Electric Fence Conductors, cont’d.
Polybraid: These elegant products (see 02-61 thru 02-64) used to exceed the capacity of most buyer’s wallets; but the price has been coming down. Indeed, our quarter-inch polybraid (product 02-61) is offered at about the same price that most vendors charge for standard quarter-inch polyrope. Of course, polybriads, like polyropes, are bulky. Therefore, anyone planning to take them up and down should have a large takeup reel on hand together with several empty spools (see products 01-40 and 01-41).
Polybraid stands out because it is not made of twisted polyethylene strands like polyrope. Rather, it is made of fine braided polyester fibers that in some products are laid over a polypropylene core. This braiding process improves conductivity, because it keeps the wires running parallel and in contact with each other. In general, these products can be used on electric fences from a mile and a half to eight miles long, depending on the product, and by and large they constitute the best round conductors for use on electric fences designed to contain horses.
Narrow Polytape: Like polywire, narrow (half-inch or three-quarter-inch) polytape is not strong enough to provide much physical resistance to a determined horse. However, unlike polywire it is highly visible. It is also light, affordable, and fairly manageable, so it is suitable for use on a portable electric horse fence–where the portable horse fence is within the area encompassed by a larger permanent horse fence, or where the horses are accustomed to confinement (say in a small trail enclosure), unlikely to challenge the portable horse fence, and unlikely to wander far.
Wide Polytape: Polytape can be found and purchased (at considerable expense) in widths up to 4 inches, and this may be desired by those seeking to imitate the appearance of traditional horse fence boards. However, in terms of functional visibility there is nothing to be gained beyond the widths of 1.5 and 2 inches offered by most vendors and used as the polyconductor of choice on a wide array of temporary and permanent electric horse fences.
Within this context the 2-inch polytapes (see products 02-33 thru 02-36) are generally considered high-end products. They are typically strong, with breaking strengths of 800 to 1,000 pounds; even those with stainless steel wires can effectively carry power on an electric fence over a mile long; and many come with tinned copper wires for extra conductivity. The 1.5 inch polytapes, in contrast, are pretty much the industry standard. Those we offer (see products 02-20 and 02-37 thru 02-41) have anywhere from 10 to 15 stainless steel wires ranging from 0.2 to 0.3mm thick. Most are very durable, can carry power effectively on an electric fence up to a mile long, and have breaking strengths (ranging from 440 to 750 pounds) that are sufficient (especially on an electric fence with several runs) to provide a significant physical as well as an electrical barrier.
The principal enemy of wide electric polytapes is the wind. This means that the usual distance between electric fence posts carrying multiple runs of polytape should be shortened, from 30 to 35 feet in polyrope fences down to as little as 15 feet. It means that attention should be given to electric fence polytapes designed with a strong open weave that reduces wind resistance (see products 02-38 thru 02-40). And it also means giving at least passing consideration to electric fence insulators (like products 07-41 for wood/vinyl posts, and 07-71 for T-posts) that are designed to hold the polytape snugly and reduce the wear and tear of wind vibration. Because of this wind problem, those in notoriously windy areas should probably opt for a thick round conductor rather than wide polytape.
