Barbed Wire Fence Installation

Barbed wire is still the workhorse cattle fence in East Texas. It costs less per foot than any other livestock fence, it goes up fast on T-posts, it handles long runs and rough ground, and a well-built stretch of it will hold cattle for decades. It is also the fence that shows bad work fastest: a corner that was not braced leans in a season and the whole run goes slack. We build barbed wire the way it has to be built here, with the corners carrying the fence and the wire stretched to a real tension.

Where barbed wire belongs

Cattle pasture, property-line fence on acreage, timber tracts and hay meadows. It is the right fence when the job is holding cattle or marking a line over a long distance at a reasonable cost. It is the wrong fence for horses, for small stock like goats, and for a yard where people and dogs are near it. For those, see horse fencing, field fence and rolled wire. Reasons to choose barbed wire goes into the trade-offs.

How we build it

1. Clear and lay out the line. Old wire and brush come out first. The line is sighted straight or set to follow the survey, and corners, dips, rises and gate locations are marked.
2. Corners, ends and gate posts. Heavy treated wood posts set deep in concrete or tamped tight, built into H-brace assemblies with a horizontal brace and a twisted diagonal brace wire. Every pull in the fence ends at one of these. How a proper H-brace goes together.
3. Line posts. Steel T-posts driven to depth on 10- to 12-foot centers, closer where the ground changes grade, with wood posts at intervals on long runs.
4. Stretch and tie. Each strand is stretched with a stretcher to a proper tension, tied off at the braces, clipped to every T-post and stapled to the wood. The bottom strand is set to keep calves in without snagging; spacing is set for the stock.
5. Gates. Tube gates or wire gaps hung where you actually drive and walk, on posts sized for them.

Best practices for building a barbed wire fence covers spacing, strand count and safety in more detail.

Wire, posts and hardware

We use Class 3 galvanized two-point or four-point barbed wire, which holds up far longer in this humidity than lighter coatings. T-posts are standard-weight steel with clips; corner and brace posts are treated pine or pipe. Brace wire is twisted tight with a stay, and staples are long, galvanized and driven at an angle so they hold in treated wood. On a fence that is supposed to last twenty years, the cost difference between good hardware and cheap hardware is a few dollars a hundred feet.

Repairs and re-stretching

Old barbed wire fence can often be brought back. If the posts are sound and the corners can be rebuilt, we re-stretch the strands, replace broken posts and splice bad sections. If the posts are rotted at the ground line or the wire is rusted through, it is time to rebuild the run, and we will say so. Fence repair covers how we approach it.

Frequently asked questions

How many strands of barbed wire do I need?

Four strands is the common cattle fence in this area; five is used where cattle lean on it or where calves need holding. Fewer strands make a boundary fence but will not hold stock that wants out.

How far apart are the posts?

T-posts typically go on 10- to 12-foot centers on level ground, closer on rises and dips so the wire stays at the right height. Wood posts and braces go at corners, ends, gates and at intervals in long runs.

Is barbed wire safe for horses?

No. Horses panic and cut themselves badly on it. For a horse pasture use no-climb wire, cross buck, pipe or board. See our horse fencing page.

Can you re-stretch my old barbed wire fence?

If the posts and corners are sound, yes. Often the corners are the real problem, and rebuilding the braces is what makes the re-stretch hold.