Wire, pipe, and the corner assemblies that hold them up
A wire fence is only as good as its corners. Stretch beautiful wire between two weak ends and it is loose in a season. Willard Fence Co. builds field fence, barbed wire, non-climb, and welded pipe across the orchards and pasture of Butte, Glenn, and Tehama counties, and puts the work where it counts.
Wire, by what is behind it
- Field fence: graduated mesh, tight at the bottom and open at the top. The general purpose perimeter fence for cattle and property line.
- Non-climb: 2x4 inch mesh, the standard around horses, because a hoof cannot go through it and a horse cannot walk it down.
- Barbed wire: 3 to 5 strands, on its own or above another fence. Cheap, fast, and the right answer for a lot of open ground.
- High tensile: fewer posts, more tension, and it stays tight through temperature swings. Good on long runs.
- Deer fence: 7 to 8 feet, for orchards and gardens where a 6-foot fence is a formality.
Corners and braces
The H-brace is the whole trick. Two posts set deep, a horizontal between them, and a diagonal wire twisted tight so pulling on the fence pushes the assembly into the ground instead of out of it. Corners, ends, gates, and any change in direction get one. A fence built with proper braces stays tight for decades; one built without them is a repair call waiting to happen.
Pipe corral and arena
Welded pipe is what you build when animals lean on it. Drill stem and new pipe both work; we weld the rails rather than clamping them, so a horse rubbing on a panel does not walk it loose. Arenas, corrals, alleys, loading chutes, and round pens.
Gates
Farm gates get used with a truck idling behind them, so they need to swing easily and latch one handed. Tube gates from 4 to 20 feet, hung on pipe or braced wood, with the hinge post set for the leaf. Wider openings get a double, and where equipment comes through daily we set the posts back so nothing clips them.
How we build it
| Line posts | T-post, wood, or pipe, 10 to 16 feet on center |
|---|---|
| Corners | H-brace assemblies, set deep, wire twisted tight |
| Wire | Field, non-climb, barbed, high tensile |
| Pipe | 2-3/8" and 2-7/8" welded corral and arena |
| Gates | Tube gates 4 to 20 feet, hung on sized posts |
| Clearing | Line clearing and old fence removal where needed |
Long perimeter runs are walked before they are quoted. Terrain, creek crossings, and how many corners are in it change the number more than the footage does.
What ranch fence runs, installed
| Barbed wire, 4 to 5 strand | $6 to $14 per linear foot |
|---|---|
| Field fence with barbed top | $9 to $20 per linear foot |
| Non-climb horse fence | $14 to $28 per linear foot |
| Welded pipe corral or arena | $30 to $70 per linear foot |
| Tube gate, hung | $450 to $2,200 depending on width |
These are typical installed ranges for this part of Northern California, published so you can budget. They are not a quote. What a run actually costs is decided by the site: access, grade, what has to come out first, and how many corners and gates are in it.
Questions we get
Non-climb mesh, usually with a top rail or a sight board so a horse can see it at speed. Barbed wire and horses are a bad combination. Pipe is excellent and costs more.
Deeper than line posts, always, and braced. A corner carries the tension of every strand in both directions. That is the post worth spending money on.
Yes, including deer height. Orchard perimeters and long ag runs around Durham, Orland, Corning, and Willows are ordinary work for us.
Get an estimate: ranch and agricultural
Roughly how many feet, what is there now, how many gates, and which town. Photos help. Someone will call back to walk the line and put a real number on it.