How to Set Straight Fence Lines, Square Corners

[King_s_Ransom]

We are getting closer to starting our major fencing project! Which is a hooray on one hand and an OMG!:eek: on the other. We’ve taken one section of about 8 acres to work on. It is basically a huge rectangle. The ground has some swales, and a slow slope, but no huge dips or hills.

How do I set my corners and lines to get them straight? I’ve read about 100 articles on how to build fence, but they all seem to assume you know how to get your corners in line.

I have a starting point for the first corner. How do I know where to precisely set the other three?

[Pocket_Pony]

I just put in a small Horse Guard tape fence and I wish I had good advice for you! I used t-posts on the corners (with their t-post covers, which are awesome!) and on the long sides after every 5th or 6th fiberglass post. The problem with my land is that there are parts of it that look okay on the surface, but just a bit underneath I’d hit lava rock. So I’d have to move a couple inches in each direction until I found a good spot. Which means that my lines aren’t straight!
The best thing I did, though, was to use my extra extra long tape measure to try to make straight lines. Start with one corner post and then take out your line and find the next corner post. Put a temporary post (maybe a step in or a piece of rebar) in and wrap the line around it, then go to the next corner and do the same, and then the same with the last corner. So you’re essentially laying out your pasture with stakes before you actually put in the posts, and you can measure the angles of your corners accordingly.

Having said that, my lines aren’t straight, though! :lol:

[Tom_King]

http://www.chronofhorse.com/forum/showthread.php?406675-Installing-post-and-board-fencing-tips&highlight=build+fence

Search function goes back a little ways still. Read my post #7 in that thread, and the other posts I put in that thread too.

It’s most important not to let ANY post push the string. Even a 1/4" of daylight will still result in a straight appearing fenceline.

[Hony]

We eyeballed the ten acre field that we just fenced last year. Sometimes it’s not about square but how it reflects the area around it. Ours came out very well.
My best advice is to at least do the first part with a professional because fencing is harder than you anticipate and they know the tricks. It’s not that you can’t learn but having someone show you makes a world of difference.
We did our big pasture with the direction of a pro. He would tell me the steps and I would do it. The first thing was to use a plumb line and mark all the holes at 7’10" apart with Orange spray paint. He checked my marking and showers me how to make fence lines that went alongside the edge of the field to look straight even though the edge of the field wandered and the area was hilly.
After that he drilled the holes and showed us how to place the poles, straighten them and backfill them. I’m glad he drilled the holes. We have slightly rocky land and his experience was invaluable. He also showed us how to brace one corner since we did horse wire fence in one area then we braced the rest.
That field looks perfect and cost of half of what it would have been had we paid for all the labour.
The next field we did we tried to do ourself. The results are not nearly as good. We rented a pounder instead of using an auger on the advice of the locals. The pounder was terrible with the rocks and the posts went in crooked but were in so tight we couldn’t get them out. This year we will be getting the help from the expert again to fix that field.
We have learned a lot since doing one 10 acre pasture and three smaller paddocks!
Good luck!

[King_s_Ransom]

Hony,
I would totally pay a pro to do the whole job, or give me advice, but I have been waiting almost 3 years and been given so many promises by so many people that I have finally given up and decided to do this myself. Help from CoTH is about as close to a pro as I am going to get at any price.

I can only assume my difficulty in getting a pro is that I have horse property, and only about 20 acres. I cannot get anyone to do anything out here. My property is too big for a lawn care service and too small for the ag services. Even the extension office doesn’t want to fool with us.

So I am taking matters into my own hands, doing my research and truly hoping for the best. It will be what it will be and odds are at the end of the day, it won’t be pretty but it will contain the horses in the general area that I want them.

I am using Horse Guard for this section. We also have Centaur for the perimeter.

Tom – thank you, I am heading over there now.

[Pocket_Pony]

@King's Ransom;8129194

I am using Horse Guard for this section. We also have Centaur for the perimeter.

If you’re doing the HG then that will be much easier - are you using t-posts or fiberglass posts or both? I have one more suggestion - for the t-posts, just bam them in (that is a technical term, mind you) enough that they don’t move but that you can pull them out if you want to, run your test line (twine or string or whatever is easy), then stand back and look at your line - go back and adjust as necessary. I did just that today - did 1/2 my fencing on one day and the other half today - now I just need to put on the corner insulators, run the tape, and hook it up to the charger - should be able to do that in just a few hours.

And I know I said it before, but their t-post covers are awesome!

[King_s_Ransom]

I am planning on using t-posts and the HG t-post covers, with wood posts at the corners and at about every 100 ft. inline.

Also, thankfully, my ground is not rocky. It’s really very nice and if I were a farmer I’m sure it would grow something other than grass. But it does a right fine job growing grass, so that’s good.

I will be calling HG to discuss and get their advice as well.

[nappingonthejob]

One of my fields is what you’re planning - HG with wood posts in corners and t-posts along the lines. I would really recommend 45 degree corners rather than 90. Sure, you have to put up 2 posts instead of one, but it’s easier to mow, they can’t trap each other in the corners, and it’s really easy to put an extra gate in/set up the short run in the 45 degree corner with the HG.

As far as making the lines straight - after you put up the wood posts, run a string line between them to guide where you put the t-posts.

[TrotTrotPumpkn]

I didn’t watch the video, but I think it’s going to take you through the triangle you need to do square corners. That said, string out a square corner and then make it 45’s and you will be happier I think–I agree with the above. I wish I had done that.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-HDs3AHu-JA

or fast forward. He strings his how you want so you can adjust. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5zmuRUiFwo

Now you know how to do a square shed too!

[SouthernYankee]

What type of Centaur are you putting on the perimeter? The 5" flex rail or the coated wire?

We have both on our property and I can give good pointers if I know which type you’re putting up and what kind of post.

[TrotTrotPumpkn]

SY, do you have runs that are just coated wire? Do you think the sight board on top is necessary? Post spacing for just coated wire?

Not meant to hijack, but I want to do a run that way. All my other coated runs have two stands of tape, and I do think it makes it more visible.

[Jim_in_PA]

“Ideally”, having a transit available to help you lay out your straight lines and corners would be a good thing as it will allow you get the angles exact and help with marking the line. You probably can rent one at a tool rental place and it shouldn’t be hard to learn to use effectively and quickly since this is for a fence layout and not a precise construction project.

[oldbutnotdead]

Geometry. Good luck!

[SouthernYankee]

[QUOTE=TrotTrotPumpkn;8131583]
SY, do you have runs that are just coated wire? Do you think the sight board on top is necessary? Post spacing for just coated wire?[/QUOTE]

Most of our farm is just the coated wire, the only place we have flex rail is along the road and around the house. We have not had any issues with the horses or cows getting into the fence, it’s pretty visible. See this picture, granted it’s black against white snow but it gives some comparison between the coated wire and flex rail.

We have our post spaced 12’ and it’s sturdy enough, 10’ would be fine but not necessary. Around the house we used wood post, the back of the property and cross fencing has T-post with caps.

[4LeafCloverFarm]

Old thread bumped by SPAM. Reported.