FARM STRUCTURE AND MACHINERY

What is a Fence?
It is a physical form of a barrier put up to surround property, animals or crops
for protection.
Reasons for Fencing
Protect crops or property – prevent intruders
To create boundaries and avoid boundary disputes
To control livestock movement and reduce animal straying
Enable controlled breeding
Facilitate rotational grazing
Enable mixed farming to be carried out easily
To add beauty to the homestead (improved ambiance)
Facilitate early planting – keep away wondering animals
Types of Fence
1. Barbed Wire Fence – boundary fence
2. Plain Wire Fence – internal fencing
3. Live Fence – plants inform of hedges – Pride of India, Bougainvillea,
Sisal
4. Electric fence – dairy animals/boundary
5. Diamond Mesh Wire – small livestock
6. Durawall Fencing – homestead
7. Stone Fencing – common in mountainous areas – internal fence
8. Wooden Fence – cattle kraal, orchard, demarcate, boundary
Fencing Materials
1. Straining Posts – wooden/metal/concrete either solid or hollow
- Vary in diameter and length depending on use
- Can be used as corner post, straining posts/standards or gate posts
- Spacing – 400m or at a bend/corner

2. Standards – (timber/metal)
- V, L or Z shaped if metal and round when wooden
- These are placed between straining posts
- Nailed into the soil and 1.2m above the ground and 60cm sunk into the
soil
- Spacing – 14m boundary fence
18m in internal fence
 3. Droppers
- Metal or wooden
- Placed between standards posts to tighten the strands
- Do not touch the ground instead they hang on the strands of the wire
- Spacing – 3.5m apart between the standards

4. Strands four (4) strands of 12 gauge barbed wire with the top strand
not less than 1,2m above the ground
Anchors
- These are supporting structures used to reinforce corner posts and
straining posts in order to make them strong and resist the pull force
exerted during the pulling of wire strands.
- Anchors are put at the corner posts, straining posts or gate posts.
Reasons for Anchoring
- To strengthen corner posts, straining or gate posts so that they do not
follow the pull force during straining of the wire strands.
- Corner posts are anchored in two directions at the corner (90 degrees)
so that the pulling (straining) of wire strands can be done in either
direction (two directions)
Types of Anchors

a. Stay Anchor/Strut Stay Anchor

- Used to support straining posts in position along the line of fence. A
wooden post supports an upright post where the wire is tied, while
pulling is done on the other end of the wire using a wire strainer.
b. Double Box Anchor (wire and wooden strut anchor)
- Constructed along a line of fence. Used when pulling the fence in two
opposite directions. A piece of wood is placed between two upright
posts to give support to the upright straining posts. The wood placed
there is the strut.
c. Double Wire Anchor with Deadman (Diagram)
- It is used to keep the straining posts firmly in position. Wires are used
to anchor or to support the upright straining post. Two wound wire
anchors run in opposite directions from an upright post and are tied to
large stones buried underground (deadman)
d. Corner Post Wire Anchor with Deadman
 - This an anchor in which an upright post is supported by two wires
which are tied on its top then the wires are tied on big rocks which are
buried in the soil.

e. Double Box Corner Anchor

- Used on fence corner to support wire strands running at 90 degrees
from each other. It supports the corner post so that it will not lean
inwards as a result of the straining force exerted on the corner post.

ASSIGNMENT

1. Outline the advantages and disadvantages of the 5 different

anchors

FENCE CONSTRUCTION

1. Pegging Line of Fence

- Measure the length of the land to be fenced and peg the position to be
followed by the fence.
2. Clear bushes and trees along the line of fence
3. Putting corner posts and anchoring
4. Putting Straining Post
- Straining post placed firmly into the ground between corner posts and
are used for pulling the wire.
- Spacing between straining posts is 420m apart
- Straining post must be anchored either by using stay wood anchored or
wire and wooden strut anchors

Calculation

To fence a distance of 840m you need 3 straining posts

840m divided by 420m =2. 2 +1= 3.

Illustration:

420m 420m

---------------------------------------------480m-------------------------------------------

5. Straining (pulling) the Wire

 - Pull starting with the top going downwards

Calculation

When the spacing of standards is 14m apart between two straining posts

You put 28 standard posts

420m divided by 14m = 30. 30-2 straining posts = 28

So 28 standard post are required.

14m 14m

SP-----------------------------------------420m-------------------------------------SP

Bottom strand is strained last.

In Zimbabwe four strands wire fence of 12 gauge barbed wire is

recommended for paddocks and boundary fence. The wire fence should be
1.2m above the ground.

6. Putting Droppers
- Droppers can be thin wooden poles or metal posts
- Droppers do not touch the ground but are hung on strands of wire
- Function of the droppers is to help tighten the fence and make it
strong.
- The spacing or distance between droppers is 3.5m apart.

Calculation

Between two standard post spaced between 14 metres apart one needs 3
droppers.

14m divided by 3.5m =4. 4 -1 =3

The reason one is subtracted is the presence of one standard post.

Illustration:
ASSIGNMENT :1

Answer the following questions and send through answer.

1. Calculate the number of straining posts, standard and droppers needed

to fence on 800m stretch of land if:
i. Distance between straining posts is 400m apart
ii. Distance between standards is 14m apart
iii. Distance between droppers is 3.5m apart