#polytape

Gate arrangements can vary quite dramatically, so we have divided his video into two sections. First, how to electrify an existing gate when you already have a fence setup. And second, how to create a gate for a new stand-alone electric fence.

Electrifying an existing fence is done to prevent animals from climbing, leaning and chewing on your fence. It's usually done by running a single strand of metal wire or poly wire where you expect the animal to make contact with the fence. If an animal is fully clearing the fence then this set up will not work because the animal must be grounded.

The first step to electrifying the gate is to put insulators on either side of the gate door. Then string a run of conductor between these insulators. If you have a two leaf gate be sure to treat each leaf independently and not connect them together. Next cut a short length of insulated wire to span the hinge. It should be about a foot long and have the insulation shaved off on both ends. Connect the wire to the conductor on the gate door as well as the conductor on the other side of the hinge. Connect it using split bolt clamps or whatever other clamp type is appropriate for your conductor. Make sure that there is enough slack in the wire so the door can be open to its fullest extent. When making these connections use only specialized insulated wire. Regular house current cords are not designed to hold high voltage and the charge will escape.

If this is the only gate and your electrical current runs all the way around to the far gate post then you are finished. However, if you have multiple gates or gaps in your fence you need to carry the charge to the other side of the gate. This is done by running insulated wire down the gate post, into the ground, under the gate, up the other gate post and attached to the conductor on the other side.

You may wish to protect this insulated wire from foot traffic by either staking it down or burying it inside a piece of PVC piping. And with that, your gate is now permanently electrified even when the gate door is open.

To create a gate for a new standalone fence you have numerous options. If you're using a round conductor we recommend using pin lock style insulators for your gate posts. These along with other useful gate attachment gear can be purchased as a small gate kit which will attach to either wood posts or T-posts.

First attach the metal connection plates onto both posts by sticking the pin lock through the middle hole and locking it in. Then attach a round conductor and terminate it on the holes furthest from your gate. If you're using polyrope you should use a clamp to secure it. This gate is now set up to have a handle put onto it. We’ll go over how to put on a handle on it in a minute, but first let's see how someone with polytape would set of their gate posts.

Corner tensioners easily double as handle attachment points. Just attach the tensioner to the gate post and run your polytape on the outside buckles. Your gate posts are now set up to get handles. If your gate is wider than eight feet you'll want to use this specialty gate handle which expands. These include a slinky style spring gate (not recommended for horses because it can pinch them), the elastic bungee cord style gate, and a retractable polytape style gate to match a polytape fence.

Attach the back end of the expandable handle to the gate post. This can attach either to the small gate kit or clamp directly to the post itself. Expand the gate handle and hook it onto the anchor point on the other gate post. Repeat this process with each run of conductor. If your gate is smaller than eight feet wide you can use a regular gate handle and use a piece of your own conductor to span the gap.

Cut a length of the conductor which is the width of the gate. Attach one end to the back of the handle. If using polyrope or polytape you will need a clamp or connector plate to do this. Some handles include these clamps as a built in attachment.

Now attach the other end of the conductor to your gate post. Make sure to adjust it to the proper length so it will look attractive when it is hooked on. Some gate handles have a spring mechanism built-in so that the gate will fit snugly.

Easily. Campers in bear country take portable fences they can set up in a few minutes. Beekeepers use larger chargers and semi-permanent fences that are still simple to install. Homeowners protecting yards or cabins use customized fences that may take a few hours to put up. But in all cases the installation process is simple. Anyone can do it.

Basically, you are setting out a charger, putting up light fiberglass posts with insulators, hanging two runs of charged wire or polytape from the insulators (one at 3 feet and one at 18 inches to keep out cubs), putting a 2-foot ground rod in the ground, connecting the charger's positive terminal to the tape or wire being charged, and connecting the charger's ground terminal to the ground rod. That's it. These are the basic principles of how an electric fence works.

Why are electric bear fences so easy to assemble? I can think of three reasons. Bears can't jump (or at least they can't jump high). So electric bear fences only need be 3 feet tall to do their thing. Second, the fence isn't a physical barrier. It's a purely electrical barrier. So it can be mounted on thin, lightweight posts and insulators. Third, you aren't trying to shock the bear through its heavy fur. That's because a bear comes walking toward the fence with its head way out in front of its feet. So when it registers the fence conductor as a trifling interference to its passage, it bites the fence. That makes shocking bears really easy.