Home Forums Miscellaneous Topics Rural Living Who uses high tensile electric fence?

I've never used it or built with it. I've built a lot with barb wire and normal (low tension) electric below and between strands for goats. Will be fencing in a small section and I'm going to give high tensile electric a try mainly because someone gave me a bunch of it. After researching it a little it should be a good fit for what I need.

I'll be using fin tube insulators on wooden posts at corners and bends. I'm mainly curious about ending runs at bends in the fence or simply going around the bends and terminating at final corners. Just looking at examples I've seen it done both ways.

Any input on things to do or not do are welcome. Thanks....

I've only done one so far. A couple years ago I redone my horse fencing with wood posts and high tensile. Corners are something like 8-10" and 5-6" line posts. I drove them all and was strongly advised not to use the tube type insulators. So I used 2 different types of screw in insulators from Gallagher. One is a standard type that attach with 2 screws. Those are really easy to replace should one break. The other type is a little ring type that screws in. I believe I prefer the type that goes in wiTh 2 screws. I used the white "bullnose" insulators again from Gallagher in all my corners and where I start and finish. It's a very strong design.

I was advised by a long time fence builder against the tube type because he said over time in the element they can break down and start to ground out. Those type are harder to replace/redo and locate where the problem is. I have had to replace some of my insulators already by horses getting hung. You can never underestimate a horses will to kill themselves...lol. I thought with new fence and 2 out of 7 strands hot I'd never have a problem. I don't have many problems at all but every so often one will leave me scratching my head.

I appreciate the input. I had no knowledge of the tube insulators breaking down so I probably would have been irritated a few years from now. I'll go with the heavier bullnose insulators on bends and ends. Thanks!

they make a tube type that is about 18 inches long for the ends and corners. I built in '96 and all the original tube type for the single posts have broken but the corners are as good as new. a few fin types were used a few years later and the fin types are holding up so far. replaced the broken tubes with screw on.
make sure you ground the fencer well. and you do want to double brace the ends and corners.

if you have a lot to do buy the post driver and sell it when finished- be happy. you wont believe how fast and easy it is to drive posts with a good driver.
the one problem is you need to be driving posts now. in the summer they don't drive well.

Man, I hated doing high tensile. Hard to cut, and I had the ratchet tightener things come apart on me under tension a couple times. But when it's up and good it's good stuff.

Finished up all of the runs this morning. Still have to jump each strand so they will all be hot and bury an insulated line to tie it in to current fence. I ended up using the reinforced end corner tubes (because I got them free) and putting a wrap of plastic edging under them for extra insulation. On 3 sides I put 5 hot lines. 4th side already had 6 strands of barb wire so it only got 2 strands, one below the lowest barb wire and one between the lowest and second strand of barb wire. This is for goats (and a few cattle). Very clean and very nice....I like it. Used about 1/2 the metal posts I would normally use with barb wire and low tensile electric. Corners were H braced same as I normally do.

Was a major pain to pull the used wire...... After I finally ran out of the used stuff, the new wire on a spinner was so easy I couldn't believe it.

I'll probably replace a lot of the low tensile electric that I have between strands of barb wire with this. The tension will help avoid the problem of deer going through and occasionally grounding it on the barb wire.