Any fence building experts here? We are looking to build on some acreage and are contemplating a cattle panel fence so we can keep the lab, and actually still see the acreage. The obvious question is cost per linear foot, compared to a traditional wooden privacy fence.

And this is a cattle panel fence, if anyone is wondering.

What's your question?

edit: are you asking the difference in cost between cow paneling and a privacy fence?

Yes.

There are a lot more options out there besides privacy and cattle panel.

Have you looked into a single, 3 or 4 rail horse fence with wire fabric between the rails and posts? Keeps the dogs in, lets you see beyond the fence, isn't nearly as expensive as a cattle panel fence.

Single rail horse fence:


3 rail horse fence:

I can tell you one thing, a horizontal board in Texas is not a prescription for longevity. If you're going to do it, make sure it cups down or put a slight pitch on it so that water sheets off. Goes the same for the top of your posts.

I think I would actually prefer to do the cattle panel/treated lumber route if doing it myself. I damn sure wouldn't pay someone to do it, it will be more labor - but materials should be reasonable.

You could always find garden fence (light gauge wire with the hooped top) and just set round treated posts, doesn't look bad.

Built a two piece/panel gate across my driveway and about 20 LF of a fence just like that at my house. It came out super nice and looks great, but it was a lot of work and wasn't cheap. And I didn't even use cedar. I used treated pine, let it dry out several months, then applied a Thompsons water sealer/stain product to it.

Also, if you go to Tractor Supply and see different types of wire mesh panel they offer, there are many different opening sizes with many different names. The one you have pictured isn't called cattle panel. The openings of the wire mesh on cattle panel are like 8"x16" or something like that. The 4"x4" mesh pictured is called utility panel. Then there is also hog panel, horse panel, etc.

Thanks for the good info.

Love it. I have the same fence and have it around my deck as well. Would send pic but don't have that privilege

Why not just build a regular fence using "anti climb" wire?

I'm in a similar boat and planning on building my own top rail fence. I was pricing metal from my local dealer and square tubing was cheaper per foot and wouldn't require me saddling the posts. Any issue using this?

I was thinking either 2.5" or 3" 14 gauge.

14 ga. Is really thin. Its inbetween 1/16" & 1/8". Not real sturdy. What were you thinking about using as posts?

You might consider an invisible fence if it it just to keep the lab in. I have a 3 rail corral fence with wire and still had to install the invisible fence as my lab would dig under, climb over and sometimes jump a 4ft fence.

What about conventional posts and woven horsewire?

Same. I was thinking 8 ft posts buried 3 ft. 10 ft apart. I thought I read that 2.5" 14 ga was similar in "bending" strength to 2" sch 40 pipe. Which I assume is what is normally used.

This would just be for keeping in a couple dogs.

Also sorry for high jacking your thread.

I use either 2 3/8" or 2 7/8" oilfield pipe. Its not that expensive depending on where you get it. On panel fences post spacing depends on what type of panel you prefer. The cheaper cattle panel comes in 8' & 16' sections while the more expensive 4x4 panel comes in 20' sections. So for the cheaper panel I set posts & 8' and on the 4x4 panel I set them @ 10'. That way you land the seems on a post and it looks alot better. In my opinion a 14 ga. Fence just isnt strong enough.

If you use oilfield tubing, make sure that what you buy is weldable... If you plan on trying to weld it.
Not all tubulars can easily be welded.

Maybe ruffneck has a good source, but in my experience, used bare pipe is almost as expensive these days as new galv Sch 40, the sources are unreliable, and as Kenneth said, some of it is so magnetic you cant weld it.

Plus its galv so it looks nice and matches the finish of the panels.

A lot of good info in this thread. What is the cost difference on utility panel vs no climb fabric mesh?

The horse wire (no climb) comes in 100 or 200ft or rarely larger rolls. It's not that expensive. I'm in the process of using several hundred feet of it to face an existing barbed wire fence.

Let me know if you DIY this and I will make trip down to help

proc said:

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A lot of good info in this thread. What is the cost difference on utility panel vs no climb fabric mesh?

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We retail a 200' Stay Tuff class 3 48" no-climb for around $300 a roll, and a class 1 Redbrand for $249/roll, so the cost is at most $1.50/ft

We sell a 48"x20' utility panel for $39.99/sheet, so the cost is $2.00/ft.

Thoughts on the No-Climb horse fencing vs. welded wire fencing of similar dimensions?

ENG said:

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Let me know if you DIY this and I will make trip down to help

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You are awesome. I am months away from a decision point, but I will be sure to stock up on goats if you come down.

frorge said:

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Thoughts on the No-Climb horse fencing vs. welded wire fencing of similar dimensions?

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From a contractor perspective, its a lot easier to do a fence with a woven wire. I personally think it looks just as nice, but people really like the panels, for whatever reason. Believe it or not we get a fair amount of people who know more about fencing than we do and they claim their cattle/horse/goats/dog/cats/insert other small property make believe ranch livestock here will go thru a high-tensile field fence with a breaking strength of 1300 lbs or more, so they need a heavier panel.

Wow, sorry for the poor pic, seems like that's the best I can get right now.

My fence looks exactly like this one & keeps in two horses at 1100 lbs each.

drummer0415 said:

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proc said:

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I will be sure to stock up on goats if you come down.

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Corps_Ag12 said:

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My fence looks exactly like this one & keeps in two horses at 1100 lbs each.

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Where did you buy your "no-climb"?

I can get pipe for anywhere from $.90/ft to $1.40/ft. And ive never gotten any I couldnt weld. If you are talkin about magnetized pipe its a lil complicated but weldable.