A 40 x 40 ft portable paddock of step-in posts and three strands of polywire, with a solar charger.
Draft plan, generated from the model. Not yet build-tested.
40 x 40 ftSize
12Posts
3Strands
2 to 3 hrBuild time
~$316.28Materials, part estimate
Drawings All dimensions in inches
3D viewfinishedFront elevationRight elevationPlan viewfrom above
Shopping list $286.28 checked / $30.00 estimated
Item
Store
Qty
Each
Line
Note
Step-in posts, 42 in, 10 (at $4.99 each)
Tractor Supply
2
$49.90
$99.80
step-in posts, 10 pack each
Polywire or polytape, 656 ft
Tractor Supply
1
$30.00
$30.00
polywire
Solar electric fence charger, 0.12 J (Gallagher S12)
Tractor Supply
1
$179.99
$179.99
Electric fence T-post insulators, 25 pack
Farm and Fleet
1
$6.49
$6.49
insulators
Total before tax
~$316.28
Filled dot: price read from a store listing on Oct 20, 2026. Hollow dot: estimate. Prices come from the master price list, so they change when it changes.
Build steps
Lay out the corners of a 40 ft square with a tape and push a step-in post at each corner, then at 12 ft intervals along each side.
Clip the polywire into the insulators on the posts at 14, 28 and 40 in, in one loop round the paddock, and tie it off at the start.
Cut the line at the gate and fit a handle to each end, hooked to the nearest posts.
Mount the solar charger on a corner post, and connect it to a ground rod and the first line. Check the voltage with a tester: it should read at least 3,000 volts.
Shift the paddock every one to three days to fresh grass.
Before you start
A 40 x 40 ft paddock is 1,600 sq ft: enough for one cow for a day or five goats. Move the paddock, not the animals.
Train every animal to the wire with a short, safe shock in a small pen first: a first-time animal can run through it.
A fence charger must have a ground rod 6 ft long. In dry or sandy soil add two.
The charger and the ground rod are an estimate and not in this list: buy the charger to match the animals.
Draft drawings generated from the model. Build one before selling this plan.