Mix of fencing…I have pine boards…they do eat when they are fresh…buy extra and let them age and use to replace bad boards. I flip the munched on boards and let them eat them from the bottom. When those are et through I use the aged pine boards…if you use a fresh board they will go at them. For the most part the fence has electric…electric is your friend. But where it was too complicated to electrify…around the waterer they do eat some of the boards. PatO
[QUOTE=Lord Helpus;7904253]
I am a real traditionalist when it comes to horse pastures. And I guess I am a fencing snob. too. 
If I see boards on the outside of the posts I think “There are some more newbies moving to the country without knowing/caring why things are done the way they are.”
But that is just me. 
PS: A strip of wood whch is attached to a post to hide seams is a ‘batten’[/QUOTE]
I was going to say the same thing
This fence is something over 25 years old now, and still looks good. Those Leyland Cypress are 40 feet tall, but we’ve lost some of them to some disease. I wish I had just planted Red Cedars there. The view of that house, is now blocked.
It’s treated 2x6s on 4x4 posts, with the old type of pressure treating.
Any plastic fence looks like plastic to me. We have split rail on the front side of the pastures.
[QUOTE=Lord Helpus;7904253]
I am a real traditionalist when it comes to horse pastures. And I guess I am a fencing snob. too. If I see boards on the outside of the posts I think “There are some more newbies moving to the country without knowing/caring why things are done the way they are.”
But that is just me.
PS: A strip of wood whch is attached to a post to hide seams is a ‘batten’[/QUOTE]
I’m a fencing snob also. I don’t care if I have to do some R&M from time to time. “Low and or maintenance free” used with farm is an oxymoron IMO. To me using plastic on a farm is the same as using “plastic” when renovating/remodeling old and or historic houses. Wood develops “character” with age.
In my neck of the woods they are referred to as “face-boards” not battens. They were/are used to give a “finished look” but more importantly to keep the fence boards from popping out. Which they did a good job of. We used to “cap” the tops of the posts that were cut at an angle with a cut-off piece of the face-board and or fence boards also.
Biggest “tip off” to me is when I see a big, shiny, fancy new mailbox. Anyone that grew up and or has lived in the country for a while knows these are like a “red flag to a bull” for country boys.
[QUOTE=Tom King;7905804]
This fence is something over 25 years old now, and still looks good. Those Leyland Cypress are 40 feet tall, but we’ve lost some of them to some disease. I wish I had just planted Red Cedars there. The view of that house, is now blocked.
It’s treated 2x6s on 4x4 posts, with the old type of pressure treating.
Any plastic fence looks like plastic to me. We have split rail on the front side of the pastures.[/QUOTE]
Looks like a nice place. Nothing beats a water view. Thought about upgrading to post pictures easily. But they are not much bigger then “thumb nails”. Hard to see any detail.
All right, boards on the inside! Because I don’t want to be judged and found lacking when you guys drive by. 
I fear it will be rounds not square. I’m planning to hire these posts pounded (we’ve augured and set everything else ourselves. The battens should help with the reduced face I hope (really it’s all hot, so that will do the most). I was thinking 5" x 8’ CCA posts. I have access to the new micro-whatever treatment, CCA and even creosote (really expensive, not to mention nasty).
The problem with round posts is the board has no “surface area” to be held “fast” to. Just where it is nailed/screwed. So there is there is little to no “contact” surface area which allows the boards to twist/warp over time. Verses a 4X6 post that gives 2.5+“X 6” (width of board), 15sq inches of flat surface to nail and “hold” against. At least this has been my experience.
The other problem with round posts given the above is you have to be pretty exacting when laying out. Because there is little to no “room to move” and if the posts are not spaced exactly there is a very good chance your boards are going to come up “short” when you lay it up to the post from time to time. The 16’ oak boards I use pretty much always have an extra inch+ which is generally the case with rough saw from a mill/fence supply. So if yours are the same that will give you a bit more leeway. Round post are generally only used with wire fencing. But I have seen them used on a lot of older farms in KY, but they are pretty massive. Half rounds can be had in a lot of places. In the end you have to go with what you can get. But IMO if it a “budget” issue based on my experience using/installing standard size round posts, I’d “starve” for a week to come up with the money for 4X6.
4X4 posts work well enough, as used by Tom King. They are rarely used on big farms, especially “commercial” farms. Don’t have the “shear” strength of 4X6. But IMO not much less then. And they are cheaper. To me it’s more of a “visual” they look “skinny” and out of proportion to the size and scope of a fence line. I would not use them on a taller than average fence height because they lack the shear strength of a 4X6. A friend of mine got that T-shirt.
There are 2 reasons to put the boards on the inside. Horses can and will lean on the fence. So boards placed on the outside can and will be far more prone to coming loose, popping nails. Screws will hold better but the boards can and will break/split where they are secured. The other reason is the “knocked knees effect” with some horses that “run” the fence line and hit/rub their knees on the posts.
IMO using face/batten boards on round posts will be of little value. Yes, they will give a better “visual” but because you will only be able to nail the center and not a 2 nail pattern on either side they will offer little to no resistance to fence board popping. And because they can only be nailed in the center they can and will twist/warp, come loose and become a maintenance hassle. But if everything is screwed that should buy you a lot of time.
When I put up a fence line it is usually a pretty big one so everything is nailed, considerable time savings using a nail gun. For those without a compressor and generator “gas” nail guns can be had, and or rented. A lot more expensive than an “air” gun, but a lot less than having to buy a compressor also. As I said in my other comment, an Impact Driver is the ONLY way to go when screwing a fence line or anything for that matter. SO much easier and SO much faster than a drill driver. But you will need at least 2 batteries if you want to keep “moving” with no downtime waiting for a battery to recharge. The new 18v batteries last a lot longer and charge faster than ones from 10 years ago but you will be driving a lot of screws.
The biggest mistake I have seen on DIY fence lines is using only 8’ boards. You have to use 16’ boards. If is a 3 board fence, 2 will be 16’ spanning 2 posts and one will be 8’ in the center when starting the line. Then an 8’ at the bottom, 16’ center’, 16’top. Then a 8’top, 16’ center and bottom. Then all 16’ after. This “staggers” the joints so no two boards have “common butts” on one post after starting. This give superior strength to the line and helps things from “moving around” over time.
Putting up a fence looks easy, and if all a person wants is a fence it can be. But if you want a fence that looks good and will stand the test of time with little maintenance it is not as easy as it looks. Especially to get it nice and straight, pleasingly follow the land contour nice rounded corners etc. It is an “art” I’ve put up a lot, pretty good at it but not as good as the “pros” that do it for a living. One of my neighbors is the “go to” fence guy in the tri-stage area. He and his crew of 2 can with a skid-loader pounder, truck put up a mile plus in less than 2 days. I’ve done the math he makes very good money. Guess that’s way he can spend 2 months in Florida each winter while I’m throwing hay.
As to pressure treated lumber. The “nasty” stuff was phased out a number of years ago. It can still be had but not by the “average” person. In my neck of the woods it can only be had from “specialty” lumber suppliers.
Don’t mean to “preach” to those that know about all of the above, the OP included. As with most of my comments I like to present the “big picture” for those that don’t. All of the above is based on my experience in my neck of the woods, with my “type” of horse operation and available materials.
[QUOTE=TrotTrotPumpkn;7906103]
All right, boards on the inside! Because I don’t want to be judged and found lacking when you guys drive by.
I fear it will be rounds not square. I’m planning to hire these posts pounded (we’ve augured and set everything else ourselves. The battens should help with the reduced face I hope (really it’s all hot, so that will do the most). I was thinking 5" x 8’ CCA posts. I have access to the new micro-whatever treatment, CCA and even creosote (really expensive, not to mention nasty).[/QUOTE]
Lots of good advice and most based on experience, as is mine. So, boards on inside or boards on outside, both a viable option. Either way I’d run a few strands of electric to protect the fence. It’s cheap and easy. Our fence has 4x4s for the runs and 6x6s for the gates with 16’ oak boards. It’s been up over 7 yrs. Haven’t had to replace boards yet and no injuries. We did the work ourselves. One thing I haven’t seen mentioned is cementing posts. Just pour dry concrete in the hole and and finish filling with dirt. Ground moisture will take care of the rest. Even ‘oldies’ will go radical with outside boards. Guess that’s what I am since I grew up on a local farm and never moved. ??. Best of luck with your project!
I have oak boards on the inside of halfround posts.
No regrets.
[QUOTE=gumtree;7905910]
Looks like a nice place. Nothing beats a water view. Thought about upgrading to post pictures easily. But they are not much bigger then “thumb nails”. Hard to see any detail.[/QUOTE]
That picture was small to start with. I don’t remember where the original is. It’s probably 35 mm on paper anyway. I just remembered that picture was on my Wife’s website and pulled it off of there. It’s a thumbnail on that site, that you can click on to get a larger version, but this software here just passed it as the small version only. I’ve started only uploading pictures to forums I’m on that automatically reduce a photo for you.
[QUOTE=fredsaid2;7906594]
Lots of good advice and most based on experience, as is mine. So, boards on inside or boards on outside, both a viable option. Either way I’d run a few strands of electric to protect the fence. It’s cheap and easy. Our fence has 4x4s for the runs and 6x6s for the gates with 16’ oak boards. It’s been up over 7 yrs. Haven’t had to replace boards yet and no injuries. We did the work ourselves. One thing I haven’t seen mentioned is cementing posts. Just pour dry concrete in the hole and and finish filling with dirt. Ground moisture will take care of the rest. Even ‘oldies’ will go radical with outside boards. Guess that’s what I am since I grew up on a local farm and never moved. ??. Best of luck with your project![/QUOTE]
I only use cement on gate posts and posts that can’t be set at least 2 feet deep due to rocks. A 5 acre paddock requires around 250 posts spaced at 8’. That’s a lot of cement and extra work.
Interesting comments on the round vs. square, thank you. I’ve read that round doesn’t rot out as quickly as square, and no one mentioned that, so I thought I would. I can do 4x6" posts (new treatment). I still can get the nasty stuff too–agricultural stores here carry both types still. You can’t buy them at home stores, etc. anymore though. I’m not sure on how the CCA (which only comes round) compares to the MCA - Micronized Copper Azole Home Depot has for 4x6" or Menards has “ground contact” and also “critical structure” levels of treatment with AC2.
I do have a framing nailer and air compressor.
I’m with the wood enthusiasts. There’s nothing like it for lending a fillip of estate-y class to the old rancho. We put up 3-board, stained dark gray to match the bark of the live oaks. Boards are on the horse side, it looks beautiful, and no fatalities in 6 years.
[QUOTE=The Crone of Cottonmouth County;7909241]
I’m with the wood enthusiasts. There’s nothing like it for lending a fillip of estate-y class to the old rancho. We put up 3-board, stained dark gray to match the bark of the live oaks. Boards are on the horse side, it looks beautiful, and no fatalities in 6 years.[/QUOTE]
I feel like that post requires a picture…
[QUOTE=TrotTrotPumpkn;7909281]
I feel like that post requires a picture… :)[/QUOTE]
Here ya go!
[QUOTE=The Crone of Cottonmouth County;7909339]
Here ya go!
https://flic.kr/p/qqfNii[/QUOTE]
Beautiful! How tall is your fence? The three board looks very nice (sometimes I think it looks too far apart between the boards).
One last question–if you use 4x6" which side do you put the boards on–the 6"? More face?
This is a great thread, btw–really good info. I really appreciate everyone taking time to comment.
[QUOTE=The Crone of Cottonmouth County;7909339]
Here ya go!
https://flic.kr/p/qqfNii[/QUOTE]
Lovely!
The new treated wood will rot as fast with concrete around it, about as fast as untreated Pine will in a dirt hole. I only concrete gate posts too, and I have one 4x6 gate post in concrete, that was installed in 2008 that has rotted at ground level, just lately. I’ve had other people tell me the same thing. I’ll make sure I get the old treated kind next time. We can still buy it here to build docks out of.
I have nail guns too. I even used a framer on a fenceline once. About ten years later, the nails started backing out, and we pulled them to replace with screws.
I like Deckmate “star drive” screws sold in BORG, or online.
Expensive, but absolutely the best fence screws around.
Thanks for the compliment.
My fences are 5’ high, and I think the boards are spaced 16" apart starting from the top. Maybe 18. We’d originally planned on 4-board, but ultimately I decided it looked a smidge too busy for our minimalist farm, so 3 boards it was. Also, the wider spacing somehow suggested that it might be easier for a horse to extricate itself should it manage to put a leg or a head through the gap. 5 feet high to discourage my worried herd-bound mare from contemplating an escape vault when I’d take her BFF out. The whole arrangement has worked really well for us.
