Best Electric Fence Charger - GOT ONE. Another question about ground rods...

I’m going to get another charger. I want a strong one. The solar one I’ve been using has never really given a strong enough shock. I figured I’d have to get the electrician out for this one - or should I just get one that plugs in?

I’d prefer to go to my local southern states and buy one. Any suggestions?

We have Patriot fencers that work either plugged in to electricity or connected to a car battery. We have been very happy with them. They come in different sizes for different acreages.

We also have an old Wasp brand that packs a hellova punch. We’ve had it for years and I’ve never seen another one.

Stafix

http://www.kencove.com/fence/96_Stafix+Electric+Fencing+Manual_resource.php

http://www.kencove.com/fence/Dual+Purpose+Unigizers_detail_EXD1.php

The key to a strong current hit is a good ground (rods). Almost any recent charger will do the job if the livestock supply the ground and the line’s not shorted.

as bob says good engersier with rods into ground connect to a lorry battery rather than a car one it last longer and dont forge to earth the rod ie tip a bucket of water down where the rod goes that will start a hih voutage of elecy if it goes low then tip anoter bucket down as you have hotter weather than us here in uk then the ground drys quicker so eveyr now and chuck abucket down by the rod but do it when you turn it off

The Stafix chargers are quite expensive. I’d rather not spend too much more than $200. Even less if possible. I’ve decided on a new location for the charger and it will require a plug in charger and will be hanging outside. I’m guessing we could build a box around it if weather is an issue? This is also being used on Tape Fence.

Here are a few I’ve looked at. They all say how many joules but not how many volts?

http://www.jefferslivestock.com/ssc/product.asp?CID=2&mscssid=1P5805L5PT9J9N5MPXXE3JF4X96BDVLA&pf_id=0030192
http://www.jefferslivestock.com/ssc/product.asp?CID=2&mscssid=1P5805L5PT9J9N5MPXXE3JF4X96BDVLA
http://www.jefferslivestock.com/ssc/product.asp?CID=2&mscssid=1P5805L5PT9J9N5MPXXE3JF4X96BDVLA

I think this is my favorite so far and I think I can buy it locally. The Dare 1200.
http://www.electric-horse-fence.com/electric_fence_chargers/ac_powered.htm#enforcers

Zaberra is the best one, but be sure it is grounded well. If it is unusally dry, then you may not get much kick out of ANY charger.

Got the Zareba 50 mile fencer from SS yesterday. I called the company and this was the model they recommended for my situation.

Another thing I figued out recently is the end tensioners from Safe Fence are crap. They are easily bent out of shape by a leaning horse. I ordered a few to try from Horse Guard and they seem to be much nicer. Time and use will tell but I like the design.

Gallagher makes the best fencer in my opinion. It is always what we used with our dairy herd. I have seen it knock a bunch of canadian hunters who were about to trespass on our property to go hunting right to the ground. I have seen it bring a cow to its knees.

Pay attention to what they say the fencer will do. Some are made for a clean cut fenceline, some for light weeds, some for heavy weeds. We had ours going right through the woods and never a loose cow or horse problem.

I have the Zareba 50 mile charger. I have two strand hot wire on 10 acres. That thing is so hot!! I accidentally touched it once. After I stumbled and regained my composure, my arm ached all the way to my shoulder for 1/2 an hour!! :eek: It packs a hell of a punch!

The Zareba 50 mile fencer says it works well in heavy weeds. Not that I have heavy weeds but a few will get up to it in the summer.

The guy at Zareba also told me the solar chargers do not work well with the tape fence. Too much resistance with the tape. Wish I’d known that before I spent 150. on that solar charger. :frowning:

Here’s a question - I’m going to put the new charger in a different spot from where the current solar charger is. Can I take down the old solar charger and just attach those ground rods directly to the fence? Do I still need to put in 3 more ground rods and attach to the new charger?

I get some grasses that get up to the bottom wire in the summer. For the most part, I keep it mowed under the wire but if it does get up there, it doesn’t ever affect the charge. Part of my routine is testing the fence with a fence tester every morning. That lets me know if the fence is down in the back pastures.

[QUOTE=Sparky Boy;3890373]
The guy at Zareba also told me the solar chargers do not work well with the tape fence. Too much resistance with the tape. Wish I’d known that before I spent 150. on that solar charger. :([/QUOTE]

I just spoke to Dave at Zareba for some advice about what solar charger to buy. He said their 10 mile version would work just fine with 1/2 to 1 1/2 inch tape. Hmmmm…

Our pasture is far from a power source, and I’d rather use tape than cord or wire (for safety and visibility). He also said the effectiveness of the wire or tape really depends on the quality of your ground…needs to get down to an area of the soil where there is permanent moisture.

Gosh…is shopping for this stuff really that complex? My head is starting to spin a little.

You can buy ground rods, ground rod clamps, and solid copper heavy wire to connect the rods to the charger at Lowes and Home Depot.

I was trying to remember how old our Stayfix charger is but can’t remember. I do remember that Hurricane Isabel dropped some Poplar trees across our fence knocking four strands of tape to the ground and the fence was still hot everywhere.

I used to have to buy the ones sold at SS every year or so.

We bought one of the little lights that flashes a red LED when the fence is not working from Kencove. I put it so I can see it when I’m sitting in my chair in the house. It’s great for alerting me when someone forgets to turn the fence back on after it has been turned off for some reason.

Ground rods have to be connected to the charger not the fence.

Download this manual. Around page 5 there is detailed information for installations in areas with poor soil conductivity.

Note that freezing temperatures can greatly degrade soil conductivity. Fences that work well during warm weather may not be all that effective during Winter.

Also, conductivity can be improved by digging a hole about a foot deep and a few inches in diameter (think post hole digger) around each ground rod. Dump in a few handfulls of Copper Sulfate (CuSO4), soak well, then replace the dirt.

CuSO4 can be purchased from many Vets, farm supply stores, (it’s used to treat the hooves of farm animals) and electrical supply houses.

We ran into the same problem with a solar fence we purchased from a company and it couldn’t produce enough power to power our 5 mile area we need contained. We talked to a company called fi shock based off a recommendation from a neighbor. They are actually a sister site of zareba which suniday mentioned. Because we get cloudy days we were skeptical but went with a solar powered electric fence and this kit and we haven’t regretted it since. This is the last bookmark we have of that site when we were doing research http://www.fishock.com/store/electric-fence-charger/solar-powered hope that helps!

I have given up on the tape after deer knocked it INTO the pasture so many times. Do you think I would have better luck with wire?

Probably not. They’re hitting it because they can’t see it. Deer are very good jumpers.

I highly recommend to use blue warning tape that can be woven into your existing fence. It’s visibility and flapping sounds caused by the wind will call their attention to the fence.