Our thoughts on the screw-in ring insulator from Zareba

So you're ready to choose the best electric fence insulator for the money.  Remember how you attach your electric fence wire is just as important as picking the right type of fence posts for your small farming needs.  Let me warn you there are many products on the market and it can often be overwhelming at first glance.  Don't worry, having already installed and used several of these products successfully, we can give you our thoughts on the one's we've tried.

We always try to source our products locally and like to see them in person before buying, but if this is not an option for you, you can always internet shop.  These days the small farmer has unlimited access to every fencing supply on the market and it gets delivered right to your front door!  If you're new to shopping the internet for fencing supplies, simply do a search and you'll get lots of results.

Zareba Wood Post Screw-In Ring Insulator (IWSIRB-Z):  During the first trip to our local Tractor Supply store we looked over every electric fence insulator on the shelf.  After a lot of time and consideration we left with several bags of Zareba Ring Insulators that came with 25 per bag for a price of $12 dollars.  These insulators were the screw-in type with a hard plastic ring, very versatile and can be used with 9 gauge through 22 gauge high-tensile steel wire and aluminum wire, all polywire (both regular and heavy duty), and polyrope up to 1/4-inch in diameter.  Since the majority of our fence posts were wood we felt like these were the best choice in durability, aesthetics and versatility for the cost.  Other choices were the nail in style insulators by Fi-Shock and Zareba at about half the cost of the ring insulators we bought.  Cost is always a big consideration, but we chose to spend a little more on the insulators in hopes that it would save maintenance time down the road.

Review:  Our small farm fence has been up and in operation for about a year now.  The Zareba Ring Insulators have seen all kinds of weather, including ice storms, strong winds and 100 degree summer days.  The insulators have helped keep our hogs, pigs and chickens in and at the same time keep foxes and coyotes out.  The Zareba insulators has proven to be a durable product so far with only a hand full breaking when limbs or crossing deer have hit the wire.  They are easy to install by drilling a quick pilot hole and simply screwing in.  The only area we had trouble with them were in the corners.  Initially we did install these insulators in the corners and with stretched wire they were prone to break.  These insulators are not made for the corners where electric fence wire is stretched, save yourself some time here.  Other than not using them for corners we'd definitely buy and use this product again.  

Fencing with the versatile Zarebra Pin Lock Insulator, Great Value for Electric Fencing

After constructing our first electric fence our small farm needed more perimeter.  It was back to the drawing board and another trip to the fencing aisle.  Having previously used and liked the Zarebra screw-in insulators we had decided to buy them again.  The problem was that our local Tractor Supply store was out of stock.  Needing to get the fence up that day we decided to give an alternative Zarebra product a try.

Zarebra Pin Lock Wood and T- Post Insulator (IWTPLB-Z):  We looked at these insulators when we constructed our first electric fence, but opted for the Zarebra screw-in insulator.  On a closer look we discovered that this insulator was even more versatile than the screw-in insulator. The Pin Lock Insulator can also be used with 9 gauge through 22 gauge high-tensile steel wire and aluminum wire, all polywire, both regular and, and polyrope up to ¼ inch in diameter.  Having the ability to secure them to a t-post as well as a wood post really adds some value to this electric fence insulator.  Surprisingly this product costs only $11 for a bag of 25, a bit less expensive than the alternative screw-in Zarebra insulator.

Review:  This insulator is a full plastic construction, no apparent metal in it.  Although plastic construction it appears to be very rigid and possibly not as brittle as the screw-in insulator.  We were able to secure each insulator to our cedar posts with two screws that were not included.  After mounting you simply place the wire into position and push the plastic pin into place.  Everything works fluently with the simple insulator and the plastic construction ensures no grounding.  I'll have to admit that after using these insulators they have become my favorite.  The Zarebra Pin Lock insulator may be the best value on the market.

Considerations in choosing a Fence for Small Farms

Fencing is one of those areas on a small farm that everyone has an opinion about.  Many different types, brands and prices of products on the market.  Throughout this article I'll explain what we used to fence our perimeter and what we would have done differently after the fact.  A big factor in building our fence pivoted on initial build cost and what would last the longest with the least amount of upkeep.  Another important consideration is what type of livestock you're wanting to keep at bay.  Initially we intended on raising goats, but that changed as our build progressed. 

We were fortunate to go into this project with prior knowledge from being raised on farms.  For cattle our family farm has predominately five or six strand bob wire perimeters with both ceder and metal T-posts.  On the other side of the family folks use one strand of electric on the interior to separate pasture areas and woven wire on the exterior perimeters. Having been around both types of fencing and having worked with both we made a decision to go with electric fencing.  From an economic standpoint it would cost less initially and getting started with less overhead is always beneficial.

Another consideration in choosing a fence is what type of posts you want to use.  Just like choosing a fence material, the initial cost, durability and work involved  played a big role in our choice.  We chose to use primarily cedar posts and a handful of metal t-posts.  We source most of our cedar posts from the property so they virtually only cost us some time in cutting.  Digging holes for cedar posts is certainly more work on the front end, but having a good sturdy perimeter can allow you options in changing the fencing type in the future.  Nothing wrong with only using metal t-posts in your fence and they are certainly less work installing.  It's also much easier to take up t-posts to change fence boundaries as the needs for your micro farm change.     

Homesteading 101

This blog is dedicated to those who have the desire to explore and possibly start their very own small farm.  Homesteading, has been a great experience for our family, learning from mistakes and what works.  We got started homesteading just eight months ago by figuring out just what the land we had access to would be best suited.  Since that time we have done a lot of work building a relatively inexpensive, but working micro farm.

Folks use different terms when talking about small farms.  Homesteading is just one term that defines our goal of a self sufficient lifestyle.  Micro-farming is another name for small farming or a small farm and again is often defined by producing your own food.  The concept of small farming itself is nothing new and has been taking place on earth since the beginning of civilization.  Lot's of information out there on how to build a micro farms in different locations and climates.    

History and Why: My wife and I were both raised on small farms and farming runs for generations on both sides of the family.  Although we still help out considerably on the established family farms, we decided to give it a try ourselves right outside our front door.  We both came to the realization that homesteading would not happen overnight and would require some serious hard work and sacrifice.  In the end we knew it would be rewarding to our family of four, especially for our two children.  There are many aspects about farming that simply can't be learned in a classroom and require a hands on approach of just doing it. 

Rest assure the information we provide will never be sponsor driven.  After looking at pages and pages of information from other websites it's obvious that many articles were written to simply try and sell a product.  Many of these products we have used ourselves at some point in time and would never feel comfortably recommending something that didn't perform.  We may eventually let folks place their own adds on the site, but through this blog we will never personally recommend a product that we haven't tried ourselves.