Tap, do you have a picture of your fence setup or easy description? I need to replicate it for this coming year. It would be greatly beneficial. Thanks.
I'm plainly talking like post here, wire here, tape here, etc. So a 3rd grader could understand it because I haven't set up any fencing to hold in domesticated animals except dogs.
I'm a rookie : - (
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I looked through my pics and I don't have any decent photos that would actually be helpful.
I'll explain what I have and do. It's not really complicated. I had no problems my 1st time and the only trouble I've had since then was the beginning of the 2nd year because I didn't use a spool when I took it down in the fall. Spools are a must!
My entire set-up is Gallagher. I agree with others that you can have just as good a fence for a lot less money without doing Gallagher, but, being a rookie with fences, I wanted it to be as easy as possible, so I went with Gallagher. The Gallagher instructions are good but I don't follow them to the letter.
>I got the fiberglass posts so I wouldn't need insulators. I use the cotter pin type clips to attach the wire/tape to the posts.
I really don't think the distance from post to post is that important. I just step it off about 15 paces or so. They can be farther apart but they may need to be closer if the fence goes over humps or high spots in order to keep the low strands from touching the ground.
>I don't exactly agree with the Gallagher instruction to pre-mark the posts before putting them in the ground so you know which hole in the post to attach the fence to. Because of uneven ground, sometimes I choose a different height hole. Sometimes higher, sometimes lower. And because of the possibility of hitting rocks when pounding in the posts, I may not be able to get the post in as deep as I'd like, so having the holes pre-marked as Gallagher instructs, wouldn't work well. Just pound the posts in no deeper than waist high or so and then choose the appropriate holes in the post for the proper spacing for the wire/tape.
>A 5 pound hammer works, but a fence hammer works better.
>Square corner shaped plots are okay. Gallagher says round layouts work better. I haven't tried that. Round and odd-shaped plots take more posts to form the corners and angles.
>Distance between the inner and outer fence...I just make it 3 to 4 feet and it works for me.
>When I stretch the wire and tape, I start by tying a loop in the tag end. Before I start walking the lap for the wire, I tie the wire/tape to the 1st cotter pin and leave the tag loop extend from the post a few inches. I will use that loop to hook the "gate latch" to.
>Now, walk the lap around the outside of the posts. The wire can be strung tight but the tape should be slightly loose so it can flutter in the breeze.
I originally bought the Gallagher fence tightener gizmos but I found a better way to adjust wire tension...just use the cotter pins like guitar keys. Wind the wire around them if you want to remove slack.
>At the end of the lap, I tie the gate hook to the end of the wire/tape and hook it to the loop on the tag end where I started, and then I go back and insert the wire/tape inside the cotter pins and then the pins into the posts.
I fine-tune the slack by winding the pins and then I bend the pins back in a "U" to it rests on the wire/tape. Bending the pin back like that keeps it from unwinding and loosing the tension.
Fine tuning the slack in the tape is important. The tape needs to have twists in it and also be slack enough to flutter in the wind for an optical illusion effect.
>I take wire/tape and just ties all 3 strands together.
>One ground rod works for my soil conditions but some set ups and soils need an extra ground rod.
>Hook up the solar charger as Gallagher instructs.
>When I remove the fence, I pull all of the pins, and leave the wire/tape attached to the last post. I walk the lap as I wind onto the spool instead of pulling the wire/tape to me...makes it go onto the spool tighter and keeping
the tape tied to the last post is critical to keeping the same rate of twists as the Gallagher method of installation. If you untie the tape from the last post, it may untwist as you spool it and you'll have to re-twist
it next year.
Next year, if you find your rate of twists are wrong, you can easily adjust that by pulling the tape off the
side of the spool instead of just spinning the spool because each revolution will either add or remove a twist from the tape. Anyone that puts mono on a spinning reel knows that concept of clockwise or counter clockwise removal of line (or tape) has a bearing on the amount of twists. Kind of hard to explain that.
I'm probably not following instructions to a "T", but its easy for me and my set up and it keeps deer out.
