I deal with making fence in the orchard. Proper strong corner posts are very important for the 8' deer fence and the trellis which needs to withstand wind load to stop trees from being snapped off at the graft union.

I put brace posts in level or nearly so. I tried angled posts and bracing a different way but it is not something I would do again.

 

To maintain the geometry of the brace and to resist the force in line with the fence, the horizontal member of the brace should generally be installed parallel with the slope. It won't be a huge issue either way with 20" of drop over 10 feet. You do want the angle of the wire to be under 45 degrees, ideally 30. If you exceed 45, it will exert a lifting force on one of your posts.

Fences for the Farm | CAES Field Report

Fences may be used to protect or divide property, to improve its appearance, to confine animals, or to exclude animals. This publication covers the planning for, type of, materials for, and maintenance of permanent and temporary fences.

extension.uga.edu

 

i always see a diagnol down to the ground so the fence doesn't have as much leverage on the second post. That is a triangle.

the important thing is that you have enough strength long term that the fence posts don't bend over time and that the fence doesn't pull the posts out of the ground. If you have those then the rest is what looks good to you.

 

You can add additional H posts to your fence run until it’s on level ground.

 

Yes additional braces can be added and that is good, but often you'll never find level ground.

 

I’ve built many miles of fencing over the past 35 years. I try to locate H’s on fairly level ground where it is possible, but in sloped locations I place the cross piece parallel to the ground. If you are using field fence, try to find the stuff that is made to flex more over sloped ground. Here’s a pic of a fence section I rebuilt last month after dealing with trees from storm damage — look closely to see the H towards the bottom.

 

Thanks for the replies - all very informative!

 

I made a sketch of the last one I built for a neighbor years ago. Best I know, it’s still there. It’s more difficult on a hill with hog wire, square fence or chainlink as the bottom wire is longer than the top. I set the posts with a level and the brace parallel to the ground. To compensate for the grade I set posts about 10ft apart until I got up on more level ground. I used old electric poles from work. I got the smallest ones and cut 8 feet of good pole off the top where they had smallest diameter. Less digging. And I used sackrete around them to hold them in place. I mix mine in a wheel barrow and pour in. Most people just dump dry mix in the hole and pour water on top of it. I’ve pulled a lot of those that never set. To each, his own. Anywho, let me know if you have a question.

 

This is exactly how I would build a fence. Simple to build and would last until posts fail and that would be a very long time if you use treated posts!

 

It stopped raining long enough to "get after it. I chose the "follow the slope" recommendations and it seems to have turned out okay. I also avoided using concrete around the post I installed. I'm more of a fan of the "use physics properly and it will be okay" method. The post at the other end of this section is "in concrete", missing an H-brace, has been pulled out of alignment and can be pushed back with the tractor. It will get a proper H-brace next week and then the wire will be tensioned.

In the attached pic, the two "tall' post were part of the original H-brace "end of the run." For reasons I don't understand, the horizontal member - long since rotted away, was about 2 ½ feet off the ground. I added the right most post - pressure treated. I tamped it down, but it will need another round of tamping. With the H-brace in place, it's pretty solid. I'm disappointed with the distance from ground to gate on the right side. But, I'm not keeping livestock - the gate is to allow me to get through when mowing the fence line and keep the local utility folks from climbing on the fence. (They are the ones who broke the H-brace and keep stretching the fencing.) One of my diagonals might have to be redone - I'm having trouble getting it tight. I'll also throw down some grass seed and straw - it was pretty much bare dirt when we started due to low hanging limbs which have also been removed. I also coiled up the wire we removed and stapled it to the post - that will be tidied up when we get the other end fixed and the tension addressed.

I know the gate hinge post should be braced but it will be good enough for now. It's not likely to sag much since it is pretty big post (old utility pole) and the far end of the gate is resting in the dirt. I'm merely attempting to keep the fence from further deterioration. I'll probably trim off the tall post at some point. If it fails within a few years, I'll take all the post out and start over.

One of my goals for this fall/winter is to clean all the brush from the fence row on the other side - lots of bush honeysuckle and low hanging limbs. I own about 700' of road frontage and I want it to look a little neater.

In case anyone is wondering, I did contemplate just removing the fence - we own both sides. When we bought the house, it came w/ five acres and the fence was the property line. Then the 8 acres on the other side came up for sale so we bought it to keep somebody from building houses next to us. At some point, we might move again and want to keep options open - sell as one parcel, sell as two, .... Who knows - maybe I'll get a cow some day?

 

maybe I'll get a cow some day

Highly recommend that. But they’re herd animals and you really need at least two. 😂

 

Also, I didn't "notch" the post for the cross brace - I drilled holes and used ½" rebar. I'm just not that good w/ a chainsaw. I left the rebar about 1 ½" proud and used it to hold the diagonal wire at the top.

 

I use “brace pins” from Tractor Supply — essentially smooth rod. I stopped notching when I started using pins maybe 20 years ago. I also just tamp posts in place rather than concrete. I also use high tensile wire on diagonals to keep posts from deflecting on both sides of a gate opening — since those H’s are also ends of fence runs. That way I can tighten the fencing without affecting the gate opening. As to the high tensile wire, I use metal ratchets also from Tractor Supply — although your use of rebar to tighten is great. Much better than the branches I used to use.

Your fence looks great!

 

Well, this one is close to done - all the bracing is done, the gates are working, and the muddy mess I made has been reseeded and covered with straw. All that is left is to tighten the barbed wire - a tool for this is being delivered on Monday. Thanks for all the helpful advice. I'm sure it could be better, but its "good enough" - not coming down anytime soon. I was amazed how little tension was needed to tighten the braces up.

I'm also searching for a sign. As noted earlier, the damage is from the local water company climbing the fence, accessing the meter for my neighbors house. (I don't know why they ran it across this field when there's a shorter route from her house to the road across her property. That was all done before we purchased the pasture.) I'm thinking something like "Do not disturb the bison; they have been known to charge" or "Beware of large bulls" or "Enter at your own risk; Predators may be present." The local AG store has a warning sign for electric fencing. I thought about buying one and a cheap solar unit just to mess with them. (I know I can't electrify a "grounded" fence/gate.") One of the local farmers has his property posted "Trespassers will be shot or hanged."

I'm hoping making it easier for people to do the right thing will have the desired outcome.