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Wire
There are three types of wire commonly used in rural fences:
- plain
- barbed
- prefabricated
Both plain and barbed wire come in a range of gauges or diameters. They are also both available as soft or high tensile wire.
High tensile wire is more elastic than soft wire and has a greater tensile strength and breaking strain. This means that it can be stretched further without breaking or losing its shape. However, high tensile wire is more difficult to handle and knot than soft wire. It snaps more easily during straining and is more easily damaged by fire. High tensile barbed wire, in particular, is more difficult to fence with than the softer, thicker Iowa barbed wire.
The number of plain and/or barbed wires in a fence will depend largely on the type of animals to be contained. If small or young animals, such as calves, are to be kept in the paddock, the bottom wire needs to be sufficiently close to the ground to prevent them from pushing under and getting out.
There are three main types of prefabricated wire. All are made in factories where the picket (vertical) wires are attached to the line (horizontal) wires. In hinge joint wire, individual picket wires are wrapped around the line wires (below left). Ringlock wire, on the other hand, uses single, continuous picket wires attached to the line wires by steel rings (below right). In netting, soft wires are woven into a hexagonal mesh.
Prefabricated fencing is produced in a variety of heights and spacings. Selvage wires are often used when constructing prefabricated fences, especially netting, and to a lesser extent hinge joint. A variety of tie wires, staples, clips and gripples are used to attach wires to posts and to each other.
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