Sucker Rod for fencing

[CHT]

Thoughts on using used (but clean) sucker rod for fencing?

Other options?

Fencing off our back 20 acres if it ever stops raining. Currently is barbed wire with very old posts and is sitting unused. I would like to be able to put horses out there in the fall. Needs to be something that the moose won’t destroy, and less expensive than post and rail. Something that can tolerate a falling willow tree is also ideal. There is little risk of horses being on the other side of the fence: there is deer fence on the one side, an unfenced hay field to the other, and a treed parcel to the back that is unused in the summer.

I used to board somewhere with sucker rod and it seemed to be a low maintenance option, but i wasn’t there long.

[HPFarmette]

Sorry but I don’t know what it is.

[Bluey]

We only have used sucker rod to fill in cattle pens built out of good pipe, between lengths of pipe maybe two rows of sucker rod, safer than cable.

Sucker rod is softer iron and bends easy, I wonder if it would hold up to horses without looking soon all wavey?

[PaulaM]

I had a filly fall through sucker rod fencing… ended up fracturing the spinal processes in her withers… I’ve seen it used successfully other places…

[MGLpony]

We have it in part of the cow yard and I wouldn’t hesitate to use it for horses. However, we have minimum 3 rods horizontal with vertical rods in between to prevent sagging. The horizontal rods are welded to 2inch metal pipes cemented 2.5-3ft into the ground. The one disadvantage is that any repairs will require cutting and welding. If you don’t already know how to do this, there’s always YouTube! Unfortunately, I have no idea on installation costs.

[Jarpur]

Around here, I’ve only seen sucker rod used as fill-in between pipe, similar to Bluey’s description.

For those that don’t know, sucker rod is used in the oil industry.

[clanter]

@Jarpur

Around here, I’ve only seen sucker rod used as fill-in between pipe, similar to Bluey’s description.

For those that don’t know, sucker rod is used in the oil industry.

same here, drill stem for posts and top (and possibly middle and bottom rails) with the sucker rod as filler. Both drill stem and sucker rods were byproduct of drilling for oil, used to be piles of the stuff laying around…until it became popular to built stock fencing with it

[CHT]

Interesting. Perhaps there are different diameters of sucker rod? If I recall correctly, they (the barn I used to be at) just had the sucker rod attached to the fence with brackets. I think the stuff I saw advertised is 1 inch in diameter priced at $12 a rod delivered.

I am not worried about the horses pushing on it as it will mostly be along trees, but if the moose crash it, they might bend it…but other than an 8 foot deer fence, I don’t know what holds up to the moose.