Brace It With Wire

Brace assemblies are the critical piece of any fenceline. That’s especially true with a high-tensile wire fence. The wire withstands 1,000 pounds of pressure pushing against it. Under normal tension, it also exerts a strong pull on the fenceposts.

The brace shown here (left) is known as an H-brace assembly. More specifically, this is an end brace built where a run of fence ends.

The anchor post supporting the gate and the brace post (to its right) are strengthened by a horizontal “compression brace” and diagonal “brace wire.” The brace wire pushes the brace post against the horizontal brace. That creates pressure back against the anchor post. The assembly exerts a force that runs counter to the pull of the fenceline. The steps here describe the installation of the brace wire. First, here are three suggestions to build a strong H-brace assembly:

The wire is tensioned by a strainer. It is more secure than using a stick to twist and tension the wire.

Barbed wire does not make good brace wire. It stretches and does not have the strength of high-tensile wire.

A wooden post might be used instead of brace wire. But wire is easier to install and, unlike wood, can be tightened over time.

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