# What is a good portable fence charger?



## Heritagefarm (Feb 21, 2010)

I'm looking for a good fence charger that hooks up to a battery out in the field. It'll need to power poly fence or 3-4 strands of polywire, and about 3-5 acre paddocks. What are your suggestions?
Thanks in advance.


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## agmantoo (May 23, 2003)

Heritagefarm

For convenience, effectiveness and not price get a ParMak 12 volt solar unit.

For effectiveness and with price awareness get a battery operated ParMak or others that connects to a vehicle battery and occasionally recharge the battery.

Buying a low priced low output charger is a waste of money and teaches the animals bad habits. You need to deliver 3500 volts minimum to contain cattle. I like chargers that can deliver 6 joules or more.


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## Heritagefarm (Feb 21, 2010)

OK, but if if it attaches to a car battery, can it deliver that much energy?


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## topside1 (Sep 23, 2005)

Step up transformer encased in the charger boosts the voltage not the amperage. 12 volts in, 4000 out. Same thing happens with a 120 volt version. 120 volts boosted to 8000 volts. Transformer with copper windings can either increase or decrease voltage output...Topside


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## trbizwiz (Mar 26, 2010)

I use a stayfix 3 on 5 acres. 5 strands of ht with poly braid on the temporary paddocks. Mine is 110 or 12 volt. It comes with both a plug and alligator clips. I haven't used the battery feature but I assume it works just as well either way. Lets just say you can ask either of my two sons 4 years old and 5 years old just how hard it shocks. They trained to the fence almost as fast as my cows. 
Infact one of my heifers was eating turnips out of my hand from the other side of the fence she got a little carried away and bumped my hand into the fence while she was eating the turnip. It just about later both of us down. I was wearing mucks because the insulate well from shock but with her being grounded it hit us both. 
3 joules is plenty for small acreage. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## genebo (Sep 12, 2004)

I use a Parmak battery powered charger hooked up to a 12v marine battery. It has a 45w solar charger to keep the battery charged. I've used it for several years and only replaced the battery once.

There is enough power in the battery to keep the charger running for days if the solar battery charger fails (which it never has). There's enough power left over to run lights at the barn every night for about 20 minutes or so, without dropping the voltage of the battery below 12v.

I've never had a grown Dexter or a goat go through the fence. Calves go right through for the first two weeks. I don't think they can feel the shock. Mama won't go through after them. She'll stand on her side and bawl until the calf either comes back through on it's own or I go put it back in.

I have about 5 miles of perimeter fence and about 3 miles of interior fence on one Parmak Magnum 12 battery powered charger.

Genebo
Paradise Farm


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## Heritagefarm (Feb 21, 2010)

What is the strongest charger I can use for portable polywire? I think that if it gets too strong, it will melt. Ours has about 3 little wires in it.


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## agmantoo (May 23, 2003)

The polywire will not melt! Do not concern about getting a charger that is too strong. Get the most powerful joule output charger that your budget can tolerate.


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## gwithrow (Feb 5, 2005)

how portable is the Parmak solar unit? and do you have preference for one poly wire or rope over another....


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## agmantoo (May 23, 2003)

I want the 9 strand conductor type polywire for conductvity and not the rope because if an animal gets tangled in the wire it can break the smaller wire and get loose from the charger. I know for certain that a calf caught in the polywire with the charger working will stress out and die. Somewhat like a stressed mouse caught in a sticky pad. The 12 ParMak solar charger although a great performer is necessarily heavy due to the battery and does not have a user friendly mount for portability.


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## gwithrow (Feb 5, 2005)

is it possible to mount this charger on a T post? or sit it on top of a cement block? Iknow you have yours mounted high and more permanently...but perhaps we could share a few ideas for location and securing this charger...

Valleyvet has this charger for 251. cheaper than Jeffers.....


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## agmantoo (May 23, 2003)

A custom adapter could be made to where is would fit on a Tee post. However, if you plan on moving the unit around the orientation of the Tee post to the sun would vary unless you installed a dedicated Tee post at each point of use. The Tee post would have to be driven deep enough to provide a stabilized base as the energizer would be top heavy. I need to ponder over how to make the adapter. 

At $250 + I would not want the energizer on a cinder block in harms way.


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## Heritagefarm (Feb 21, 2010)

agmantoo said:


> The polywire will not melt! Do not concern about getting a charger that is too strong. Get the most powerful joule output charger that your budget can tolerate.


That means, unfortunately, the cheap Silver Streak with masking tape all over it.:hair


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## agmantoo (May 23, 2003)

Here is a free hand sketch that should give you an idea of hold to mount a ParMak solar charger on a tee post.


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## Oxankle (Jun 20, 2003)

If you want a truly portable, relatively inexpensive charger try the little Zareba. It runs on either four D cells or either a six or twelve volt battery. It can be mounted on a length of rebar driven into the ground (and that acts as the ground for the charger) and it will run for months on one set of batteries. If you want a permanent set up the suggestions above are better. I like the Parmak chargers too.

I find that one strand of polywire will hold anything but baby calves. The very young (under a week) calves do not understand that the wire is causing the pain and will go back and forth under it for a time or two. Does not matter if it is metal or polywire-baby calves just don't know.


All my interior fences are either polywire or two strands of 14 gauge wire supported by insulators on rebar. Now and then a deer tangles a wire or pulls off an insulator, but the cows stay put.


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## Heritagefarm (Feb 21, 2010)

I just refound our solar ParMak charger. It says it can be hooked up to a six-volt battery, but I do not see anywhere where it can hook up?


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## agmantoo (May 23, 2003)

Heritagefarm

Look at the top of the solar charger. The "lid" has an overlapping lip that fits over the rolled seam in the main box. This joining area is roughly 3/4" down from the top. This lid is like a metal cookie can/tin but requires a bit more effort to open. The battery is inside. You must have the 6 volt version of the charger. If so, do not substitute a 12 volt battery. On the 12 volt version I have I would use a 12 volt rechargeable motorcycle battery. I cannot think of a substitute for yours but ask a auto parts store if they have a small rechargeable 6 volt battery. Shop around.


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