Replacing washed out fencing is one of many tasks farmers and ranchers impacted by spring floods worked to complete this summer. While replacing missing sections tops the priority list, before winter, landowners may also need to take a closer look at fence still standing.
“Don’t use a square post. Round posts with all their growth rings intact have the strength of the tree,” Taylor explains. Based on nearly 30 years’ experience, he also recommends using brace pins instead of notches to hold the brace together.
While inspecting the fence line, Taylor says to keep an eye out for sediment, grass and other debris which flood waters may have washed up onto the fence. “I had customers tell me after the flooding, they had to dig their fences out. Get all dirt and debris off the fence,” Taylor explains. This allows the wire to “breath” and prevents corrosion.
Coatings are another way to prevent rust. “If cattle producers have sections they still need to replace, consider investing in wire with protective coating. A class 3 or Zinc-aluminum-coated, high-tensile fencing requires less maintenance year-to-year,” Taylor says.
Coatings prevent corrosion because they contain another metals, like zinc or aluminum, explains Taylor, who spent the first years of his career with Bekaert working on the manufacturing floor. “These metals keep the fence from rusting because they will give themselves up to protect iron and steel.”
Another tip Taylor provides to prevent corrosion—don’t reuse rusty posts. “The worst thing you can do is use a rusty post. If a new fence is touching a rusty post, the rust on the post will begin to corrode the fencing wire,” he says.
If a T-post is rusty, Taylor says best practice is to replace it or paint it with a cold galvanizing spray or brush-on product. If you’re buying new, Taylor says producers will get the most value for their dollar with galvanized posts.
Fixing fence is labor-intensive. With all the other tasks that need to be wrapped up before winter, Taylor suggests producers who still have washed out or damaged sections left to repair or replace, speed up the process with Gripple technology.
To get more maintenance tips or to watch a video demonstrating how Gripple technology works, visit https://fencing.bekaert.com/en/bekaert-fencing-system/gripple-and-bekaert. And, to help determine how much material is needed to replace or repair a fence, Taylor encourages fencers to try out Bekaert’s online fence calculator, which can be found at https://fencing.bekaert.com/en/fencing-calculator.
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