later summer.
Damn, I actually read "Rusty Feces" and here I was ready to say eat less red meat 'cause you know there a lot of iron in it...
I'll show myself out now!
Oh, look a door! Bye all!
I'll show myself out now!
Oh, look a door! Bye all!
Well if you would like to help in that regard
there is a weird virus going around the farm where all the small animals are getting both constipated and diarrhoea. Their intestines swell up, which cause constipation, but then their stool is really watery like baby poo green.
So far 5 out of the 8 infected oxen have died
Any ideas as to what it could be? The vets don't know what it is. One of my friends suggested it is what they are eating but I see nothing out of the usual that they ate compared to the 75 other calves
What do you think?
there is a weird virus going around the farm where all the small animals are getting both constipated and diarrhoea. Their intestines swell up, which cause constipation, but then their stool is really watery like baby poo green.
So far 5 out of the 8 infected oxen have died
Any ideas as to what it could be? The vets don't know what it is. One of my friends suggested it is what they are eating but I see nothing out of the usual that they ate compared to the 75 other calves
What do you think?
Couldn't help replying to this...
With regards to the diarrhea issue, the only real way that it kills living beings is through dehydration and malnutrition. I don't know how standards compare to Humans and whatever livestock you have (I saw oxen). But there are three forms of diarrhea, which would help to narrow out the problems. Acute, persistent (which sounds like what you are dealing with), and dysentery.
In any case, the best way to treat them is through persistent hydration, and vitamin c. Salt contains sodium, which is an essential electrolyte, which helps to maintain hydration.
Vitamin c might be a worth while investment considering how many animals are dying, but I can't use salt since it causes constipation. I need to figure out how to end this disaster
Besides genocide
No calves died today, which is the first day in a week since none of the animals have died.
Besides genocide
No calves died today, which is the first day in a week since none of the animals have died.
Good luck!
Are you talking about having to replace the posts too or just the wire?
just the wire
but I found out if you get aluminium posts your wire lasts longer due to science ^-^
but I found out if you get aluminium posts your wire lasts longer due to science ^-^
Yeah, electrolysis would have something to do with how long wire lasts, same as in plumbing. For instance an aluminum fence post with aluminum wire would last very much longer than a steel wire.
should get more like ten years out of galvanised wire, even close to the sea. Most fences in this country (NZ) are electrified using a mains unit - a single electric wire offset from a new-built fence should stop cattle rubbing on and destroying it. Not always a practical solution I know, running a hill country farm myself with substandard fencing, just can't get it all fixed yesterday...
your galvanised wire might be lasting longer for you because of the electricity
the current prevents rust, replacing lost ions and all that
the current prevents rust, replacing lost ions and all that
consider that the plastic insulators used with electric wires may also prevent rust. If you look at an older fence wire do you see that it is rusted mostly at the points where it's been stapled to the post? The electric wires aren't stapled, they're carefully held off contact by insulators.
Does everyone in your area have this problem? I farmed close to the coast till recently, and it can be a bit of a nightmare with salt coating all the wires, insulators, machinery... but we still get by. Probably get half the life out of steel and iron that the more central parts of the country get but still... ten years should be about right.
Does everyone in your area have this problem? I farmed close to the coast till recently, and it can be a bit of a nightmare with salt coating all the wires, insulators, machinery... but we still get by. Probably get half the life out of steel and iron that the more central parts of the country get but still... ten years should be about right.
I don't have electric fencing
Perhaps I was a little unclear on that...
I'm not sure why there would be such a large difference... our wire only lasts about 3 years before rusting and falling apart. Recently we had to replace 3 sections of fencing, which sounds small but it took the whole day. This was because of trees falling on the fencing in addition to the wire rust on other sections without felled trees.
I do not live near the coast so there is no rust damage due to salt in the air.... the wire simply becomes brittle over time.
I'm not sure I can provide you any explanation at all
Perhaps I was a little unclear on that...
I'm not sure why there would be such a large difference... our wire only lasts about 3 years before rusting and falling apart. Recently we had to replace 3 sections of fencing, which sounds small but it took the whole day. This was because of trees falling on the fencing in addition to the wire rust on other sections without felled trees.
I do not live near the coast so there is no rust damage due to salt in the air.... the wire simply becomes brittle over time.
I'm not sure I can provide you any explanation at all
yeah, I've farmed in the UK twenty years ago, we used barb wire and netting strengthened with high tensile back then, they weren't great fences. To rust that quick one really has to wonder about the quality of your wire.
It does take a whole day to fence a relatively small section adequately. Unfortunately a typical farm can have literally hundreds of such fence-lines.
It does take a whole day to fence a relatively small section adequately. Unfortunately a typical farm can have literally hundreds of such fence-lines.
Yep
And you are right, maybe they just sell cheap wire here to take advantage of the fact that we have very few places to get the wire locally.
Which might be a plan
By from somewhere else
I know the wire puller was a crazy prices and at the time I suspected it maybe just because of the need, but perhaps it is just taking advantage of the situation
People consider farmers to be super rich, they don't consider all the costs of farming
And you are right, maybe they just sell cheap wire here to take advantage of the fact that we have very few places to get the wire locally.
Which might be a plan
By from somewhere else
I know the wire puller was a crazy prices and at the time I suspected it maybe just because of the need, but perhaps it is just taking advantage of the situation
People consider farmers to be super rich, they don't consider all the costs of farming
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seven most recent photos in 'scraps' were taken this morning out on the farm. There's some old barb pictured, probably 20plus years old but quite a lot of it is on the point of disintegrating - the thick wire is a soft 4mm that we call "number 8 wire" some is obviously very old but I rolled some up a few days ago on a disintegrating fence that is pretty much reusable from a concrete post fence with the barbed component in pieces. Some thin soft wire has been used as outrigger electric fence, IMO that stuff is a waste of time it'll break if a cow even looks at it, good to roll up and use for fixing netting gates and the like, I replace it with 2.5mm high tensile.
btw, use the internet to compare prices on wire/tools &c if you think you're being taken advantage of by your local guys. I don't know about fencing tools but I do know it happens, that prices go up if they think it can be afforded (a fair example is the price horse owners pay for hay and feed it can be several times what a commercial farmer pays for what is essentially the same product).
seven most recent photos in 'scraps' were taken this morning out on the farm. There's some old barb pictured, probably 20plus years old but quite a lot of it is on the point of disintegrating - the thick wire is a soft 4mm that we call "number 8 wire" some is obviously very old but I rolled some up a few days ago on a disintegrating fence that is pretty much reusable from a concrete post fence with the barbed component in pieces. Some thin soft wire has been used as outrigger electric fence, IMO that stuff is a waste of time it'll break if a cow even looks at it, good to roll up and use for fixing netting gates and the like, I replace it with 2.5mm high tensile.
btw, use the internet to compare prices on wire/tools &c if you think you're being taken advantage of by your local guys. I don't know about fencing tools but I do know it happens, that prices go up if they think it can be afforded (a fair example is the price horse owners pay for hay and feed it can be several times what a commercial farmer pays for what is essentially the same product).
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wire pullers are over $100 to buy here - wire strainers about $3 each - the permanent kind, but they really don't work well with barb wire. Might post some photos later for fun, we had heavy fog this morning and I've got a variety of fences here - falling down and useless through to new electrified.
No really, replacing all the fences every three years will kill you - physically and profit-wise - and people who think farmers are rich simply don't realise that, even if you get 20 years out of the fences it's still a big job replacing 1/15th to 1/20th of the farm annually so that they don't all fall over at once.
No really, replacing all the fences every three years will kill you - physically and profit-wise - and people who think farmers are rich simply don't realise that, even if you get 20 years out of the fences it's still a big job replacing 1/15th to 1/20th of the farm annually so that they don't all fall over at once.