Flex fence - Anybody use it??

[Nun Ya]

We are considering putting up flex fence on our farm. We have never used it before and there is no one around here that has. I am wondering if anyone has ever used it and if so what are your thoughts on it? How hard is it/ was it to install. Will it require a lot of expensive tools to put it up?

[poltroon]

Yep, there are even a couple of fencing threads on it right now.

I have it as a top rail for no-climb, and I love it. It is easy to install once the posts are in. However, you have to do serious bracing on the corner posts - nice deep holes, concrete, the works. Don't skimp on that part.

I would suggest having your post holes drilled by a fencing guy, then the rest is DIY with minimal tools. Trying to rent an auger was an expensive mistake - Mr. Fence with his bobcat cost the same, and he could do the whole job in about an hour.

Ramm has detailed install instructions on their website, and Centaur may as well.

[GallopHer]

We have the Centaur brand flex fence and we love it. We paid to have the posts installed. My husband and I did the rest. We have 3 rails of the flex fence and a top strand of Horse Guard electric tape along the top. I'm not sure that the electric was necessary, but it wasn't too hard to install. It was a great bonding project for DH and myself.

[burrbrookfarm]

We are considering putting up flex fence on our farm. We have never used it before and there is no one around here that has. I am wondering if anyone has ever used it and if so what are your thoughts on it? How hard is it/ was it to install. Will it require a lot of expensive tools to put it up?
I've never heard of it, but would also like to know something about it. I may have to replace fencing in the near future. I don't like the pvc type fencing since in about a year it turns yellow. What's a flex fence anyway?

[Nun Ya]

I am suprized that no one had any trouble. It says they are sold on 660 ft rolls. How do you unroll it??

[GallopHer]

The rolls are VERY HEAVY. My son helped us unroll them.

[2DogsFarm]

I have a flexrail for my top rail and love it. After 5 years it still looks the same as the day it was installed.

Mine is set on 6" round posts set 12' apart. Underneath the flexrail I have 3 lines of coated tensile wire. The top one can carry a charge, but so far I haven't needed to add a charger.

I don't have any info on ease of installing it as I had mine done by a local fencing company.

[BasqueMom]

Yep, the rolls are heavy, 120 to 140 lbs for a 660 roll of 5 inch. The easiest way to unroll it is to invest $120 in a "spinning jenny." Centaur also has installation guides on their web site as well there is a DVD available.

[poltroon]

The spinning jenny is ideal - basically it's an axle for the roll that it can rotate freely upon - then, you just pull on the end until you've gone around the whole fence.

We only had to do one roll, though, so we relied on having three people manhandle it. Any non electric fence is going to be heavy.

[camohn]

Loff the fence for adult horses. We have the Ramm. Small ponies and foals can climb or fall through the give in the fence. No maintenance. Cars from the road, horses and the dude with the bobcat that didn't drive so well doing our arena have all hit it. No damage from horses or cars...the bobcat put a nick in the plastic. The tensioner jenny thing can be done with one person but it works a lot better with 2...one to hold it really tight and the other to put the pin in.
We also learned NOT to order the double rolls. Buying 2 single rolls was not much more and made a huge difference in how easy they are to move. The bigger rolls are HEAVY as noted.

[BasqueMom]

Centaur has redesigned the tensioner--one person can do it and no more pins!!!!!!!

[camohn]

I've never heard of it, but would also like to know something about it. I may have to replace fencing in the near future. I don't like the pvc type fencing since in about a year it turns yellow. What's a flex fence anyway?

It is 2 tension wires on each side with a flexible PVC "board" in between. It looks like board but gives/flexes when hit but does not cut like tension wire.
Here is a pic...you can see the tensioner between the filly's legs. This is the riding ring so it has a hotwire on top to keep the critters in the pasture on the other side from becoming a pest to those in the ring!!
http://s82.photobucket.com/albums/j276/camohn03/?action=view&current=ChessieTrot2407Reudced.jpg

[horsetales]

We have used the Ramm Fence flexi vinyl. We are real happy. We installed it ourselves. We unrolled it like a wheel - Started at the gate and walked the fence line unrolling

[Nun Ya]

Thanks so much. I don't think I have ever heard anyone say anything bad about the flex fencing, regardless of who makes the brand. I think we will proceed with this type fence.

[BasqueMom]

Most 4-inch rail has two wires, the five inch has 3 wires. The Ramm has the spoolers
for tensioning that do not attach to posts and Centaur has tensioners that attach to
a post and usually tension a longer length. The brackets for Centaur are nicer, polymer
coated steel with all rounded edges vs the metal ones for Ramm with sharp corners on
the edge. Both brands recommend the fencing be on the inside so I'd rather my goofy
guys bump into a Centaur bracket than a metal bracket.

[suniday]

I got samples of the Centaur and Ramm fencing. My husband and I both agree that the Centaur is a MUCH better quality than the Ramm. We are going to change our fencing from Safe-Fence to the Centaur HotRail. We have come to the realization though that we just don't have time to do it ourselves. I am in the beginning stages of getting installation quotes.

[GallopHer]

I highly recommend the Centaur. I think you will be very pleased.

[Edgewood]

Love my Centaur fence. It has been in for about 7 years in one set of pastures and 1 1/2 years for the other pasture. Still looks like new. I would recommend also putting at least 1 strand of hotwire on the fence as horses love to scratch on it if they can (mine is white so the hotwire keeps greasy brown horse scratching marks off the fence).

We have had several large branches and 1 large tree fall on it in storms with no damage at all to the fence.

I have had foals not stop in time and slip through the rails, but I would hate to think what would happen to a day old foal if they hit a board fence the same way. With Centaur, the foal had not a scratch, I just had to get it back with momma.

We did have fencing people install it. No time to do it here. Plus, I did have a friend who had it installed in a very hilly area where the fence installer had never done it and it all had to be redone (because of the hills and the tension on the fence).

You do have to tension it as it warms in the spring and loosen the tension as winter is coming on, but otherwise it is a very easy fence to maintain.

Here are some photos of our fence

http://mysite.verizon.net/vze85onr/id11.html

[BEARCAT]

How does it hold up in windy/snowy areas?
(And I mean really windy...)

[BasqueMom]

Edgewood.....Your farm is gorgeous!!!! My one TB likes to rub his butt on the brackets so
I have a couple of them that need a wipe with 409 once in a while. Previously, he had rubbed his butt on the pipe fencing that came with the fence and broke the welds. Our posts are in 4 feet of rock with cement so they aren't going anywhere when he rubs on the
brackets.

Bearcat--does fine in high winds. We live in north Texas where the winds today are
gusting to 50 mph and have on and off for the last few days. Hugh Grass fires everywhere
but that's another story. We also used to live in Colorado and many of the Centaur fences
that were up back in the mid-1990's are still there and going strong. Besides high winds,
we have major snow in the area.

[Altamont Sport Horses]

I have Centaur fencing with flex rails up to 5 1/2' for my arena (in progress) and for my pastures it is a top rail of Hot Rail (5.25" with a hot strip on it so they won't lean on the fence) and then I have the polycoated wire and the polycoated hotwire (White Lightning) alternating underneath the top rail. If you look on this page you can see what it looks like in the background. Click on the pictures to enlarge. The bottom photo will probably show it the best. http://www.altamontsporthorses.com/wapsadaisy.html

The second photo down on the right has the foaling paddock in the background.

I love the flex fence. My long yearlings and two year olds have run into it at full force while they were playing and not paying attention (Duh!). They bounce right off, unharmed, and no damage to the fence. This stuff is strong and looks good IMO. I even had a large tree fall on it and it didn't come down. I couldn't believe it but I sure was glad that my yearlings couldn't go out wandering. The tree didn't even break the insulators, just crinkled the rail in that spot.

I had it professionally installed but it is something you can do. I would recommend renting a post driver if you have decent soil. Most all my posts were driven in and they are tight. The corners and ends are well braced.

I chose white because of the visibility. Most of the injuries seem to occur at night or dawn/dusk. Knock wood, I've had no serious fence injuries with the Centaur. Just before the fencing crew came to put up the Centaur one of my horses degloved his cannon bone on smooth wire. :no: We were so close to minimizing that risk. The only injury with Centaur was a rub from the polycoated wire because one of my horses likes to roll next to the fence. It didn't break but she did break some of those insulators (different insulators for the polycoated wire than for the rails).

[Altamont Sport Horses]

Another testament to the strength of Centaur's flex rails. We lost our barn roof last night and it is lying on top of the Centaur flex rail which is holding strong. It can be seen on our foal cams (foaling paddock).

[DiablosHalo]

Did not read other posts.. but I have 8100+ feet of 4-rail 5.25" flex. My best advice-- GET the electric poly coated wire at the top or they will rub butts, bend fence to eat fresh grass on other side. Babies will scratch necks and fall through fence (don't laugh- it's happened 3x in 5 years! LOL!)....

Otherwise it is great fencing and easy to maintain. I got the black bc I have a historic home/farmstead with all black roofs on buildings. Also- no green stuff grows on the fencing bc the black heats up so much from sun nothing grows on it!

Good luck!

[suniday]

DiablosHalo - who did you have install your fencing? Did you use the Centaur or one of the "other" brands?

[Gryhnd]

We have Centaur also (black 3 rail), installed last summer. I do think there is a learning curve with installation though. Really best to hire someone to at least set the posts unless you have alot of equipment. Was just DH and I, we purchased an auger for the tractor. It was a disaster, just wouldn't go through the rock, we'd spend all day trying to get a few holes dug. After I hurt my back badly enough to go to ER (mixing cement for 2 days and then picking up an end post), we gave up and hired fencing guy. Unfortunately, though he said he would read the installation manual, he didn't...he set the posts and then quit on us. In any case, we were able to complete the installation ourselves. If we had to do it again (and we do have some posts we are going to have to reinforce), I would use cement with all of the posts, not just the corner/gate posts. Re: spinning jenny, you don't have to spend the money on that, my husband built something out of wood and attached to the tractor and it worked fine.

[Altamont Sport Horses]

OK, here are some pictures demonstrating the strength of the Centaur flex rail fence. The first two photos were taken on Monday morning after we lost the roof to one of our barns in a wind storm. The entire roof landed on our fence. Then the remaining pictures are right after we finished dismantling the roof and removing it from the fence. The fence has not been tightened or repaired in any way.