Pipe Fencing

[Bree]

So I’m finally redoing my paddocks. When I bought my place a few years ago, the horse paddocks were in pretty bad repair. They are smooth wire and wooden posts. I replaced several of the falling down wood posts with T-posts and put in new smooth wire where needed. So now we are a few years down the road. The wood posts rarely hold staples for the smooth wire and the nails for the insulators on the hot wire. I am constantly picking the staples up out of the pens. The remaining wood posts are rotting out. Basically, it’s time to replace the whole thing.

So I’m in Colorado which means we get pretty good extremes in weather and I’m located more on the plains. The wind can get pretty impressive out here. Last week, I had sustained winds at 50 mph.

I called my fencing guys and had them come out to do some estimates. Originally, I wanted to do something like the centaur or ram flex fence. My fencing guys (who have lived in the area for 50 odd years) indicated that the flex fence will catch in the wind and warp (hadn’t thought of that), I also asked about coated wire fence which is still a possibility. A close friend of mine had brought up doing pipe fence. This is something that my fencing guys can do but the estimate is about $20 k (it’s for about 1200’ of fencing plus 8 gates - never can have too many gates, plus tear down and disposal of the old fence).

That’s about twice my budget but I’m starting to think that it might be the way to go. Definitely more durable than the other options. My horses spend most of their time in the paddocks so it does need to be good fence plus I always have a couple cows (and boy they are hard on fence). This year, I will be buying some weanlings too.

My main question is: how do people feel about the pipe fencing and does this sound like a reasonable estimate. My fencing guys are willing to work with me on payment options. I haven’t really researched this option so I have no idea what costs actually are.

I am planning to get a couple other estimates from other companies but I’ve used this fencing company a few times - they are on time (big plus!!!), complete the work when they say they will and so far everything they have done for me has been quality.

Thanks!

[hosspuller]

[ATTACH=JSON]{“alt”:“Click image for larger version Name: fence.JPG Views: 1 Size: 20.7 KB ID: 10095124”,“data-align”:“none”,“data-attachmentid”:“10095124”,“data-size”:“medium”}[/ATTACH] When you say smooth wire … Are you speaking of High tensile ? I’ve had Hi-tensile with fiber glass line posts for 22 years. Except for the mower and tractor damage, they have held up very well. Falling trees have not damaged it either. The wire is attached to the line posts with SS spring clips. With this system, each wire can be charged or not. (edit to add … Electric AND training is required for all hi-tensile. The fence is more a mental barrier more than physical barrier )

In this pic, two posts & six clips were replaced. The wire was undamaged.

The cost for 1200’ will be way less than $20K

[Bree]

No, my current fencing isn’t high tensile. I guess a better description would be barbless smooth wire. Hi-tensile wire was brought up in our conversation but I also have cows. Cows are much tougher on fences than horses are. The other reason Hi-tensile probably won’t work is that I will have foals at some point (I also have calves). I know several people that have hi-tensile and love it, it just don’t think it will work for my particular situation. Even though it would cost significantly less.

[TheMountainsAreCalli]

We had pipe fencing for all our corrals in CO, catch pens, barn lot, and working alley system. LOVED it. We had a few wild ones down there, fence jumpers and etc. and it was so solid and safe, and clearly visible to wildlife. High tensile and even the small gauge electric tape is invisible to the moose and elk, so we’d have lines to repair every spring from the herds passing through. But no repairs ever on the metal pipe. Never had any injuries due to the metal pipe, but did have two horses (over 5 years) get cast, where they laid down too close, rolled over and were not able to get back up. Both got up with a little assistance from us and suffered no injury.

[Bluey]

That barbless fencing wire, here called pony wire, is useless for cattle, they just walk thru it any time they want.
It is also not very good for horses, if they hit it, according to our vet, that smooth wire does more damage than barbed wire, because a horse feels the barbed wire and don’t seem to know is hitting smooth wire and gets terrible degloving type injuries from it.
All livestock tends to respect barbed wire, but will go thru any fence when in a panic.

For hughe distances, those kinds of wire is really the only sensible way to go, why that is the main fencing in the SW and W, even if not ideal for horses.

We tried a bit of tape and in our windy contry is a no go, no matter what the advertisers promise.
The same with any kind of plastic fencing.

Most anyone that can afford it has some kind of pipe fencing, if only the post out of pipe, if a rail over the top and some kind of wires below or continuous pipe fence like Bob’s Go Pipe, that are not so far from you in OK.
That may even be where your fencing people get some of their stuff:

http://gobobpipe.com/continuous_fence.htm

Pipe fences here last so, so, so much more than wood, that dry rots fast, as you found out, other than cedar fence posts.

We have been replacing some old fences in the horse traps with 2 7/8" pipe posts, 4 1/2" pipe corners and Powder River 16" tube panels.
Those are very pricey, there are cheaper ones out there, but have worked well for us for long time for horses.
If something changes, want to move a fence over or take it out, much easier to move the panels again and pull the posts to set them somewhere else, or sell any we don’t need.
We have some of those panels we have been using in different places now for a good 40+ years, that are still as good as new.
Used good panels sell for almost what new ones do.
Wire mesh like v-mesh or no climb would be cheaper, but take a top pipe and more bracing in corners.
Continuous fence panels or even built on the spot can be cheaper then panels if they source the pipe wholesale.

Do check all kinds of fencing, one will fit just right for your place.

[NancyM]

We had pipe fencing at our last farm. It was not welded together, it was done by my dad and husband. We had wooden posts, which we wrapped in sheet metal. Then the rails were old “green chain rollers” from a saw mill, 5" in diameter, and thick steel 1/4 inch steel, VERY strong. They had rollers with teeth on one end and a peg on the other, both ends of each pipe were cut off, to cut the rail to the exact length between the posts. Then tabs were welded onto each end, to take the bolts to bolt them to the posts. If you are getting a professional job, you are probably getting a mobile welding job with metal posts, which is nice! But you can’t take those rails off without cutting them with a cutting torch, which isn’t a huge deal usually. We did have one horse cast under the bottom rail once, and were at the point of unbolting to remove the bottom pipe, but got him out by turning him over and pulling him out (of the hole he had dug under the fence prior to getting himself cast in it) by the legs. We only got him out this way because he was cooperative about it. Smart horse, even though he had got himself into this situation.

We had horses on either side of this fence, adjoining paddocks. They would play together over the fence, rearing and boxing with each other over the fence. We could have added electric wire to stop this, but found that when they occasionally would hang a leg over the top rail, the rail was such a wide diameter, they would just pull themselves off it, unharmed, no issue with this. New horses may kick the fence ONCE, then not do that again. We used to call that “RING that birthday bell”. Occasionally, a bruise on a hind leg from ringing the birthday bell, not serious.

If you are going to weld it all together with a mobile welding operation, make sure that the rails are thick and strong enough that they can take a beating without sustaining damage. Because fixing damage is going to be an issue. Some of the fanciest farms around do have welded pipe fences, they are “high end”, obviously.

We don’t have steel pipe fences at our present farm. Put in welded wire with a top pole instead in the paddocks, with electric on top set to the inside in each paddock.

[mmeqcenter]

$17/linear ft sounds pretty high to me but, I don’t have any experience with welded pipe fence. I LOOOOOOOVE this stuff and desperately want it on my whole farm. I think they quoted me like $7/linear ft? Then pay someone to put it up or put it up yourself. It does use wood posts though.
http://www.priefertfence.com/ponderosa-fence

[beau159]

For my future corrals, I plan to do pipe fencing. Will hold up under the winter snow and be very little maintenance. And pretty safe for the horses - can’t cut themselves on pipe like they can wire!

[NoDQhere]

We have been building some paddocks using continuous fencing panels. We have a distributor a mile away. It is a panel, without “feet”, 4 bars, 48" x 20’. Everything is round, smooth and galvanized. We are paying a little less than $70.00 for each 20’ section. We hang it on wood posts 10’ on center, and the sections fit together via “tubes”. It looks nice and doesn’t need to be painted. We hang it about 12" off the ground making a 5’ fence. Adding a strip of Horse Guard Electric on top, prevents arguing over the fence

[Simkie]

LOVED the pipe fencing at various boarding barns in Colorado. Would probably have to sell my soul to have it here in CT :lol: If you can swing the $$, and plan on being where you are long term, seems like it might be a reasonable thing to do. That fence isn’t going to need much (if any) maintenance for a loooooong time. :yes:

[Bluey]

@NoDQhere

We have been building some paddocks using continuous fencing panels. We have a distributor a mile away. It is a panel, without “feet”, 4 bars, 48" x 20’. Everything is round, smooth and galvanized. We are paying a little less than $70.00 for each 20’ section. We hang it on wood posts 10’ on center, and the sections fit together via “tubes”. It looks nice and doesn’t need to be painted. We hang it about 12" off the ground making a 5’ fence. Adding a strip of Horse Guard Electric on top, prevents arguing over the fence

The best about such fences, if a horse really hits it hard, the panels have some give to them.
The horse is not as injured as if it hits something really solid that doesn’t give, like real heavy oilfield pipe fences.

Better have a horse not too hurt and replace a bent panel than the alternative.

[CHT]

I used to ride at a barn with all pipe fencing. Mostly great, but if the fence broke, it was harder to fix, and there would be sharp edges.

We were looking at the continuous fence (panels you attach to posts), but I think you need quite level ground…which we do not have.

I do like the smooth wire for horses, if mixed with electric. Without electric they won’t respect it. We bought some that was plastic but have black strips that were electric, but we didn’t find the zap was strong enough to be worth it. In the winter the horses would lean on it. The thick Ram, fencing does sag, but they had a narrower one that I have been told is good.

I wonder if wood posts with synthetic “wood” rails would be more cost effective than welded pipe? Be easier for your to do repairs on as needed, and easier to pull down if a critter gets stuck in/under the fence.

[jetsmom]

We have pipe fencing at our barn. Two rails. Love it. For foals, may need a section of 3 rail, or some kind of no climb, so they can’t go under.

[PeteyPie]

At the place where I board they have welded pipe with V wire. I love it and am very impressed with its durability. The owner installed it over thirty years ago and it is still in great shape. There is almost zero maintenance.

The only concern I would have with it is using it in very cold conditions. I started a thread awhile back asking if anyone in cold weather states had ever had problems with horses getting their tongues stuck to the pipe. One person said her horse got his eyelid ripped off when it got stuck on the cold pipe. Yikes!

Here it is. It wasn’t an eyelid, it was an eye. Ugh. Disturbing:
https://www.chronofhorse.com/forum/forum/discussion-forums/around-the-farm/284799-has-your-horse-s-tongue-gotten-stuck-on-frozen-metal

[clanter]

@PeteyPie

The only concern I would have with it is using it in very cold conditions. l]

Two issues not normally addressed with a drill stem pipe fence are expansion and grounding. There should be slip joints installed on long runs to allow for expansion/contraction similar to bridge deck. Also since usually (around here) the posts are set in concrete thus are insulated for earth grounding the fence itself should be grounded with a bonded earth grounding system. When we were doing airport work we had to ground the fences every 500 feet or if a turn was made.

I have posted this before but I was with friend watching a storm come in and I was telling him about how we were required to ground fences when we saw a lightening strike on his pretty pipe fence about a quarter mile away, next saw one of his horses who was in a corral near the fence fall to the ground… it appeared to have been killed it but after about ten minutes it got up with the ability to only walk to the left… it was several days before it recovered

[Bluey]

@clanter

Two issues not normally addressed with a drill stem pipe fence are expansion and grounding. There should be slip joints installed on long runs to allow for expansion/contraction similar to bridge deck. Also since usually (around here) the posts are set in concrete thus are insulated for earth grounding the fence itself should be grounded with a bonded earth grounding system. When we were doing airport work we had to ground the fences every 500 feet or if a turn was made.

I have posted this before but I was with friend watching a storm come in and I was telling him about how we were required to ground fences when we saw a lightening strike on his pretty pipe fence about a quarter mile away, next saw one of his horses who was in a corral near the fence fall to the ground… it appeared to have been killed it but after about ten minutes it got up with the ability to only walk to the left… it was several days before it recovered

One summer, our neighbor had his bulls across the fence from us.
Big, black bulls.
We had a storm and next morning three were on our side.
There was nothing odd with the fence, not even staples off the posts.
We never could figure where they came thru.
That was a good 60+ years old five wire wood post with wood stays that we had reinforced with a steel post beween each wooden post.
We put the bulls back in their place and let him know.
What you know, over the next two weeks those bulls lost all their hair.
They were hairless big, black bulls now.
Seems that lightning hit the fence, they must have been against it and were knocked over into our side.

Those fences are grounded by the T-posts, but lightning does odd things.
We have pipe fences and metal panel fences and never had any such carry electricity far anywhere.
Metal tends to be better conductor than other.
Electricity going down wooden post fencing is common.
We ground them with a wire going down and weighed with a buried rock every so often.

[PeteyPie]

@clanter that is interesting about the grounding. The expansion seems like something that would be designed for but the grounding issue caught me by surprise. I would have thought the cemented posts were grounded just by the fact that they were in the ground, and I thought the cement would add to that, not take away. Interesting.

[mmeqcenter]

@NoDQhere

We have been building some paddocks using continuous fencing panels. We have a distributor a mile away. It is a panel, without “feet”, 4 bars, 48" x 20’. Everything is round, smooth and galvanized. We are paying a little less than $70.00 for each 20’ section. We hang it on wood posts 10’ on center, and the sections fit together via “tubes”. It looks nice and doesn’t need to be painted. We hang it about 12" off the ground making a 5’ fence. Adding a strip of Horse Guard Electric on top, prevents arguing over the fence

Would love to see photos!

[Bluey]

@mmeqcenter

Would love to see photos!

Here are some of those fences with continuous 20’ panels attached to posts any one way:

http://gobobpipe.com/continuous_fence.htm

We have been using regular whole panels, with legs, because they are easier to handle and move here and there, take apart if we need to, etc.

[mmeqcenter]

@Bluey

Here are some of those fences with continuous 20’ panels attached to posts any one way:

http://gobobpipe.com/continuous_fence.htm

We have been using regular whole panels, with legs, because they are easier to handle and move here and there, take apart if we need to, etc.

Thank you!