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ICC
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# Posted: 30 Sep 2023 14:32 - Edited by: ICC
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I finished my fence project which I mentioned in a hi-jack of another topic. A 640 foot length of wire fencing on a medium to steep slope between us and the national forest. There was a wildfire, mainly in the national forest, a couple of years ago that burned across a corner of our family getaway land. The barbed wire looses its strength after fire heat. The NF sells grazing permits and I would rather keep the cattle in the forest.
I re-used most of the t-posts and rebuilt h-braces at the ends and low/high points. Four strands of barbless 12.5 gauge wire to be kinder to the wildlife. The cattle seem to be stopped by the visual of the wire strands.
The pictures were taken from the NF side of the boundary. We logged all the burnt trees which were run thru the sawmill. Still have some trash trees on the ground that should be masticated. I'm trying for an NRCS grant to cost-share that. The adjacent NF is all blackened standing dead and falling over trees. You can see we were close to loosing the cabin but we were lucky.
There will be a steel gate at the h-brace seen, but that is another project earmarked for spring '24
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toyota_mdt_tech
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# Posted: 30 Sep 2023 15:57
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ICC, work looks great. What was the distance between T post? I have all barbed stuff, buddy put one up in Wyoming,t hey are not allowed to used barbed wire on the lower run, pronghorns cant jump, never knew that, so they can safely crawl under it. Its a state law.
We have no more free ranging cattle, not sure why. The cattle guard have all been removed and filled in. I haven't seen cows up there is about 10 yrs now.
You will find you have access for a 50/50 cost share program all the time. But at times when fed grants come in to help, it can be 75/25, 90/10 and even 100/0. I got in on a 75/25
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ICC
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# Posted: 30 Sep 2023 16:45
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Quoting: toyota_mdt_tech What was the distance between T post?
12 feet
I would be happy if there were no cattle leases.
The NRCS agent thinks I should be good for a 75/25 cost share next year. If that happens then the problem may be finding someone willing to do the work. The grants give a year for completion once approved and signed. There is also a cancelation clause that covers not being able to find a contractor.
BTW, the Tacoma is an '06 with almost 243,000 miles on it.
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gcrank1
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# Posted: 30 Sep 2023 16:50
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Spent a good part of my youth building fence, even did a stint for a summer after hs grad. The outdoor work is good for the soul 
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ICC
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# Posted: 30 Sep 2023 20:01 - Edited by: ICC
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Another h-brace from the bottom end of the south line section (mentioned above)...
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ICC
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# Posted: 30 Sep 2023 20:08 - Edited by: ICC
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Another corner near the cabin. Burnt standing dead in NF to left (west) of h-brace and fence/gate. Gate to NF road, my cabin lot to right. Cousins lot behind (north of) the h-brace straight ahead. Her cabin was destroyed. The plan is to build a new 16 x 30 next year.
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ICC
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# Posted: 30 Sep 2023 20:15
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Same corner as above looking towards my cabin. I use rebar for twitch sticks.
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ICC
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# Posted: 30 Sep 2023 21:15 - Edited by: ICC
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Instead of an all wire fence line I used farm or ranch gates (name depends on geographic location)  on the front line of my cabin. PT posts set 46" deep with some gates fixed in place and others hinged as gates. I made the people size gate from 1" square tubing with my semi-hidden shop made sliding bolt on the inside
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Nobadays
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# Posted: 1 Oct 2023 09:38
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Nice work! Lots of it!
Can I ask why the trees beside your cabin are high stumped... really high stumped!?
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ICC
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# Posted: 1 Oct 2023 14:23
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Good question. Those trees were not burnt, not even toasted a little. But I had always thought they were too close. So when we were logging out the freshly burnt trees I twisted my wife's arm slightly and took the tops off with the feller-buncher. We left them high so Sri could make birdhouses and bird feeders to place on them. She made the birdhouses & painted them brightly. The colors have faded.
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Nobadays
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# Posted: 2 Oct 2023 09:06
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Got it!
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toyota_mdt_tech
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# Posted: 2 Oct 2023 21:15 - Edited by: toyota_mdt_tech
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Quoting: ICC Good question. Those trees were not burnt, not even toasted a little. But I had always thought they were too close. So when we were logging out the freshly burnt trees I twisted my wife's arm slightly and took the tops off with the feller-buncher. We left them high so Sri could make birdhouses and bird feeders to place on them. She made the birdhouses & painted them brightly. The colors have faded.
Another nice advantage to leaving high stumps is the easy of pulling them out as it rots a bit, hook a nice strap to them and with some digging around the base, pulls out much easier. Hey, your screw in anchors for your gate (red gate), turn top one so it points down, so gate cant be just lifted off hinge. Ever see those Speeco gate latches, a push and the gate closes and latches and can be opened either way.
Also, look into Jakes fence tighteners, when you get a lose wire, makes tightening it up a snap. A special crank is needed to wind them in, but could easily make one. Jakes tighteners can be removed and reused too.
My T post are also 12 foot apart also. Your place if very fire resistant. Those dead standing trees if they are not harvested will start to topple over in 3 yrs and onward. Probably has some lumber value now.
Is the Tacoma a 4 or 6 cylinder? Somewhere between the 250K to 300K, we find some exhaust valves get tight (this is the normal wear pattern) and thinner shims are in order. Then good for another 1/4 million miles.
Treating forest here went for $1,260 per acre, get a guy with an ASV 120HP skid steer and add the Fencon. Ask the DNR guys who work out the 75/25 split, they will have a list of people. They wont steer you to a particular one, but they work with them and just ask them if this was you, who would you hire.
This is the hot ticket up here.
https://theforestrypros.com/tools/fecon-mulcher-review/
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ICC
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# Posted: 3 Oct 2023 16:33
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@toyota_mdt_tech, Thanks very much for the tip on looking at the valve lash. Also thanks for the reminder about the Jakes fence wire tighteners. I knew about them but had forgotten. I've used a self-made tightened "doohickey" using short pieces of small EMT, twisting them in with a steel rod, but the Jakes look nicer.
You have a sharp eye for detail. I wondered if anyone would say anything about the gate hinge top anchors. I had a helper that day and she measured and drilled holes for the screw in pins. It was easier to leave them that way. Plus I don't go out of my way anymore to make things overly difficult for theves. Our cabins are very remote. A burglar would have lots of time alone. We have been fortunate with only one break in 22 years. That was about 15 years ago. They took their sweet time and eventually broke through the hardened deadlocked doors. Not only did they selectively steal a lot of stuff but the cabin and pole barn doors and frames were trashed and required complete replacements. As for the then locked with properly reversed gate top hinge pin, they removed the bolt in the clamp on hinge bracket and pulled the gate aside. And then drove over it. So I adjusted tactics and used simpler locks that remind the honest folks to keep out and make damages easier to repair if thieves come by again.
Those 2 brothers did get caught because one of them was dumb enough to ride out on the Husky 250 I had in the barn. An eagle eye deputy from the Pueblo police stopped him for a moving violation and that was it.
I've not seen those Speeco gate latches. Interesting.
Most of the standing dead trees are in the NF and that is where they will stay as the FS has no interest in harvesting them, even on a no-cost-to-them deal.
Nice skid-steer mounted mulcher!
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