Another potential MOT use

Mar 07, 2015 28 Replies

Well , I still have that MOT sittin' here , and just thought of another maybe . Last year the Hooved Rats of the Woods marauded in my garden . This is unacceptable ... and I was just thinkin' , would it be reasonable to use it to charge a couple of wires to keep the deer out of the garden ? I have seedlings here that I started in January (70+ 'maters and peppers), strawberries out in the garden that were planted last year - and I really want to harvest some this year , as we didn't harvest any last year to let them get well established - and will have a lot more stuff direct seeded as soon as winter is over


Sure a circuit could be designed to drive the transformer, to a voltage that would be uncomfortable for animals. But it needs to designed properly so you or a neighbor don't end up getting killed by touching the fence. Oh and the deer could just jump over it. Mike

PS. I have a huge transformer core from a welder, probably 4 or 5 times bigger than an MOT. Someday I'll think of a project for it.

Jeezus, obsess much, Snag? 1 mater for the family and some neighbors, a second to can, a third to feed the surrounding neighborhood, and a

4th to feed your half of the city. Ditto zucchini plants.

I'm going to do berries this year, too. Time to get that raised bed together this weekend. I already have hardware cloth to line the bottom to keep gophers and moles out.

Exactly. The answer is DON'T! Put up an 8' chain link fence around your garden and tie brightly colored flags of pvc tape on top so they can see it's taller than they can jump over. The movement triggers their protective senses, too, so they stay away. I've seen deer here jump 6' fences with ease, so people use 8' or 12' fencing.

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Only $3.49/ft.

To keep the Thompson's gazelles, kudu, oryx, and impala from jumping the fences at the Sandy Eggo Wild Animal Park, they used just 6' fences but they put an 18" angled fence on top. It angled toward the interior of the park and was a psychological mountain to the deer, who thought it doubled the height of the fence, so they wouldn't even try to jump it. Face yours outward if you use that ploy.

I'm also starting stuff for a neighbor , and we plan to preserve quite a bit . So , it seems the consensus is ... don't . I wondered if the MOT might be a lot more joules than is needed to discourage the critters . If it becomes a problem , I guess I'll purchase a unit . I've been told that if they don't know it's here they won't bother it , but last year they killed two of my new fruit trees , killed my taters , lettuce , and some of the tomatoes . The remaining trees are now in cages made of 6x6 concrete rewire with bird/deer mesh around the cage . Cost prohibitive right now to fence the garden , at $3.50 per foot that's almost

500 bucks for wire alone . Figure about double that with posts , top rail , fittings , and concrete and we just don't have that right now . An electric fence I can probably swing , at a couple hundred for the unit , posts/standoffs , and wire if I spread the purchases out . Retirement income only stretches so far ...

On 3/7/2015 12:50 AM, amdx wrote: ...

...

I have used an electric fence to keep deer out. I used 2 strands - 1 about 3' up and the other about 5'. Deer could have easily jumped it, but didn't. I suspect that it was either that they first ventured to the fence, were shocked, and didn't return. Or that there was not a clear landing area inside the fence, what with tomato cages, bean fences, etc.

Bob

The trick is the fence is hit with short pulses with enough time between pulses that you can get away from it without damage. And you will get away from it!

Mikek

The cost of the fence will feed you for a few years.

Ever get hit by a "weed chopper"??? They don't "let" you get away!! They are an AC discharge fencer while most are DC pulse. A weed chopper (or Bull Dozer, or Cow Puncher - all were basically the same) would keep the fence line clear by burning off intruding weeds and saplings. Sometimes started grass and bush fires - and possibly even burned down some sheds. If there was no "load" on the fence they just gave a jolt. If the resistance to ground dropped, they locked on for several seconds at a time.

NASTY damned things!!!!

Putting just motion detectors around the garden could let you know from a distance that rabbit, deer, etc... are there.

Yep, almost every night between 8:30 and 9:00 the neighbors dog trips our outside motion detector. Bout time for a fence. Mikek

If you go with the elctric fencer,know that the cheap ones are a waste of money. Deer need serious voltage, get the homeowner one rated for

100 miles of fence or go commercial. i can help you here.

I have LOTS of experience with hooved rats.

On Saturday, March 7, 2015 at 8:42:08 AM UTC-5, Terry Coombs wrote: Cost

Time to hit the appliance store and see if you can get parts off a washer being scraped.

In the PNW people seem to have good luck with Motion sensors tied to a solenoid water valve. When the motion sensor detects something , it turns on the water to a sprinkler. The deer go somewhere to eat where they do not get wet.

Dan

Superb ! I have a motion sensor from a light that I thought had failed , turned out it was burned out bulbs . It has a photocell buuilt in so it won't come on in the daytime , and that's just what I need . Thanks Dan !

You are welcome. Just do not blame me if those Arkansas deer enjoy a shower in about August.

Dan

Like the Hoof and Mouth or Mad Cow rule. SSS - Shoot, Shovel, and Shut-up. The only reason there were no reported cases of either in the USA last year (and many others)

I have the same thing, here. And we have BIG mule Deer. The two fences are 30 inches apart. I use a standard electric fence charger. It also charges the single fence around the pastures.

I also have a double electric gate across the end of the driveway. The only deer that have gotten inside are one doe that must have followed the pickup in through the gate, before it closed. Another fawn discovered the electric fence was shorted and walked in through the strands.

Took about two years to train the deer about the electric fence. They would touch it with their noses and quickly back up.

I would highly recommend the fence!

Paul

Squirt some black RTV in the hole to the sensor, or just bypass it.

Why ? They don't come around in the day time , almost always at night or dusk/dawn . I can somewhat control the light level needed by where I aim the sensor - IIRC that p-cell has a movable device to block all or part of the light needed to trigger . I'll have to dig it out of the box of electrical stuff and see just what I have .

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