Support Wire For Mainline

[MapleChaser]

Do I use a regular aluimnum eletric fence wire? 12 or 9 gauge? Best place to buy it?

[Big maple]

12 ga. TSC has 1000' rolls for 87.00

[Haynes Forest Products]

You cant pull on the aluminum as hard as you need to to support mainline. I have broken 1/8 steel wire going for one more pull.

[brookledge]

I would think aluminum would stretch to much. I use galv. coated steel wire. I also use 4 ga. which is alot thicker than most use but I got it for free along time ago. I'm not sure how much I have out there other than I'm almost out.
Keith

[Big maple]

It is aluminum caoted high tensile electric fence wire 12 ga. . Sorry I didn't explain clearer I had just assumed that was what was almost always used.

[Russell Lampron]

You said the magic words, high tensile. That is the right stuff. Is it 12.5ga wire? That is what I use. Tractor supply has 4000' rolls for $110.00 and the strainers and tools for it too.

[maple flats]

Last year I bought a 4000' roll from TSC for $70 something. I think you will find that the post for 1000 @ $80 is really 4000 hi tensil wire. I have used almost 3000' of it and the spool still feels rather heavy to move it around. Last year I pulled it as tight as i could using a fence stretcher, doing whole run as 1 run, didn't like results. This year I am just pulling it hand tight and attaching it to my anchor trees, going only a 100-200 ft runs and side tying for tension. Love it and much faster. Also if something falls on it the side tie should fail and I just remove the tree etc and re side tie. At the end of each leg anchor tree , same tree is also anchor for next leg.

[Maple/Cherry]

I use gripple's and a gripple tool to apply tension to both main line support wire and main lines. It's quick and easy and I don't have to anchor the fence strecher and wory about them exploding in your face. When you get the main wire sucured I anchor to each tree by leaning into and pulling the wire to the tree and attach it.

[jason grossman]

maple chaser, if you want to do it right get #9 high carbon wire. you can get a 50# roll for 80$ (maplepro) it's roughly 940ft. i have used and broken a lot of wire, and the high carbon is the best i use for now! the biggest problem with low carbon wire is that it will stretch alot, and things you had tight last year will sag the next and may need retightened. gripples are ok, but if you want it really tight you need to use the wire braids, the wire will fail before they come apart. also #9 high carbon is 203,000psi i had it tested along with some others.

[sapman]

All the 12.5 gauge I've used is rated at 200,000psi.  Same as the stuff at TSC, I think.Tim

[Brent]

This is my first year running tubing and I got a coil of hi-tensile from my local maple dealer. At one point I wanted to cut the end and had left the cutters way down at the other end. OK, I'll just twist it back and forth to break it.
I twisted and twisted and twisted and cursed and twisted more. That wire would not fatigue.
My fingers hurt through the winter gloves. It never broke.

And it does not rust.

I'm impressed and confident that the wire will outlast me. Get the real McCoy.

[maple flats]

Same as Sapman here. I have never broken a mainline wire, even when a tree fell on it, it just got super tight and was on the ground from about 4' up to start. I have broken one sideline tie wire which was made from a wire sold to tie rebar together for concrete work. The I use by tieing it to the mainline 12.5ga wire, go around a side tree sheathed with heavy plastic tube and back to the mainline wire. The one that broke actually broke the wire and did not untwist at the tie but I have no idea if there was a kink to weaken it.

[maple flats]

As for twisting to break it if you could twist it you do not have hi tensil wire, that is too stiff unless you are way tougher than I am.

[Father & Son]

I broke a high tensile wire last night trying for that one more click on the ratchet tightener. It broke right at the ratchet. Is this common for this wire, or is it just might typical luck. Line was already full of sap trying to get a sag out. Quite a chore trying to get a full line back in the air. What did I do wrong?

Jim

[Jim Brown]

As far as I can tell( from here in Polk) your only problem was trying to get one more click!
Now on a serious note. We have never had any wire break but we never tried to lift one full of sap either!

Jim

[Brent]

I wouldn't push it that far with a tensioner. Go down to the middle of the sag and tie off to a nearby tree to make some tension, then push the tie-off up the tree a bit to help take out the sag.

I don't use a tensioner anywhere, just tie off to the sides in the middle of the wire and I have very tight dead straight lines. Mind you the tap has not been turned on up here yet, still to cold.

[Dave Y]

Father & Son,
Yor mistake was trying to pick the line up with tensioner after you had it tied to the wire. If you had it tied to the wire the way it is suposed to be it is very hard to get it to slide . next time use side ties to take the slack out of the line.

[Father & Son]

I may have misworded it. The line was already up and side tied and looked good dry, but a sag showed up after I tapped and sap got in the line and I tried to add a little more tension. That is when it snapped and everything hit the ground. I had to use a ratchet strap and a wire gripping tool to get the line back up to where it was close to where it was supposed to be and then splice it.

Jim

[jason grossman]

jim , if you are trying to get it really tight steer clear of the in line rachets. they will always break in the rachet because they are bending the line and causing a weak point. i only use the rachet stap and gripper. i pull it tight, tie it off, then use side pulls to tighten further. if it still sags or it is very level i post it.

[Father & Son]

Jason,
Thanks for the imput on the line ratchets. I got the line back up and spliced good enough for this year and will redo it at the end of the season replacing the ratchets.
Jim

[sawyer40]

How long of a run can you strech the wire before you must add support in the middle?

[ennismaple]

How long of a run can you strech the wire before you must add support in the middle?

We'll add a fence post every 10 to 15 yards if the mainline is flat. On a steep grade you can get away with much longer spacing.

[michiganfarmer]

Very interesting. IM using wire this year. It iwll be my first time.

[maple sapper]

I have considered making a loop on each end of my mainline and placing a comealong on the ends to support it. I had a strainer let go on me too this year and it was a bear to get the line back up by myself. It has not been the same since either. I know that if I put one more crank on my line the strainer will blow apart. I do have side ties as well. I may try to put more tention on the side ties. I guess I was trying to maintain the straightest run possible. Am I crazy? Does anybodys mainline zig zag for lack of better terms, so its not all tied to one side. I figured you need to tie it equally so it does not pull all to one side. Then I also learned if you side tie it in one area then put a lateral to far away it pulls it back the other way. Am I putting to much pull on my latterals? Any body have pics of their arraingement that they could share. I am self taught for the most part. Thanks Maple sapper

[Thompson's Tree Farm]

Maple Sapper.
Zigzag it. Put the pressure on those side ties! My lines have minimal slope (1 and 1/2 percent some places) so they have to be very tight to work. Side ties work for me.

[Big maple]

We attended the Leader tubing seminar this fall and I am sold on the side tie method. The thing is I was told to always run the pipe staight and had that ingrained in my head but it is kinda thinking out sde the box. You snug the wire up so it is just off the ground and start the zig zag back and forth. Two guys work better and with your side ties you can make it without any sags. If you need to adjust your grade you walk up to your side tie and slide it up or down, And it is really that simple. If a tree falls on it you remove the tree and re grade it, you ma have to replace a side tie but the high tensile has enough slack to hit the ground and not damage it. Good stuff

[maple flats]

I completely quit using the strainers. I use hi tensel wire, pull hand tight with one helper and the rest is side ties. The side tie wire is weaker and will break before the main, that is by design. If a heavy limb comes down I want the side tie to give, then remove limb or tree and re side tie. When I used the wratchet strainers on 9 ga not hi tensel wire i broke one strainer. On hi tensel the wire breaks as soon as the wire pulls tight around the spool, causing a sharp bend.