Many lifestyle block owners are more than capable of learning the basics of wood, wire and tape fencing. But, when it comes to farm fencing and rural livestock, there is always something more to learn.
We have been planning, building and repairing fencing across New Zealand for years and we really have seen it all, the good the bad and the ugly and there are some cattle fencing mistakes that are more common than others!
We have been planning, building and repairing fencing across New Zealand for years and we really have seen it all, the good the bad and the ugly and there are some cattle fencing mistakes that are more common than others!
Undersized corner posts
| One of the errors we see the most is fence posts that are either undersized or not deep enough. It can happen with high-tensile, woven and barbed wire. Corner posts should be equal to or greater than the height of the tip wire. Post diameter should be considered too and depends on the strength of the fence. | How to fix it: Keeping corner posts in the ground is the biggest hurdle. One method is to use a bracing system such as a “floating diagonal” bracing system where the angle brace is notched into the main corner post. The other end is set on top of the ground opposite the corner post. |
| Badly spaced posts |
| The rules for electric fencing are different to other types of fencing. It is common for electric fences to have too many posts, which likely stems from people's experience with barbed wire, where the rule of thumb was 1 post every rod length. | How to fix it: In an electric-fencing system, it is recommended posts are 80-100 feet apart, or about 50 posts per 1.5k and to use a “stay” to hold wires up if posts are spaced 100 ft. apart. |
Not knowing your property boundry
| Finding out that your newly constructed fence is in the wrong place can be a costly and embarrassing mistake. Especially if you build on the neighbouring or public property. In this situation you will have to take down the fencing and re-build on your land, as well as the expense of the build, you could also end up with fines for not getting it right to start with. | How to fix it: Ideally this is a problem you should aim to avoid before any construction takes place so you will not need to fix it. Before you do anything you should request a copy of your plans from the council, or get a surveyor to correctly establish your boundary. |
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