Perimeter Fence 3 - Corners

The standard H frame corners used for barbed wire and welded wire fences are not ideal for high tensile electric fences. The H corner requires 3 posts and holes and 2 cross braces while the floating angle brace corner requires 1 post, 1 hole and 2 braces. For the 5' tall fence shown below, I used an 8' 6" cedar post with 2 - 10' angle braces.

The angle brace MUST BE at least 2 times the length of the height of the top wire ie. for a 5' fence the angle brace must be at least 10' or you WILL end up replacing the corner when it pulls out of the ground. I found this out the hard way and redid many corners once I started pulling and tightening the wire on the posts.

I set the post 3' deep with no concrete and tamped the fill back in place a few inches at a time. Then just below the top wire, I cut an angle out of the post on both sides. I then cut the end of the angle brace to match the cut in the post.

Then set a flat rock or concrete block into the ground and cut the other end of the angle brace to lay flat on the block. Notch the end of the angle brace and pound a staple to hold the tension wire.

Wrap the tension wire around the post and brace and staple it to the post as tight as you can get it by hand. The tension wire is smooth 12 gauge high tensile the same as the fence itself.

Put a stick in between the wires and turn it until the brace is tight into the notch in the post but not fully tensioned yet. Repeat for the other side then tighten them both until proper tension is achieved. Make sure the wire is holding the stick into the side of the brace post opposite from where you are going to string wire.

Here is the finished product with the author/builder for scale. When properly constructed, these corners perform very well. They cost less time, labor, and materials to install and you only need to dig one hole. If you have lots of cedar or some other fence post wood the corners are nearly free.