Dove Ranch sits in the middle of open range land. What that means is that it is my responsibility to keep cattle off my land, not the cattle owner’s responsibility to keep the cattle contained. I’ve determined I want an all metal fence instead of a metal fence with wooden posts, mostly because of the brush fire risk in Utah. Finally, I realized what I wanted for my ranch is a barb wire pipe fence.
Think of a barb wire pipe fence as a hybrid of chainlink fences and barb wire fences. They’re a little pricy, but very sturdy and fire resistant. Barb wire pipe fences aren’t really documented well on the internet. I’ve searched for months for information, and I finally had to just go look at some to figure out how they’re done.
What I really could have used when I started thinking of creating a barb wire pipe fence was a good set of diagrams with part lists. I’m sure someone that works in the industry could have figured this out in less than a minute, but I’m a newb, so it took me months to figure out. When I started looking at them last year, I didn’t even know the metal posts were simply sold as “pipe.” I did mention I was new to this, … right?
My first challenge was finding a place that could supply all the parts I needed for a barb wire pipe fence. Since cattle may be pushing up against it, I needed some parts that were sturdy enough to slow them down. Nothing is going to stop a determined bull that wants to cross a fence, but a fence that will keep lazy cattle out would be nice. Oddly, Home Depot in downtown Salt Lake City doesn’t specialize in agricultural grade pipe.
I finally came across Hoover Fence online and with the help of their picture catalogs found all the parts I needed. Having them deliver just one pipe is very expensive, so the more pipe ordered at once, the better deal on the shipping costs.
I plan on keeping the terminal posts and the actual gate construction separate, so the terminal posts by the gate will give an extra 3 feet on either side for me to construct the gate. In other words, if the gate is a total of 12 feet wide, then the space between the terminal posts at the gates will be 18 feet.
Here are the parts I’ll need, not including the parts for any gates, fence stays, and the many bags of concrete mix. I’ll deal with gate construction after I’ve finished the fencing. I wouldn’t have minded the larger 6-inch terminal and corner posts, but there is no way I’m dealing with posts that weigh 150 pounds all by myself. The 75 pounders are going to be hard enough to move and set without injuring myself. Besides, once they are filled with concrete, 4-inch posts will be plenty strong and heavy.
4″ x 8′ Terminal & Corner Pipe Posts … http://www.hooverfence.com/catalog/cpage82.htm
2 1/2″ x 8′, Pipe Supports … http://www.hooverfence.com/catalog/cpage82.htm
2 1/2″ Rail end cups … http://www.hooverfence.com/catalog/cpage3.htm
5/16″ x 1 1/4″ NUT AND BOLT … http://www.hooverfence.com/catalog/cpage13.htm
Beveled Brace Bands (several sizes) … http://www.hooverfence.com/catalog/cpage2.htm
Post Caps … http://www.hooverfence.com/catalog/cpage4.htm
12.5 Gauge All Aluminium Barbed wire … http://www.hooverfence.com/catalog/cpage56.htm
Concrete Mix … will buy locally as needed
Fence Stays … won’t worry about buying until main fence is done
I intend to fence approximately 1600 feet facing the roads, and an additional 1800 feet to enclose the future homestead area that I intend to develop into orchards, horse pastures, vineyards and recreational areas. There will be three gates giving access to the enclosed area.
I estimated the price for my full fencing project and it comes out at just over $10,000. So by virtue of cost alone, the barb wire pipe fence has to be a multi-year project. I plan to order parts as I have the money and time to install them.
This is a really smart alternative. I thank you. I will be buying my supplies locally and hauling up to my 36 acre ranch in Northern Arizona, also open range country. Again very much appreciated.