#metal hexagrid

[fenceblog]

Fruit Tree Enclosure Using Metal Hexagrid Fencing

We love getting photos from our customers! This is a fruit tree enclosure using Metal Hexagrid fencing material. We'd love to see how you're using our products - please send photos.

[fenceblog]

What Are My Deer Fence Options?

You have three basic options—electric deer fences, barrier deer fences, and combinations of the two.

Let's look at electric fences first. The simplest kind is a one-wire fence with the wire typically being baited (attracting deer to it) and placed at a height of about 3 feet. Even if the deer don’t learn to duck under or leap over this wire, they may jostle it enough to pull the wire out of an insulator or do something else to neutralize the fence. Similar problems afflict multi-wire electric fences. And if one gets really determined by putting up a fence say six feet high with wires starting at 1 foot so that the deer cannot get underneath the fence, then weeds may drain power off the lowest wires, neutralizing the fence and rendering it vulnerable to penetration by the deer. For all these reasons, stand-alone electric fences should be regarded as a possible option well below the cost of a barrier fence, but one that is not fully reliable.

Another option is a polypropylene barrier fence using professional grade deer fencing, most of it made by the Tenax Corporation. If one includes the labor needed to set it up, this is quite a lot more expensive than an electric fence. And if one fails to maintain it—such as by removing fallen tree limbs and patching up small holes gnawed by woodchucks or rabbits before the deer find them—this fencing may also be penetrated by the deer. Or if a deer should decide to charge the fence head-on, no matter how strong the polypropylene, there is a reasonable chance the deer will break it. To deal with all of this, one may choose to install the best deer fence, which uses fencing made of metal hexagrid — equivalent to a stiff small-mesh galvanized chicken wire coated with black pvc. That yields a better, stronger, and longer-lasting fence, but one that is quite expensive.

To reduce costs, especially around orchards and gardens, I like the option of a combination fence. Set up a barrier fence using Tenax’s Standard (C-flex) polypropylene deer fencing. Arrange things so that you can go three feet outside this fence. Then, if the fence can’t do its job (because deer break into it, with or without the assistance of holes gnawed by small animals), install an electric fence wire three feet out from the barrier fence at a height of about 3 feet above the ground. It’s easy to see if the electric fence is working (the light on the charger tells you that), and maintenance is also easy (typically a matter of minutes). Meanwhile, the barrier fence is still intact, so the deer will be kept out. I don’t say that this offers a perfect answer, but it is an attractive option for those seeking to exclude deer with a modest budget.

[fenceblog]

What Is the Best Deer Fence?

There’s no doubt about it. The best deer fence is metal hexagrid deer fence —a deer fence made of what is essentially stiff small-gauge chicken wire covered with black pvc. This long-lived metal fence (estimated life 20 years) is barely visible, low maintenance, elegant-looking, and deer-proof. Unlike polypropylene deer fence it cannot be gnawed by rabbits or woodchucks; nor can it be broken by charging deer. It works all the time, unlike electric deer fences, which stop working if the charger stops working or the charge gets grounded. It can be installed in hilly places, unlike visible steel wire "fixed knot" fences dependent on flat ground. It fits well in a suburban setting. And while no deer fence is maintenance-free, metal hexagrid deer fence minimizes maintenance. So all in all, it seems clear that metal hexagrid deer fence is the best deer fence available anywhere.

Of course, metal hexagrid deer fence is expensive. So orchard and vegetable growers with tight budgets should look for less ideal but less pricey options—such as a polypropylene fence combined with a one-wire electric fence. Homeowners with low deer pressure may prefer polypropylene deer fence. And cash-strapped vegetable gardeners may opt for polypropyelene, with or without a 2-foot metal hexagrid barrier to discourage rabbits and woodchucks. Even so, for those who can afford it, there seems no doubt that of all deer fence available today, metal hexagrid deer fence is the best.

[fenceblog]

How to Build a Deer Proof Fence

Get a lot of stones, a lot of cement, and build a stone wall 15 feet high. That’s because White-tailed deer can leap about that height. Even so, it might be nice to see through this wall or fence, and it might be nice to build something you can afford. We know that deer (including White-tails) will rarely leap a 7-foot fence just to browse. We know that strong professional grades of polypropylene mesh or black pvc-coated metal hexagrid fencing will keep them out. And we also know that such fencing can preserve the appearance of your yard—fading into near-invisibility in a wooded setting. So before getting more ambitious, let’s look at these 7-foot mesh fences.

Be sure not to get one of the weak grades of polypropylene fencing—typically with mesh an inch or less wide, because the deer will practically walk through it. The professional (really strong) poly grades and have the page start with the second bf subhead, “Polypropylene Deer Fence] have roughly 2-inch mesh and cost over $200 for a 330-foot roll. Such fencing should be installed between strong posts up to 20 feet apart that go at least 2 feet into the ground (3 feet if they are wooden posts). Start with 7.5 or 8-foot fencing, because you will want to fold at least 6 inches out at the bottom and stake it down every 6 feet with kinked galvanized ground stakes. For more on this see fence planning.

Even so, these poly fences have their drawbacks. If a deer decides to charge the fence (a rare event) or give it a long-term pummeling (more common), it can break through. And if woodchucks or rabbits gnaw small holes near the bottom, the deer can force their heads into those holes, break a few corner bonds or lever up the fence. In these cases you can wind up with a deer in the enclosure. As this implies, polypropylene fences, even very strong ones, involve some maintenance and are not perfectly deer-proof.

Which brings us to metal hexagrid deer fences. This material is like galvanized small-mesh hexagonal chicken-wire made of stiff steel and covered with a black pvc coating. So long as the 7.5-foot material is properly supported (with strong posts spaced about 15 feet apart), folded out at the bottom, and staked down (like the polypropylene), it will reliably keep out deer and should last at least 20 years. It is also well-nigh invisible against a wooded background (see photo). The down-side: this fencing is quite expensive (over $200 for a hundred-foot roll). However, it is far preferable to the so-called “fixed knot” fencing made of thick steel wires that ranchers love, but which requires flat ground, costs more to install, and winds up making your yard look like an antelope cage at the zoo.

The best choice in our opinion, for those who can bear the cost, is the metal hexagrid fencing. Otherwise, if your budget is limited, settle for one of the professional (strong) poly grades that are reasonably (though not perfectly) deer proof but also less expensive.

[fenceblog]

How To Build An Attractive Deer Fence

Seriously, you want to put a high fence around your nice yard that will not make it look like a fortress or gated community? You can do that, but let’s face it. Any high fence is going to detract from your yard’s appearance. So the best bet is a fence with minimal visibility. That fence should be black (the least obtrusive of all colors because is the absence of color). And it should be made of a mesh strong enough to keep out deer but thin enough to fade into the background when seen from a short distance.

Some deer fences have these qualities while others don’t. Lowe’s, Home Depot, Walmart, and Amazon.com are full of cheap plastic deer fences so weak that deer can walk right through them. And at the other extreme, chain link and fixed knot fences feature galvanized steel wires reminiscent of deer cages at the Bronx Zoo.

Between these extremes are better choices, these being the polypropylene and metal hexagrid fences used by most deer fence professionals. The poly fences have a mesh about 2 x 2 inches and a breaking strength of several hundred pounds per foot. The metal hex fences are even stronger and more durable, consisting of stiff galvanized 20-gauge steel wire with a 1-inch mesh that is covered with a black pvc coating.

Both of these will keep out deer, and both will fade into near-invisibility against a woodsy background (see photos). Use black metal posts (round 1-5/8 inch posts or angle-iron posts) to keep visibility to a minimum, and you will have as good-looking a deer fence as any available today. The McGregor Fence Company offers easy access to these products and various accessories at low prices. Watch the the playlist of the fine installation instructions geared to these products: