cattle panel and tarp shelters

[yankee_minis]

And I know it's been talked about on here about 100 times...

But my main question is: What is a T-post?

When I ask at the farm supply store, they look at me funny and ask me to explain myself.

:

And I don't see anything there that looks strong enough to hold down the cattle panels.

Can someone help me by pointing out a T-post online somewhere?

And I'm worried about losing the tarp or having it fray and start flapping in the wind. Any tent I ever had never stayed up!! LOL Can you recommend what to use to attach the tarp and how heavy the tarp should be?

My cattle panels are 5'x16' -- that's the size I want, right?

Thanks for your patience! (And yes, I am blonde!)

 

[liltnt]

first a tee post, if you look at the top of the post it looks like the letter T and they come in different lengths.

Home depot, lowes or maybe even wallmart may have them. and they come in different lengths.

 

[MiniHoofBeats]

A t-post is a metal post that can be 5' or 7' tall. The top couple of inches may be spray painted white while the rest of the post is green or the whole thing may be green. On the bottom are metal wings that you pound down below the ground and they hold the t-post solid in the ground! You will need a t-post pounder.

Yes if you were to look down on the post from the top it is shaped like a T but otherwise it looks like a straight u and down stick...lol...

sorry no photo's!

 

[Miniv]

The key thing to ask is if they have "Metal Posts"....... The bottom of them have what looks like a metal arrow head which sinks into the ground to hold the post in.

If you have any kind of wind during certain times of the year, I would shy away from making a shelter with just a tarp. Expect the tarp to break loose or to shread.....been there and done that.

I am currently "negotiating" with my husband over designing something with a flexible fiberglass covering instead of the tarp idea.

MA

 

[Becky]

Here is a picture of a T post from Tractor supply.

 

[Marty]

I made a hut a few years back only because I needed a temporary shelter up fast for a couple of horses I was fostering. I made mine in one day by myself and it looked it.

I used two cattle panels side by side. You line your posts up evenly and ram the metal tee posts in the ground atleast 2 or more feet with a metal tee post rammer where you get where they sell the posts. Then you walk your cattle panel up along the post and watch it doesn't spring back and clunk you on the cabeza rendering you in a stupefied state. Then I used wire and I wired the panel to the post from the ground up. That puppy never budged an inch and endured some serious bad storms and heavy winds up here like you cannot believe, but I know that others have had them spring apart so be aware of that too.

The problem is going to be two things:

1. Unless you put a back on one end, it most likely will not do anyone any good as the wind and rain will just go right through it, so I put a back on one end. Don't ask me how, mine was a train wreck. I improvised.

2. Yup you will loose your tarps and go through them like water so I used bungees, tons of them on the outside to secure it to the panel but eventually they will wear out and tear up and frey and you will have to keep replacing them.

In hindsight I'd not have one again but it did serve it's purpose just for a place for the horses to get in and eat in peace for a couple of months so they wouldn't have to stand out in the rain and do it. Kept the sun from getting on their water too making it algae and nasty. If this is any kind of shelter that you want to last for any length of time I wouldn't bother personally and I would go to something wood or another alternative, but it will give the neighbors something to talk about while trying to figure out just what the heck it is.

 

[jdomep]

Here is mine and it has been up for 10 months and looks and does wonderful for my donkey

We put a back on it and attached 2 cattle panels and Tposts to it. We put the T's on the outside of the panels and pulled the tarp under as you can see. We are still on our first tarp and have had some wicked winds and it is still doing it's job

: We wrapped the Tarp on top and pulled it TIGHT and attached wire ties through the tarp and hooked them through the T's.