"Ken Anderson" wrote:

I looked at electric fences at Tractor Supply last evening. A little
overwhelming, for a non-farmer. I think to use one for coons you'd have to
run two wires at 6 and 12 inches, roughly. They sell the wire by the mile.
I
could have a grand time. Just dawned on me that if you could string it
right
to the trunks, you'd save a bunch of time, money, and headaches. Possible?

Check your local feed store or hardware store. They sell wire in 100' and
500' reels. It's just 18 or 20-gauge bare aluminum wire. Doesn't have to say
"fence wire". Unless you need 5 miles of it to go around your vineyard? If
so, INVITE ME ---- WILL WORK FOR GRAPES!

Yes, if you don't have a metal fence, you will need to run two wires --- a
hot wire and a ground. And you will need to drive stakes in about a foot, so
they stay there. You can use pvc pipe for the stakes, and then you won't
have to purchase insulators. And you will need some sort of visibility, so
people don't trip on the wire. The white PVC pipe will serve the purpose (in
daylight).

Although running it along the vine trunks seems like it would work, it
won't! Every time a branch touches the hot wire, it will burn, which has
got to be bad for the grapes. And use up a lot of electricity. And you would
have to use insulators, so you may as well use pvc stakes.

Unless there are trees the critters can swing from, you need only run the
wire AROUND the vineyard, not around each vine.

Shouldn't take that long. Get the wife and kids to cut, notch, and drive the
stakes. When they're finished, you can string the wire.