negatives of a non climb fence?

[MightyG]

when I did my original planning, non climb seemed to be out based on price. Now when comparing the cost of it vs. polycoated hightensile, it doesn’t seem too bad (after seeing how many strands of high tensile I would want to keep the unwanteds out.

We are doing a self install on poles set by a builder, so the “hard part” is done lol:lol:

Does anyone have any cons or critiques to the non-climb? It was always my first choice, and I probably am sugarcoating all the greatness of it. if anyone has any other stories or experiences, I would love to hear it.

Thanks!

[Simkie]

I LOVE MINE.

We have it for the perimeter.

I’ve read it can be a bitch to stretch and install, so perhaps that’s a con?

Also, you can’t duck through it. Could be a con, if you don’t have a gate where you need one :lol:

[SMF11]

I love my no-climb fence, but if you have it touch the ground (as you would want to in order to keep dogs etc in or out) then grass and weeds grow up into it, and it is a pain to maintain. I’ve sprayed vinegar and also round up to kill the stuff growing up. I have to admit I do not have every inch pristine. If I had to do it over, I would raise the no climb up by a foot or so, so that weed whacking would be feasible.

[poltroon]

Make sure you stretch it tight. And yes, there’s no easy workaround if you don’t put a gate in where you need one. I’m pretty happy with mine.

[GoForAGallop]

I LOVE my no climb. Have it raised up a foot, so the horses/mower keeps everything neat. We stretched it ourselves, it’s really not that hard although the people who paid someone else many thousands to do it will tell you otherwise.

It’s comforting to know that I can put basically any horse out in it (new amped up ones, foals, small ponies) and they’ll be fine. It looks nice, keeps the bigger animals out, etc.

[Bluey]

Are you talking no climb squares or diamond mesh?

Around most every good barn I was in, diamond mesh was the gold standard for fences.
Nothing is 100% perfect, but one of the safest around.

Diamond mesh will stand to hits and rubbing, no climb square will bend and not bend back, so you have to figure keeping a hot wire to keep horses away from it, if it is to stay straight, for what those that have it tell me.

We only had a few hundred feet of the no-climb around part of the old yard and the deer kept jumping it and bending the top.

We had diamond mesh, still have it in our old stallion pens and is now a good 60+ years old and still like new.

[MightyG]

Thank you all! I never really imagined raising it up, but maybe by 6 or so inches to keep weed whacking an option.

Another question, how close are your posts spaced? all our runs are on virtually flat land, so no elevation changes, just a big ol’rectangle!

[MightyG]

I was undecided about diamond vs rectangles. I like the diamond the best, but it is the pricier of the 2. I am planning to run a header of 2" tape at the top to keep everyone away from it as much as possible. Thanks for your tips!

[eaconlee]

I love mine. Did 5’ on perimeter and 4’ for interior runs. All the way to the ground. I’m not a fan of dogs or coyotes being able to get in with the horses. We mow up close to it and don’t mind at all that some grass grows up into it - makes it all the more dog-proof and helps keep it tight.

[chicamux]

If you don’t put it all the way to the ground the smaller dogs can get under it. But the frigging vine thing, hiney suckle. morning glories, etc, can be a real headache and those will reach upwards for your fence any how.

You must have really well braced corners for most fence types. Board fence is the exception.

chicamuxen

[Go_Fish]

[QUOTE=MightyG;7890199]
I was undecided about diamond vs rectangles. I like the diamond the best, but it is the pricier of the 2. I am planning to run a header of 2" tape at the top to keep everyone away from it as much as possible. Thanks for your tips![/QUOTE]

My family and now, myself, have been using no-climb for at least 60 years. I have no preference for diamond or rectangles. However, if you are fencing a smaller area holding multiple horses, I would probably go with the diamond. It’s more likely you’ll have a horse bounce off the fence than you would in a larger field. I would also use the diamond for side-by-side runs off stalls.

I use a board top and bottom and bring the fence to ground, but I installed fencing with foals in mind. I also strung hot wire using 5" extender insulators about six inches down on each post to keep the horses away from the fence.

[poltroon]

Oh, and make it tall. COTH folk taught me I needed at least 5’ and they were very right. At that height, the horses can’t comfortably put their heads over which saves a lot of wear and tear on the fence.

Adding hotwire is a good idea, though; my horses like to itch on it and there is a section they’ve dented.

[fordtraktor]

I don’t mean to piggyback on OP’s thread, but I was contemplating installing this in the future and was wondering whether it gets totally ruined if a tree or something falls on it, or if it “bounces back” from that kind of accident OK. My farm has no trees in the pasture by is ringed with them, and I don’t want to install this if it is going to be a nightmare to fix after a tree falls on it which at some point one will. Compared to, say, Ramm fencing.

[IFG]

Love my non-climb. I ran it to the ground. I don’t like the idea of any space under it for a leg to get caught. The one spot where I had a small gap between the ground and the fence, my horse managed to get his foot caught and take off his shoe. I also was convinced to go with 5’ by COTH wise folk. So glad I did. I have electric along the top. I have had a tree fall on it in a large storm, and it held the tree. LOVE my fence.

[trubandloki]

[QUOTE=fordtraktor;7890584]
I don’t mean to piggyback on OP’s thread, but I was contemplating installing this in the future and was wondering whether it gets totally ruined if a tree or something falls on it, or if it “bounces back” from that kind of accident OK. My farm has no trees in the pasture by is ringed with them, and I don’t want to install this if it is going to be a nightmare to fix after a tree falls on it which at some point one will. Compared to, say, Ramm fencing.[/QUOTE]
Not a tree in my case, just a difficult mare with a nasty kicking habit who annihilated a whole section of fencing.
It is metal so it bends and stays bent.
The good part is since the connections on real no climb are twisted and not welded it is pretty easy to reshape the fence and have it look OK and be functional. It will never be 100 like it was before but it is safe (if nothing snapped and broke).

Other than being difficult to install (must be stretched evenly, etc) real no climb is amazing stuff and I was very thankful for it when the above mentioned mare totally entangled herself in a section. Lots of fence bent, mare just had a couple scratches since the twisted connections just slid and moved, no breaking with sharp spots.

[IFG]

[QUOTE=trubandloki;7890610]
Not a tree in my case, just a difficult mare with a nasty kicking habit who annihilated a whole section of fencing.
It is metal so it bends and stays bent.
The good part is since the connections on real no climb are twisted and not welded it is pretty easy to reshape the fence and have it look OK and be functional. It will never be 100 like it was before but it is safe (if nothing snapped and broke).

Other than being difficult to install (must be stretched evenly, etc) real no climb is amazing stuff and I was very thankful for it when the above mentioned mare totally entangled herself in a section. Lots of fence bent, mare just had a couple scratches since the twisted connections just slid and moved, no breaking with sharp spots.[/QUOTE]

Yes, where the tree fell on the fence (and stayed for hours until I could safely go out in the storm and remove it), it is a little bent over, but it is completely functional and held the horses. If I really cared, I could straighten it some more, but it is perfectly functional as is, and I have footing to fix. The joys of having your horse at home.

[SMF11]

[QUOTE=IFG;7890616]
Yes, where the tree fell on the fence (and stayed for hours until I could safely go out in the storm and remove it), it is a little bent over, but it is completely functional and held the horses. If I really cared, I could straighten it some more, but it is perfectly functional as is, and I have footing to fix. The joys of having your horse at home.[/QUOTE]

This was my experience as well.

[SMF11]

[QUOTE=chicamux;7890222]
If you don’t put it all the way to the ground the smaller dogs can get under it. But the frigging vine thing, hiney suckle. morning glories, etc, can be a real headache and those will reach upwards for your fence any how.
chicamuxen[/QUOTE]

Yes, this! I don’t care about long grass growing up, but the honeysuckle, dratted multiflora rose, jimson weed and other random vines are the problem. Certainly if you let the multiflora run rampant it will end up destroying your fence.

[cowboymom]

If I went to the trouble to put up woven wire around our pasture I’d definitely make it touch the ground to discourage dogs/coyotes. I’m another one that wouldn’t worry much about the grass growing in the fence and the ones I’ve seen here that did worry just used herbicide under the fenceline.

If you use squares you can sometimes have just enough room to stick a toe in right by the staple on a post and get enough stability to jump over the fence. Otherwise, you have to go around!

We’ve had it in pastures and some animals really do rub on it and can ruin the shape. My goats turned one chain link fence into a chain link tube by rubbing on it so much. Hot wire would fix that but if I had hot wire I wouldn’t need so much chain link!

[TrotTrotPumpkn]

I have 2"x4" no-climb. I actally put it up first to keep my dogs out of the pasture, before I realized the tape, being hotter than hot, would do that well enough alone. So that’s all I did. I just have about 150’ of it. I went 10’ apart on wood posts and I wouldn’t go further–it is a very heavy fence. Yes it is harder to install, particularly if you have varied terrain. I would not have it if I didn’t have a hot wire on it (I have tape at the top and 2’ from the ground). I don’t need them rubbing on it or catching a shoe. I have heard of significant injuries with horses catching shoes, so keep that in mind. Maybe diamond mesh would be better in that regard??

I’m not particularly worried about coyotes and other people’s dogs I guess. I have big dogs peeing all over all the time (scent) even though they aren’t outside unless I am. I also have a standard and a mini donkey in there along with a big warmblood, so they would have to be pretty motivated to die.

I went about 8"-12" high off the ground and still have a huge problem with the viney weeds growing into the fence. I should have gone a bit higher (but I only wanted a 5’ high fence)–there are some spots I cannot mow under and have to weed wack or use a push mower. Also weed wacking a whole fence line sucks, imo. I also spray it with roundup. We just had ideal growing last summer and it was a lot of maintenance. This little section took me twice as long as the remaining 2 acres of fencing.

Also, I like being able to slip into a fence without having to go all the way around, so plan your gates carefully.

It is a great fence though. Just mentioning what I don’t like. I’ve been to farms where they didn’t stretch it tight enough and after a few years it looks like h$ll so really focus on your bracing.

Oh and this seems obvious, but don’t use it on an area that may flood.