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Electric fence energizers |
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Ray54
Orange Level Access Joined: 22 Nov 2009 Location: Paso Robles, Ca Points: 4498 |
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Posted: 09 Oct 2019 at 6:27pm |
Without derailing the other fence topic, what is a good fence charger? Where I wish a hot fence 99% 0f the time no power so battery or solar are my opions.
Are automotive battery ones a better deal than the solar ones? Anybody buy the $1500 on up Gallagher ones ? Or if you are really not frugal the over $3000 one. Or will it be that good?
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jordan watson
Bronze Level Joined: 26 Nov 2010 Location: munford, al Points: 83 |
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I have 3 made by taylor fence. 2 battery powered ones and a 120v one. They are made right up the road from me in ashville,al. In 10 years i haven't had to have any of them fixed more than twice. They have solar power ones but i havent used one. Im pretty sure they have some of the best lighting protection on the market and they are a family owned business
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Gordy
Orange Level Access Joined: 12 Sep 2009 Location: SWMI Points: 2533 |
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Parmak fence energizers are the best I have used. Zareba are the worst.
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“If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough”
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DMiller
Orange Level Access Joined: 14 Sep 2009 Location: Hermann, Mo Points: 30971 |
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Only ones here that do work worth a durn are 120v supplied battery charging units. Have one on my barn so power failures do not affect it so bad, battery sits inside with the feed out thru a connector on the wall. Will knock the heck out of you if tag the fence wire accidentally. The Solar chargers can get around here at less than $400 fall off on zapping power quickly if snows or sun does not shine for a few rainy days and the cows seem to understand so.
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Dakota Dave
Orange Level Joined: 12 Sep 2009 Location: ND Points: 3937 |
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The parmak fencers we use just keep going and going. A couple places we run a half mile of feed line from power to the pasture. We have used a solar in one pasture it took two fencers to keep it hot. Ran a half mile of raised wire back to the barn and connected to a powered fencer there. The parmak solar fencers were much better that the TSC special. You can also send your parmak so back and have them refurbed when they finall stop working. About half the fencers we use are 20 years old and the newest is 10. The boss threw away the zarebe after the first year its couldn't handle running with a direct short. The protection in the parmaks will reset after you unplug it. Our fences get abused bad the gates are left open with the fence just zapping on the ground. I come back the next day and it's still laying there zapping.
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Dakota Dave
Orange Level Joined: 12 Sep 2009 Location: ND Points: 3937 |
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If you really can't get power the guy at the hardware store has run a dual battery bank solarcharger and inverter set up to plug his fencer into. Kinda spends option but it works well. Most of the fences I maintance have 20 or so miles of fence on a parmak 100 mile range fencer. If you touch it you'll lay down on the ground. I usuall work the fence hot wearing rubber boot gloves and double insulated tools. I've been shocked and had to sit down until I could regain controll of my legs.
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DMiller
Orange Level Access Joined: 14 Sep 2009 Location: Hermann, Mo Points: 30971 |
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PARMAK makes the Herdsman our MFA Store brand fencers. They are identical to the PARMAK units except the color and name on the face. Is where I got the 120v unit in my barn. Must be something with the soil type here as to not getting a good ground connection, Loess Soil, don't know why should be that difficult.
Edited by DMiller - 10 Oct 2019 at 9:31am |
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ocharry
Silver Level Joined: 26 Jun 2016 Location: missouri Points: 288 |
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DMiller,,,,how many ground stakes do you have in the ground,,,,and how deep???
i have read you need 3 for clay ground,,and like 3-4 feet apart,,,guy i watched made a triangle and hooked them all together and ran that to the fencer,,, i think my ground rods are 6' long,,,got them from lowes,,picked a wet day and used a post driver to sink them,,,i only got 2 in the ground and they seem to work fine with my ParMak solar fencer im in Missouri too,,,,farther North than you but i bet the ground is bout the same,,, anyway just tryin to help out when i can ocharry
Edited by ocharry - 10 Oct 2019 at 10:48am |
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Tbone95
Orange Level Access Joined: 31 Aug 2012 Location: Michigan Points: 11589 |
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I agree, except for 3 or 4 feet apart??? Read your literature. I bet it tells you more like 40 feet apart!
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DMiller
Orange Level Access Joined: 14 Sep 2009 Location: Hermann, Mo Points: 30971 |
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We set a minimum of three to a fencer and spaced pretty decent to get as much contact area as possible. Have added a grounded wire that seemed to help for those really dry times but when I can walk up to test the fence and it does not shock me incidentally I know the ground is not working. I use five and six footer rods, had used galvanized swapped to copper coated steel. Have 8 footers on house and shop with just at a foot could not get thru a rock shelf.
Edited by DMiller - 10 Oct 2019 at 11:00am |
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Tbone95
Orange Level Access Joined: 31 Aug 2012 Location: Michigan Points: 11589 |
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crappy charger
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DMiller
Orange Level Access Joined: 14 Sep 2009 Location: Hermann, Mo Points: 30971 |
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Been three different ones on that line before gave up on the hot wire, all similar results.
Even the one at the barn 120v full time does not always stop them. I will not sink thousands into a systems that likely will not help much, already into hundreds, almost a grand just in chargers. Edited by DMiller - 10 Oct 2019 at 11:05am |
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Tbone95
Orange Level Access Joined: 31 Aug 2012 Location: Michigan Points: 11589 |
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Made a Max Flex fence to keep the deer off a soybean field, and you could train the deer to stay off the fence/ field. There's some tricks to it It is connected to ta deep cycle battery which is charged by solar. Can go quite a while with the clouds on the battery, then the sun charges the battery back up. That's the only solar-ish one I've used. All others 120 V direct. I've had good luck with Parmak. Other serious cattlemen tell me the Parmaks are junk and get a Gallagher and some other brand. I've got one Gallagher, can't really say how good it works or lasts in comparison yet. One thing, the voltage coming out of it was not nearly as high as the Parmak, hooked to the exact some ground and hot connections. Start looking into that, and you start looking at joules instead of volts and yadda yadda yadda and oh boy do the OPINIONS really start flowing!!!
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Tbone95
Orange Level Access Joined: 31 Aug 2012 Location: Michigan Points: 11589 |
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Well, nothing I'm aware of stops all cows all the time. Sounds like either you have hungry and / or wild cows, or your farm is just plain special. 1000's of farmers from all reaches successfully use electric fence. My money is on special.
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DMiller
Orange Level Access Joined: 14 Sep 2009 Location: Hermann, Mo Points: 30971 |
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Neither hungry nor wild, just always test the fences, will walk the permanent install fences every day looking for a hole if don't then just keep feeding and walking.
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thendrix
Orange Level Joined: 04 Feb 2013 Location: Fairmount GA Points: 4860 |
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This is off topic but J&R Lumber in Ashville Al are building my chicken houses |
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"Farming is a business that makes a Las Vegas craps table look like a regular paycheck" Ronald Reagan
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Tbone95
Orange Level Access Joined: 31 Aug 2012 Location: Michigan Points: 11589 |
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Well, that’s cows. And a crappy energizer. Even 3 crappy energizers. Or , special. Still say special. |
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Ray54
Orange Level Access Joined: 22 Nov 2009 Location: Paso Robles, Ca Points: 4498 |
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I need speacial help to understand jouels and volt and all the lingo that goes with it.
I have a Parmak battery one that my dad bought 25 years ago,he never read the directions and didn't have any luck ether. Then a guy needed a place for some horses,and he was going to rebuild some fence in payment. He set up a solar powered charger inside the old fence and took down a 100 yds of barbwire. My horses and his left things alone,worked good. But then he got busy and didn't come around for some weeks. So I built the new fence,but he did come get the horses and said just keep the electric fencer and the fiberglass posts and wire. So I used that fence and had horses eating weeds . Then we got a new smartass horse he could tell if the power level was down. Then with the extended drought,I pastured some bits of ground that I could use if the cows did not get in landscaping or poop on there roads. So running a wire for cows to ground on as well as putting ground rods off in the landscaping that got watered twice a week I had some success. But the original solar powered Gallagher died. So I bought a similar new one and then a second one. But have not been that happy with them, but only 3 to 400 a piece. But looking on line they are up to $3500. For that kind of money it should unroll the wire and pound posts . I am a long way from spending that kind of money, but would like to hear what a user of a high dollar one says. I should of given other back ground. Dry means 6 months at a time with no rain at all. We also go years at a time with no lighting. And if we get lighting in the dry to effect the charger, it will be melted by the fire. So I think from comments a battery one would be more bang for the buck. If I can use 12 volt I always have a battery to borrow from something and charge on the 120 and keep exchanging them. But any and all thoughts and experiences are appreciated.
Edited by Ray54 - 10 Oct 2019 at 7:47pm |
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ocharry
Silver Level Joined: 26 Jun 2016 Location: missouri Points: 288 |
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Tbone,,,,you might be right about the distance,,,i got horses and they dont want to test a fence like cows do,,,i dont think,,,but i did pasture 3 in a barter trade last summer for a fella and i swear them horses were not afraid of anything,,,they would eat anything,,,i think they were part goat.....but they found a hole in the west side fence and were in the neighbors corn one day and so thats when i started playing with the E fence ,,i have both 120v and a solar Promak,,,i like the solar because i can put it anywhere,,,i fixed the hole and turned on the juice,,but too i only have about 2-4 miles of fence,,,heck maybe not that much,,,,
anyway i couldnt get any juice,,,thats when i put the ground rods in ,,,i think i have 2 and they are 4' apart,,,and they are all the way in the ground,,,only about 6" sticking out i think for longer runs of fence you probably do need them farther apart,,,,but the 4' got what i wanted ocharry
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modirt
Orange Level Access Joined: 18 Jul 2018 Location: Missouri Points: 7289 |
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I have both Parmak 12 volt, 30 mile fencer (3 joules)........and a Gallagher b60.....a 0.5 joule......5 mile 12 volt fencer. Both cost about the same, which is $100 to $125. Battery and charger are extra. A Parmak solar 12.....is over $200.....but includes the battery and solar panel, which is setup and regulated for the charger. So if you don't have the battery......cost will be about the same. The Parmak is far and away the better product. I've got both on short stretches of fence to enclose a chicken yard of about 1 acre. The Parmak, on a fresh charged 12 volt battery tests out to 13,000 volts. The Gallagher limits shock to around 7,000 volts. Both are said to be enough to deter just about anything. The other thing the Parmak has is a voltage meter......so you know what the state of your battery is, plus it has an on/off switch. Gallagher only has a flashing light, and no switch. When you hook it up, it turns on.......to turn it off, you unhook it. Parmak 12 volt will last 2 or 3 months on a full battery charge, assuming you keep the fence free of any vegetation or other that would short it out. I would think the solar would last indefinite if you did the same........which you ought to do anyway. Every bit as important as the charger......is a tester. That way you really know what you got....including adequate grounding. Takes the mystery out of it completely. After that, you build the fence for the target critter. Most folks don't believe me when I say this, but even a couple strands of hot wire will keep chickens in and varmints out. |
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modirt
Orange Level Access Joined: 18 Jul 2018 Location: Missouri Points: 7289 |
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PS: As I understand it, joules is a measure of force, not unlike psi, horsepower, etc. More joules means more power, which is needed to push the voltage down the entire distance of the line. Only product I know of that is rated in Joules is an electric fence charger.
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