Looking at moving to an area where below zero temps is the norm - for extended periods of time during winter. With all the freeze, frost, heave of the ground, snow, ice, drifts etc. etc. Is one fence option better than another - and for what reasons? Any input would be greatly appreciated.
I live in central Montana where those conditions are the norm for most of the year.
Here most pastures are measured in miles so affordability is part of the equation. Brace posts are usually railroad ties or drill stem, line posts are t-posts. Any wood you put in the ground needs to be very deep and very treated or it will be very temporary. Treated wood post fences are around but not as common and they don’t hold up as well. Working pens are ideally railroad tie posts or heavy treated posts and rails. I’ve seen jackleg fences blow over in high winds but they can sometimes be an option. T-posts are easy to replace, straighten and maintain.
HorseGuard makes an electric fence option called BiPolar that is intended for areas like you describe. It does not require ground rods and can be installed on wood posts, T-post or even fiberglass posts. If you were fencing a small area you’d probably want the T-post covers but they’re pretty pricey so you might be fine with just the T-posts themselves or T-post with just a cap for the top. You can check it out at www.horseguardfence.com.
We use Bi-Polar Horseguard in MN with solar chargers. I’ve never had an issue with my fence losing power in the winter (fog/dewy conditions are a different matter however) due to snow. The winter before last we had places where the snow was over the bottom rail and I still had a hot fence.
I am in Eastern Ontario and have split cedar rail jackleg fencing. Our ground is very rocky and no way we could dig a deep enough hole for wooden posts.
We do put a capped T-Post on every other section to keep it from being pushed or blown over.
I also hot-wire the top.
However… the split cedar rails are becoming hard to find. I take care of mine …and hoard them 
Most new start-ups here use 3 or 4 strands of electric… the bottom wire does tend to disappear in the snow!
[QUOTE=Kodidog763;8152400]
We use Bi-Polar Horseguard in MN with solar chargers. I’ve never had an issue with my fence losing power in the winter (fog/dewy conditions are a different matter however) due to snow. The winter before last we had places where the snow was over the bottom rail and I still had a hot fence.[/QUOTE]
Would you mind sharing what it is with the fog / dew that interferes with the fence?
[QUOTE=MightyG;8152837]
Would you mind sharing what it is with the fog / dew that interferes with the fence?[/QUOTE]
I wish I knew! Honestly, the first time it happened, I assumed I had something down on the fence, and walked the fenceline, but didn’t find anything. It took a few times, before I made the connection. It works fine in regular rain, but when we have the heavy damp fog/dew, that hangs in the air, the fence will be completely dead.
I would say it’s happened 4 or 5 times in the 2 years we’ve had the Bi-Polar up.
thanks for all the great input
Kodidog- I bet it’s the solar charger that puts your fence out when it’s foggy or dewy. Mine did the same, switched over to plug in and it never went down.
