# Building a fence that can withstand heavy side loading



## TimMiller (Aug 21, 2008)

Just as the title states, this is what i need to do. I am thinking about building it out of thick aluminum. What is the best design to keep it from flexing side to side, when a cow leans on it?


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## LekoBoy (Aug 21, 2008)

It's not nice to refer to your heavier female technicians that way. 

The deeper the better I always say.


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## Dustincoc (Aug 21, 2008)

TimMiller said:


> Just as the title states, this is what i need to do. I am thinking about building it out of thick aluminum. What is the best design to keep it from flexing side to side, when a cow leans on it?



What show and what type of fence? A Barbwire fence would be braced differently than a wooden fence. What direction side load(perpendicular or parallel to the fence)??


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## lieperjp (Aug 21, 2008)

TimMiller said:


> Just as the title states, this is what i need to do. I am thinking about building it out of thick aluminum. What is the best design to keep it from flexing side to side, when a cow leans on it?



A real cow or a fake cow?

If the answer is fake, how heavy of a cow?

What kind of fence? When I think cow, I think split rail fence (what most of the farms around here used to look like until the invention of the electric fence.) Or you could go really old school and pile rocks around the area... those should support a cow.


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## Van (Aug 21, 2008)

Are we talking real world cow ? Is this on stage ? I'm confused.:neutral:


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## Van (Aug 21, 2008)

Well in that case..... I'd do 8" diameter schedule #40 pipe at that corners of the area you want fenced. You need 6' below grade and 4 ' above grade. than you can drill holes every 18" insert stainless cable then run the length of the side. If your bent on using aluminum then insert a 10' length every 8 ' 6' deep. kep a consistent hole pattern every two poles put a "come-along" on the cable and tension it then swedge a stop crimp onto the load side of the cable next to the pole so it carries the tension, belive me it's easier to tensiona a fence every couple of poles than it is to do it at the end of a 400' run.
BTW that gonna be a really expensive fence.


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## bobgaggle (Aug 21, 2008)

if you're making a chute for the cows, you can put some angle braces on the outside of the fence. If not, you want to sink your posts deeper and maybe put in concrete footers. 

I gotta say, this is really confusing.... maybe he's doing an outdoor show set on a farm? that has live animals? Noah's ark re-enactment?


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## cdub260 (Aug 21, 2008)

Van said:


> Are we talking real world cow ? Is this on stage ? I'm confused.:neutral:



I saw three cows fighting on the hillside across the street from my condo yesterday. I don't know what the one cow did to get the other two so ticked off, but they sure were going after it.


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## jwl868 (Aug 21, 2008)

Maybe it's a fence for a table saw.....

(But then you have to get the cow to wear the goggles.)


Joe


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## LekoBoy (Aug 21, 2008)

cdub260 said:


> I saw three cows fighting on the hillside across the street from my condo yesterday.


I thought California only had Happy Cows?


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qd8-zfIlDwY


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## Van (Aug 21, 2008)

They say that Missouri cows' right side legs are shorter than the left side 'cause they're alway standing on hills.


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## Serendipity (Aug 22, 2008)

LekoBoy said:


> I thought California only had Happy Cows?


Watch out, the servers at native foods will inform you that they're unhappy cows, forced to consume growth hormones and whatnot. I believe the company with those commercials was sued.  


cdub260 said:


> I saw three cows fighting on the hillside across the street from my condo yesterday. I don't know what the one cow did to get the other two so ticked off, but they sure were going after the it.


After the it? (Only pointing it out because you said you'd like to have your grammatical errors acknowledged.)

Edit: "_Last edited by cdub260; Today at 12:35 AM. Reason: Extra The_" beat me to it!


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## cdub260 (Aug 22, 2008)

Serendipity said:


> Watch out, the servers at native foods will inform you that they're unhappy cows, forced to consume growth hormones and whatnot. I believe the company with those commercials was sued.
> 
> 
> After the it? (Only pointing it out because you said you'd like to have your grammatical errors acknowledged.)
> ...



So, were you working on your scathing critique of my grammar while I was editing the extra "the" out of my post? Could we pull this off again if we tried?


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## Serendipity (Aug 22, 2008)

cdub260 said:


> So, were you working on your scathing critic of my grammar while I was editing the extra "the" out of my post? Could we pull this off again if we tried?


No idea, but it's getting creepy.
And I wasn't scathing, I was just observing.


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## cdub260 (Aug 22, 2008)

Serendipity said:


> No idea, but it's getting creepy.
> And I wasn't scathing, I was just observing.



You missed a golden opportunity to catch me in another error, but once again, I already corrected it. You're slipping 'dip.


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## Serendipity (Aug 22, 2008)

cdub260 said:


> You missed a golden opportunity to catch me in another error, but once again, I already corrected it. You're slipping 'dip.


Oh, yes, I'll just have to stalk your every post to catch your typos as I have nothing better to do... 
I'm going to sleep.


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## TimMiller (Aug 22, 2008)

Real fence, with real cows. I am talking modular fencing, so you can make a chute. We just picked some up at auction that is made with a piece of 1" square tubing on each side, with about 4 runs of 1" pipe going horizontal. The fence is about 4' tall. I was wondering if there was a good way i could maybe make it out of aluminum to make it rust proof, but it needs to hold cows pushing on it. I was thinking about getting a price on an aluminum pipe, something like what is used to build trussing. I think it will hold plenty, you could probably rig off of it, but i wasnt sure if any of yall had ideas on how to build one.


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## jwl868 (Aug 22, 2008)

Joking aside now:

Is there a state agricultural department to contact. Or maybe they have that type of information on a website. But with metal railing/fence the choice of aluminum over steel is a pay-me-now or pay-me-later question. You may want to consider how long this fence has to be in place. A good paint job on steel pipe will last a long time.


Joe


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## hillbillyfunk (Aug 24, 2008)

I am guessing that you need something like this 

dont' waste time on aluminum fence, cows love to rub and scratch on things and the aluminum is too soft unless you wrap barb wire around it to keep them off they will destroy it.. unless you get Dexter Cattle.




Charc said:


> You really should post a disclaimer on that video.
> 
> I'm not an animal activist or vegetarian or anything, but there is just something a little disconcerted about the last moments of life of a severed goat's head, looking around, blinking, and flapping its ears.



there is? I got chased by a headless chicken when I was 3 but I though he was trying to attack me.

death is life, even vegetarians and vegans kill to live.


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## gafftaper (Aug 24, 2008)

So back to the topic!!!

So I'm still confused do you just want a temporary chute that you can set up and take down to get them from the field to the truck? Or are you trying to set up a whole pen like in Hillibilly's picture? 

My wife's got some old friends who have beef cattle. Their fences are simple wood posts with barb and electric wire all the way around. I can't think of a cheaper way to do it. As for a loading and unloading chute to get them on and off trucks it's a seriously heavy duty strong permanent structure with a ramp that comes right out of the back of the barn.


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## Van (Aug 24, 2008)

Honestly Tim I think you'd be further ahead if you hustled on down the local " Farm and Ranch" store, or CO-OP and picked up regular old modular chute fencing like in the picture above. Aluminum is expensive, it's nasty to work with and it's toxic as Hell when you're welding it. The amount of time, money, and labor invested in a custom aluminum fence, you could probably have twice as much standard modular fencing. As a matter of fact I think in the last flyer I got from Coastal Farm and Ranch they were having a sale on that stuff. 

" Well I've rustled some cattle,
and tended some sheep,
But my Main concerns been 
Rappin' to the beat, 
Dah-ha, dah-ha, Dah ha-ha,
ha-ah-ha."
- Rappin' Duke


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## TimMiller (Aug 26, 2008)

i was thinking the same thing as far as cattle rubbing against the fence. This is for a permanent chute. I know once i take the actual chute off the trailer its not going any where any time soon. I am in the process of rebuilding it an powder coating it. I was thinking if i got some really think aluminum pipe then i could probably make a good fence, but i am able to get some 21' sticks of 2" square tubing for around 20 bucks a stick and 1" square tubing for around 10 bucks a stick, so aluminum would be hard to beat that, especially since i can blast and powder coat. As far as just buying fence the stuff from tractor supply is worthless. It only lasts several years before it begins to fall apart.


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## jwl868 (Aug 26, 2008)

Why coat the alumimum - after all, it is corrosion resistant? (or is there an aesthetic issue.)

Is that aluminum tubing or pipe? I'm guessing, but I can't imagine that tubing has the strength to hold up to a large animal like a cow.


Joe


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## cdub260 (Aug 26, 2008)

jwl868 said:


> Why coat the alumimum - after all, it is corrosion resistant? (or is there an aesthetic issue.)
> 
> Is that aluminum tubing or pipe? I'm guessing, but I can't imagine that tubing has the strength to hold up to a large animal like a cow.
> 
> ...



Aluminum may not be as prone to corrosion as steel, but it still oxidizes. It simply is not as obvious as rust since aluminum oxide is white as opposed to, well, rust colored.


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