DEER FENCE INSTALLATION: EARLY STEPS 6
EARLY STEPS, CONTINUED Deer Fence Corners: Earth Anchors and Corner Braces
Use suitable trees as the posts at deer fence corners wherever possible. Lacking trees, you need some sort of corner brace (item 15-06) or a heavy-duty earth anchor (item 16-11) with a heavy wire or cable. The earth anchor system can be used effectively with any corner post set in a concrete footing (following the method described below for corner brace posts). This earth anchor system is appealing because all you have to do is run a heavy metal wire designed for outdoor use (item 02-07HT1) between a secure point on the fence system and the end of the earth anchor. To do this, first secure the earth anchor in the ground at a place beyond the corner post at a point halfway between the two imaginary paths that the incoming fence lines would follow if they both extended beyond the corner post in a straight line. Ideally, this place where the earth anchor enters the ground should be 8 feet away from the corner post if space permits, though this distance can be shortened to as little as 3 feet if property lines or other issues intervene. The earth anchor should be screwed into the ground at an angle, using a bar through the hole in the earth anchor for leverage, so that when you are done the earth achor points toward the top of the corner post. With a wooden corner post, proceed as follows: If the post is square or rectangular, set it so that one of its sides faces the earth anchor. On the opposite side of this post, 3 or 4 inches down from the top, pound 3 two-inch u-nails (item 17-01) four-fifths of the way into the wood. (Also do this if the post is a round wooden post.) These u-nails should be spaced an inch or so apart from one another and should be oriented sideways, like three croquet wickets in a line, so that a wire can pass through them. Then string one end of your heavy wire (item 02-07HT1) through the hole in the end of the earth anchor, up through the 3 u-nails, and back down toward the earth anchor. Next pass the two ends of this wire (heading in opposite directions) through a small gripple (items 16-05 and 16-05A) and pull the wires taut manually or (better) with a gripple tightening tool (item 16-04) until the wire running from the earth anchor to the post and back is tight. If the post is a round metal post (angle-iron posts do not make good corners), bolt a brace band on securely at the top of the post with the bolt opening facing outward toward the earth anchor. Run the heavy metal wire (item 02-07HT1) from the earth anchor up between the post and the bolt and back down toward the earth anchor, and join the two ends of the wire (as above) with a small gripple (items 16-05, 16-05A, 16-05B). If there is no room to place earth anchors outside your deer fence, you may need to use corner braces (item 15-06). These consist of a corner post and two supporting posts, one supporting post being placed along each of the two incoming sides of the fence. These posts are both set into the ground so that they rise at about a 45 degree angle to a connecting brace band on the actual corner post. Concrete footings are needed by all three posts, for without them it is very hard to make the corner post connections correctly, and the tension from the deer fence’s cable tends to make the risers act as the fulcrums of levers so as to destabilize, loosen, or even unearth the corner post. Thus, concrete footings are really required with corner braces, and also with the end brace system (item 15-07) sometimes used at the end of a fence run. To install a corner brace system, proceed as follows: If you can do so conveniently, start by drilling four three-quarter-inch holes in each of the three nine-foot pipes included in kit 15-06 with an electric drill. Place two of these holes 3 inches from the bottom of the pipe and the two others nine inches from the bottom. These holes, which are desirable but not necessary, will encourage cement to enter the space in the center of each pipe when it is poured into the footing and will improve the cement’s grip on the pipe. Now install the post in a cement footing (see Cement Footings). Once the cement has set, place the two brace bands on the post, arranging them so that the openings are 90 degrees away from one another with each opening pointing toward one of the incoming fence lines. Place one of these bands near the top of the post (at a height of about 6 feet 10 inches) and attach one of the rail ends to it by passing the bolt through one hole in the brace band, the hole in the rail end, and the other hole in the brace band. Then tighten the nut and bolt moderately until the brace band with rail end attached is snugly secure on the post and pointing straight toward one of the planned incoming fence lines. Do the same with the other brace band and rail end, placing this second brace band just below the first (it is all right if the two bands touch) with the opening of the rail end pointing directly toward the other planned incoming fence line. Now take one of the narrower (1 3/8") posts and hold it at about a 45 degree angle along the path of one of the incoming fence lines so that one end of the post touches the ground and the other end passes as close as possible to the rail end that it will ultimately fit into. Measure the distance between the upper portion of this rail end and the high end of the post. Then use a post hole digger, starting at the point where the post touches the ground, and dig a hole at about a 45 degree angle that is at least as long as the distance you just measured. The result will probably look more like a 45 degree trench than a 45 degree hole, but that doesn’t matter; and so long as it has the proper length it does not need to be as deep as the initial hole. Next place rocks around the post so that one end sits all the way up into the rail end and the other is secured firmly in the hole. Again it is important to keep the post as close as possible to the middle of the hole. Do two cement pourings, one of the soupy mixture up to the top of the rocks, and the other of the jelly-like mixture to the top of the hole after the excess water has had a little time to drain out of the soupy mixture. Allow the cement to set as above. You may gently adjust the brace band downward (up to an inch or so) if you need to do this to fully seat the post in the rail end. Then tighten the brace band nut and bolt completely so that everything is tight and nothing can move. Repeat with the second post. This completes installation of the corner brace. Installation of the end brace system is identical, except that the second supporting post, rail end, and brace band are omitted. |
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