Tips and tricks for installing chain link fencing?

[Romany]

What it says in the title! We need to fence the yard soon for new dogs and I’m buying the chain link required in the next couple of days.

Would greatly appreciate any hints, tips, wish-I’d-dones and so on for installing the fence.

One is a wee short ass, the other a bit gimpy, but taller. Is 4’ enough, or do we need to go with 5’? They’re not going to be left out there on their own much, it’s more a safe way to contain them so they’re not always on the lead. We’re WELL off the road, but, better safe than sorry…

Twotrudoc posted a great website from Hoover Fence which has lots of good info, but any more help would be great.

Fence Catalog | Hoover Fence Co.

[Nezzy]

how high can they jump?

[Romany]

I don’t know! Probably 5’ if we install a 4’ fence, or 6’ if we install a 5’ fence, lol.

[S1969]

I’ve never actually done the installation, but we have had chain link for dogs installed twice.

One - definitely get a tension wire along the bottom. It is much more likely that your dogs will get out under the fence than over. Without a tension wire, they can lean against the chain link until it stretches and/or just squeeze under the floppy middle of a section between two posts.

Two - if you can, put a gate on each side of the yard, or at least, more than one gate. Just makes life easier. I suppose it depends on the configuration of the yard, but we have a gate on all three sides of our chain link fence and we use them all. In our old home, we had two gates - one on each side of the house (fenced backyard only) so that you could get into the yard from both sides.

Three - if possible, have it professionally installed. That way they can really make sure it stretches tightly and is as sturdy as possible. If you are DIY - maybe watch a video or two on youtube and get whatever tools you need to stretch it tight.

Our fence is only 4’ even though I’m sure my dogs could clear it if they really wanted to. But, we don’t leave them out if we are not home, and knock on wood…none have ever thought about going over. (They did push through a double gate once, though, so make sure you test gates and latches thoroughly).

[twotrudoc]

Fence stretchers are inexpensive, but you can always use a really fat neighbor. or hook it up to the lawn mower. My longest run is 38’ so I don’t need one.

Make sure to cement your terminal posts well, just like your horse fencing. Do not fill with cement to the top, keep it at least 4" below the dirt line. If you cement all the way up your posts may “pop” up and ruin your nice level job

Take your time, and the Lowes or Home Depot videos are good and short.

[Romany]

[QUOTE=twotrudoc;7691931]
Fence stretchers are inexpensive, but you can always use a really fat neighbor. or hook it up to the lawn mower. My longest run is 38’ so I don’t need one.

Make sure to cement your terminal posts well, just like your horse fencing. Do not fill with cement to the top, keep it at least 4" below the dirt line. If you cement all the way up your posts may “pop” up and ruin your nice level job

Take your time, and the Lowes or Home Depot videos are good and short.[/QUOTE]

lol at the really fat neighbour! We’re using the tractor to shove T-posts in for the corners, and the chain link posts can slide down over the top of them.

We’re hoping that we’ll only need this fence for a couple of years max, so don’t need the cement.

We’ll watch the Lowes and HD videos tonight - thanks for that tip!

[RobinL]

We had ours professionally installed and EVERY post is cemented. We put drive through gates on both sides of the house as we have a narrow back yard. We didn’t have wire tensioners at the bottom, but had stakes put in where needed to keep the fence from being slipped under. Corgi went under on one side where the ground sloped away from the fence and there was a bunny on the other side.

[twotrudoc]

I was thinking about cementing my 3 line posts, I probably will.

I would have paid someone to do it but when I got estimates back with things like “$1000 to install not including materials” for such a small job (38’ run, two gates, 55 feet of fence total!) I remembered how handy I am with a shovel, level, and cement

[JanM]

Use plenty of wire ties (I think that’s what they’re called), they’re the short piece of wire, with a hook on the end, you loop that on the fence, bend the tie around the top pole, or post, and then secure it around the fence below to secure the fence mesh to the support poles. Wear good heavy gloves for this, or you’ll look like you’ve been mauled by many enraged cats. The wire ties keep the fence secured, and keeps the top and side close to the poles and posts so it’s much stronger.

[twotrudoc]

[QUOTE=JanM;7693834]
Use plenty of wire ties (I think that’s what they’re called), they’re the short piece of wire, with a hook on the end, you loop that on the fence, bend the tie around the top pole, or post, and then secure it around the fence below to secure the fence mesh to the support poles. Wear good heavy gloves for this, or you’ll look like you’ve been mauled by many enraged cats. The wire ties keep the fence secured, and keeps the top and side close to the poles and posts so it’s much stronger.[/QUOTE]

Hog rings :yes: I am using linemens pliers to twist them on.

[Ceylon_Star]

Just speaking from experience working at doggy daycares/kennels, if you can bury the bottom couple inches, it will prevent some of the most determined escapees. If you can’t bury it, try to get it right along the ground so there’s no visible gaps. At the very least, by not giving them the opportunity, it should prevent them getting the idea

If you top the fence with a foot or two that is tilted in at a 45 degree angle, it’ll prevent fence jumping.

Tension is key, and a tension wire at the bottom is completely necessary with chain link used to contain dogs. If it’s not stretched enough and isn’t kept good and tight, a dog will find the weak spot and take advantage :lol: One of the kennels I was at learned that the hard way and I showed up to work one morning to find three dogs who had escaped through a very slightly bowed section of fence. Luckily it was in the indoor run area, and they were contained in the building, but it wasn’t a fun find. Luckily the kennel owner was willing to call in the pros to fix it.

Enjoy your new family members!!!

[twotrudoc]

[QUOTE=Ceylon Star;7693969]

Tension is key, and a tension wire at the bottom is completely necessary with chain link used to contain dogs. If it’s not stretched enough and isn’t kept good and tight, a dog will find the weak spot and take advantage :lol: [/QUOTE]

Yep, I read about it and heard that too. Two of my neighbors had theirs done professionally and neither has tension wire and both have escapees :lol: One had cement even for the line posts, which is great but they cemented up past ground level so the posts have popped up and swiveled a little when we had that freeze a few years back, let’s just say a drunken sailor could walk that sucker.