On Wed, 18 Aug 2004 10:25:08 -0400, "Norman D. Crow"
wrote:




"f/256" wrote in message
et.cable.rogers.com...

"jo4hn" wrote in message
hlink.net...

The old man says, "Fifty years ago that wasn't an electric fence."

Do you know what kind of voltage was in that fence?
I'd like to give a try!! :-)

"Depends", says the old farm kid who was subjected to the indignation of
electric fences on numerous occasions. Most "fencers" (in my generation)
were set up sort of like an auto ignition. Had a set of points that would
hit every few seconds & send out a shot like a spark plug firing, the points
would "bounce" away from each other, then slowly return for the next hit.
Figure around 18-20KV hit. These were frequently powered(in remote
locations) by a "Hotshot" 6V battery, 4 of the old fashioned 1.5V dry cells
all in one case.


My dad had the 110v International Weedchopper. Same kind of mechanism
but the battery never went dead. Because it was a mechanical point system
(I can still hear the thing clicking), the charge/discharge times were
really long -- especially if you were touching the fence. The long times
also caused problems with starting fires.

He later graduated to the electronic fencers -- shorter hot time so you
can let go now after only a few milliseconds of extreme charge and pain.
When home a week ago, I got to help Dad chase some cows in and help fix the
fence where they had gotten out. After over 15 year of not having done
that, I still had a hard time screwing up the courage to tough the electric
wire even though it was down (I was zapped way too many times by a "down"
electric fence)

Another method, used by my Uncle, was to run a 115V hot lead through a 100W
light bulb, then to the electric fence. You could tell by looking @ the
light bulb in the barn how much grass & brush was leaning on the wire. When
it got too bright, it was time to go out & mow along the fence line.

Either way, makes for a good joke, but YOU try it, I'll pass.