Temp High Tensile Fence.

[Douglas]

What do you think about this idea? I have an area where I rotate my garden around in, which requires a temporary perimeter electric fence. I keep worrying about the cows getting out (especially when they salivate over the sweet corn) - so I decided to try a hot high tensile single strand with t-post on the corners and pigtails in between, and the end attached to my existing high tensile fence.
So the set up is shaped like a Z and will be reversed next year as the garden is rotated over. To reverse it the ends need to be removable. After spending hours in the hardware store for an idea, I came across grab hooks that fit perfectly over my plastic doughnut insulator. I would permanently attach the hooks to the wire, and I think the weight of the hook would help keep the fence from rolling up when I move it. I will obviously need a couple three kids to help moving two ends when the time comes once a year. I will use a tightner in the middle. What am I forgetting?

 

[dun]

Why not use poliwire or tape? The end on the hot wire being a regular insulated gate handle with the connector going through it and the other end a solid plastic insulated handle.

 

[Ouachita]

Sounds like a plan to me. Similar to what I do, except instead of donuts and hooks at the ends, I had a couple 4 foot lengths of 2" PVC pipe laying around. I just slipped them over the T post, used a handsaw to cut a small groove (so the wire doesn't slip up or down), and made a permanent 3 inch loop at each end with splice sleeves. I place my ratchet type tensioner at the end; what's the advantage to placing it in the middle?
I also made a quick disconnect by permanently attaching a length of insulated multistrand wire to the temporary wire, and soldered the other end to clamp which attaches to the permanant hot wire. The clamp is a standard squeeze type hand clamp with insulated handles. I modified the end by cutting one side shorter, and then bending the long side down, so it can't come of the wire without squeezing the clamp. My fence energizer is a quarter mile away and I didn't want to have to shut it off and on evertime I move it, but I'm using mine for pasture rotation, moving every 2-4 weeks.

 

[Douglas]

I am only unhooking it once a year to reverse to the other side of the pasture, so i don't really need a handle.It is not a true Z but the diagonal part of the Z is straight down. Each short side of the Z is a couple hundred feet, which all has to be moved once a year. This way last years garden can become a winter annual paddock.
Most high tensile guides say to put the tensioner in the middle. For me that is next to the t-post corner which works good.