Electric fencer grounding

[JNRBRONC]

I was reading some threads where people are using electric fences to guard food plots. I've been looking at a lot of electric fence manufacturers websites where they highly recommend three ground rods for each unit, 6-8' 1" copper driven 10' apart. Seems like overkill to me, so curious what people are doing.

 

[CurtisWalker]

We just use one ground rod for the horse lot

 

[Muskrat24]

I'd recommend not checking the fencer with bare hand if you only have one ground rod! One rod, post, or whatever metal gets it done for me.

 

[Daver]

FWIW, the year I put a fence up I used three ground rods. It was a bearcat getting those babies into our dried clay soil BTW!

 

[goatman]

I use to put them down for a living. Spade a shallow hole. Add water as needed and up and down. Another way is to put a nut on the end a little bigger that the rod and pound away. Reduces friction on the whole rod. I've used just one rod also but the idea is to hurt them the first few times and they remember like cattle.

 

[bigbuckhunter88]

Like goatman said a 5 gallon bucket of water and a shallow hole will save alot of time and energy in most scenarios

 

[HorseDoctor]

Shallow will work okay as long as it stays wet. Had a ground rod of re-bar that got dry a few years back which allowed weasels access to a flight pen. Cost me about 35 young pheasants!!!

 

[Jbohn]

What's the thought on using a post hole digger on my tractor then filling it in ?

 

[goatman]

What's the thought on using a post hole digger on my tractor then filling it in ?

For best performance put in undisturbed ground.

 

[Jbohn]

For best performance put in undisturbed ground.

Thanks

 

[BOFARKLE]

That guy of Plato Electric down the road would be able to tell you why.
And he'd say put all 3 of em in the ground I'm a bettin

 

[Jbohn]

I put all 3 in .... Wasn't as bad as I thought with a T post driver....