Quick verdict
Twelve 13.8 inch galvanized coil springs that sit inline on high-tensile fence wire and take up the expansion and contraction the wire goes through between a hot afternoon and a frosty night, so the fence stays tight without snapping in cold or sagging in heat. A spring compressed by 1 inch indicates about 150 pounds of tension, which lets you set every strand to the same pull. One spring per strand per run is the rule and twelve covers a multi-strand fence.
Strengths
- Keeps high-tensile wire tensioned through temperature swings
- One inch of compression reads about 150 lb of tension
- Galvanized steel for decades on the fence
- Twelve springs cover a multi-strand fence
- Protects wire and posts from the shock of animal impacts
Weaknesses
- For high-tensile wire; soft wire stretches instead
- Adds a fitting per strand to install
- Must be paired with a tensioner to set the pull
The overall YardToolLab Score is out of 100. Section scores are out of 10.
Wire That Moves With the Weather
A quarter mile of high-tensile fence wire shrinks several inches on a frosty night and grows back by afternoon. Fixed to the posts without give, it snaps in winter or sags in summer and either way the fence fails. An inline spring absorbs the change. CYM-INSIST’s are 13.8 inch galvanized coil springs, twelve to a pack, that double as a tension gauge: an inch of compression is about 150 pounds.
This review is based on the listing specifications and on how inline tension springs are used in high-tensile fencing generally. We have not used these springs ourselves and the brand is a generic importer.
How They Work
The spring sits in the strand near a brace post. When cold shortens the wire, the spring compresses a little and the wire does not snap; when heat lengthens it, the spring extends and the wire stays tight. Animal impacts are absorbed the same way instead of jerking the posts. The fence stays at working tension year round without anyone retightening it.
Setting Tension
Fit the spring and a tensioner on the strand, then tighten until the spring has compressed about an inch, which indicates roughly 150 pounds, the standard for high-tensile wire. Set every strand to the same compression and the fence is evenly tensioned without a gauge. Check the compression each spring and take up any slack.
Where to Fit
One spring per strand per stretch between braced posts, close to a brace so the brace carries the load. On electric fences the galvanized steel conducts, so the strand stays live. Twelve springs cover a four or five strand fence across two or three runs.
Wire Type
Springs suit high-tensile wire, which does not stretch. Soft wire stretches and takes up its own slack, and a spring on it does little. Match the hardware to the wire.
Who Should Buy It
- Anyone building high-tensile fence in a climate with real seasons.
- Owners of electric fences that snap in winter or sag in summer.
- Smallholders wanting a fence they do not retighten.
Common Owner Complaints
Springs that did little on soft wire. Use them on high-tensile.
Fitting Tips
Fit springs before the final tensioning and set them all in the same session so every strand reads the same. Place them on the side of the brace where they are easy to see from the gate, so a glance on a walk shows whether a strand has lost tension. Check compression in midwinter and midsummer the first year to learn how much your fence moves.
Alternatives to Consider
Inline strainers alone where temperature swings are mild. Gripple tensioners for joining and tensioning in one. Heavier springs for long runs of thick wire.
Verdict
Tension springs are what let a high-tensile fence survive the seasons untouched, and twelve galvanized ones at this price equip a whole fence. Fit one per strand near the brace, compress an inch and leave it.
Full specifications
CYM-INSIST 12-Pack 13.8 Inch Galvanized Heavy-Duty Electric Fence Tension Springs FAQs
Steel wire shrinks in cold and expands in heat. A fence tensioned tight on a summer day can snap or pull a post on a winter night; one tensioned in winter sags in summer. A spring absorbs the change.
Measure how far the spring has compressed. About 1 inch equals 150 pounds, which is the usual target for high-tensile fence. Set every strand to the same compression.
Inline near a brace post, one per strand per stretch between braces, with a tensioner on the same strand to set the pull.
Yes. Galvanized steel carries current, so the strand stays live through the spring.
