Must Know T&T’s | Planning Your Fence T&T’s | Installing Posts T&T’s | Product T&T’s
MUST KNOW T&T’s
- SAFETY: Although many options are available to today’s fencing consumer, common knowledge has shown that continuous, plastic coated fence rail has the lowest reported number of injuries to animals and riders.
- REDUCED MAINTENANCE: One of the most significant features with our product is the reduced maintenance cost, with no broken boards, no splintering, no painting or mold treatment required. The rails will not go moldy and grey as with wood and other non-treated products. Our rail is easy to clean with just soap and water!
- WHY ELECTRIFY: Electrifying the fence will train your horses to stay off and away from the fence – protecting both the horse and your investment in the fence! Use Hottop®, Hottop Plus® or Hotcote® for when you want to electrify your fence.
- PAYOUT RAIL: If you do not have a Rail Payout Box the use of a spinning jenny equipped with a 48˝(122cm) plywood disc is recommended. This keeps the product off of the ground preventing possible abrasion by dirt or gravel.
- TOP HORIZONTAL POST OR PIPE: When using a minimum of 2˝(50mm) OD galvanized pipe – make sure you use inverted pipe clamps to attach to posts and to hold pipe in place. This prevents the pipe from compressing into the posts when fence is tensioned.
PLANNING YOUR FENCE T&T’s
BEFORE FENCE: Ensure that you plan the installation of underground cables and pipe lines in conjunction with earth moving equipment. Often the equipment used to lay these services operates more freely before the fences are erected.
It is a Federal Law to notify all utilities (OneCall) prior to any construction. Check with local authorities code regulations or necessary permits.- MARK OUT AND MEASURE UP: We suggest that you get an armful of stakes and go out and mark out where you want fences and gateways. An added string line assists in the visual placement of the fence. Measure-up, draw a rough sketch and write down the measurements. Now you can contact your supplier for suggestions and an estimate.
INSTALLING POSTS T&T’s
- USE A POST DRIVER SYSTEM: These are recommended for most installations. It is easier, quicker and provides a better installation than hand setting. If hand setting, make sure to measure (using a tape measure) the depth of the hole, set post then either tamp well in stable soil or if unstable soil use dry concrete mix.
- TO STOP END POST ROTATION:
– Drive Longer Posts or
– Set Posts In Concrete or
– Attach Angle Iron to Sides of Post Before Driving - PROPER END POST LEAN: There should be one inch of lean against the pull of the wires from the top post, 4.5’(1372mm) to the ground line prior to tensioning the fence. Use a 4´ (1220mm) level, torpedo level or plumb-bob to assist. If too much lean then keep lighter tension on the brace cable. Remember once there is tension on the end post it is impossible to retighten ANY brace cable or brace wires, without letting off tension on the fence first.
Guidelines:
– If no lean – tighten brace as much as possible
– If 1˝(25mm) lean – make brace just taut
– If over-leaning – leave brace loose - ENDS & CORNERS ARE THE FOUNDATION TO A WELL BUILT FENCE: A solid foundation means a safer, stronger, longer lasting, better looking fence. Remember this when thinking about posts: Bigger • Deeper • Longer • Stronger.
- FENCE SIGHT LINE: A fence sight line is the visual look of the top of the posts. You should never have a one post rise or a one post dip in order to have a smooth (or rolling) sight line, the bottom coated wire height may have a plus or minus of 6˝(159mm). For more information click to download How to Mark Posts.
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POSTS – KEEP THEM IN LINE!:
– Keep them in a line 1/2˝(12mm) back away from a guide line
– When looking down the fence line – posts should resemble a straight line of soldiers. No one out of line – front or back – and all straight with each other.
PRODUCT T&T’s
SPOOLERS
- SQUARE THE SPOOLER: Square the spooler (with a speed square) to the rail before tensioning.
- HAND TIGHT: Make sure rail is hand tight before final tensioning with spooler.
- USE PROPER TENSIONING EQUIPMENT: For a One Man Operation Use Our Extended Handle Ratchets [available in 2˝(51mm), 4˝(108mm), 5˝(133mm) and 6˝(159mm)]
- USE PROPER TENSIONING TECHNIQUES:
– Pull the handles toward you, don’t “push away” from you. Please be careful.
– Always allow enough rail for one full rotation of the spooler before becoming taut. Less than one rotation may cause damage or breakage.
– Don’t over-tension the rail or tension a spooler on a taut fence.
– One person can push on the Extended Handle with their side (above hip) while placing the locking pins
– When tensioning with two people – one person should ratchet while the other assists with the alignment and to lock pins in place.
- SPOOLER PLACEMENT:
– It is more technically correct to use spoolers near both ends of the fence because it is the end assemblies that move and cause the loss of tension.
– For short sections of fence, attach the fence rail at both ends before spooling. It is not as economical to have spoolers at both ends of a very short fence. One spooler in the middle is acceptable.
– For short sections of fence, attach the fence rail at both ends before spooling. It is not as economical to have spoolers at both ends of a very short fence. One spooler in the middle is acceptable.
– For a neat appearance, rotate all spoolers in the same direction and install them so they line-up vertically one above the other. Locate approximately 18˝(450mm) from a line post.
- NUMBER OF SPOOLERS
– The more friction, the more spoolers will be required. Corner posts, very slight ups and downs and slightly misaligned brackets will make sliding the rail difficult. A good rule of thumb is to use one spooler for each accumulation of 90 degrees of elevation or directional change – or, one spooler for every 330′(100m) of fence.
– If additional spoolers are needed, simply add a 2-Piece Spooler or unbuckle the rail, add a Spooler and re-buckle. Always allow enough rail for one full rotation of the spooler before becoming taut. Less than one rotation may cause damage or breakage.
BRACKETS
- BRACKET PLACEMENT: Place bracket on tangent of post and rail. If the bracket is off center it will pinch or bind the rail when tensioning.