The same work crew of four showed up again today to tension more wire for the fence. This time we worked in the rain, and although it was damp and a little muddy, it did not greatly affect tensioning the wire. We followed the same process that was outlined in the last blog Stretching Fencing Wire as The Willits Energy Farm.

Today I want to highlight an important aspect of securing the tension and fixing the fence posts in the ground. This part of the fence system is a twisted and tensioned cross-wire that is used to apply force in the opposite direction that the wire is being stretched from. The wire bracing is used on combinations of fence posts located on each corner, by a gate, and located in the middle portion of the fence. The picture below illustrates this cross wire.

As mentioned above, the general idea is that the wire will create a tension force that pulls in the opposite direction that the wire is being pulled. Notice that this tension wire slopes from top to bottom, left to right. This means that the wire will be pulled from the left and secured to the right post in the above combination.

In the corners this wire is an anchor for the outside corner fence post, while in the middle it allows one to create tension against the corner and prevents the middle post from coming out the ground. At the Willits Energy Farm we were able to make tension by threading a large nail between two wires and twisting until we could hardly twist it any more. This wire is secured to our posts above ground, however it is also possible to anchor the wire below ground tied to a large rock or cement block.

Bob Harper and David Drell Twisting a Tension Wire

An Example of Tension Wires on a Section Designed For the Corner and a Gate

Today was beautiful and sunny as a ready work crew of four came out to begin stretching wire for the fence. The fence is designed to keep both rabbits and deer from entering the farm site. The mesh wire is six feet tall and is composed of varying sizes of mesh. On the bottom is the finer mesh for deterring smaller animals from entering while larger mesh covers the top.

David Drell and Bob Harper both brought “come-along” tools to stretch the wire to the desired tension. A come-along is a hand winch that is a classic for pulling fence wire. When you connect one to the top of the fence and one toward the bottom you can get an even pull and plenty of tension.

The process of stretching the fence involved unrolling the wire down the length of the fence, making sure we allocated enough extra wire to be used to attach to the corner fence post that we pulled from. After we stood the fence up we attached the wire to the corner post so that we could stretch the wire. (It is important to pull about 2-4 feet past the post you will eventually tie-off to). Using the come-along tools we slowly increased the tension of the fence until we reached the desired firmness. Finally, we clamped the wire to the final fence post and made our final attachments. If you decide to use wooden posts for the corners and main support, you can throw in some staples to hold the tension while you tie-off. This will replace having to use clamps.

Bob (right) and Jason (left) preparing the fence to be stretched with the come-along tools

David tying off the corner post that we pulled from

A shot of the tensioned fence and a view of the wire mesh used in the fence (notice the differently sized mesh on the bottom)

The work to set up the Willits Energy Farm infrastructure has been underway now for a month. We are deep into fall and November promises to usher in wetter weather. While the rain is a welcome sight and is no doubt needed for a healthy ecosystem, we are eager for the sun in order to finish building the perimeter fence at the farm.

Today we had that sun and proceeded to install the few remaining support posts for the fence. This process involved digging a three-foot hole, planting the post in the ground, and backfilling the hole. It is important to "tamp" or compress the soil around the post to ensure a firm placement. To do this we used a heavy metal pole with a flat, even base. Whenever possible use a level to make sure the post is oriented correctly. When using wooden posts, make sure to put a layer of gravel in the bottom of the hole in order to prevent rotting.

Below is a picture of farm friends David Drell (left) and Christoffer Hansen (right). David is an invaluable source of leadership and effort regarding the installation of this fence as he has volunteered his time and energy to see the project not only finished but completed to high standards.

Backfilling and tamping down soil around a steel post

We have a level on the post to make sure we are setting it in at the proper angle