How to Install a Chain Link Fence-Step 5-10

5.Install the post cap Install looped caps, end post caps and rail caps. Drive looped caps onto the line posts with the mallet and put the posts in their holes, but don’t fill the holes. Bolt a rail cap to each brace band, tightening just enough to hold the cap in place. Feed the rails through the looped caps. Cut rails with a pipe cutter or hacksaw, if needed. If you need longer rails, join them together using rails with a slightly smaller wedged end that fits into a full-size rail. 6.Attach the Rails Fit the rails into the rail caps and raise or lower each cap to the final height of the mesh, including 2 inches of clearance at the bottom. Tighten the brace bands, fill the holes around the line posts with dirt and tamp until firm. 7 Unroll the Mesh and Install a Tension Bar Lay the chain link mesh on the ground outside the fence. Run a tension bar through the links at the end of the mesh. The bar makes the end of the fence rigid and provides something to attach to the posts. Tip: Chain link fabric or mesh is usually sold in rolls 4, 5 or 6 feet high. Galvanized steel is the strongest mesh. Aluminum is lighter. 8.Attach the Tension bar to the Posts With a helper, stand the mesh up and use a socket wrench to bolt the tension bar into the tension bands on one of the end posts. Align the mesh so it overlaps the rail by 1 to 2 inches and sits about 2 inches above the ground. 9.Stretch the Mesh Chain link mesh must be pulled taut or it will sag. Stretching is done with a tool called a fence puller. Insert a pull bar through the unattached mesh a few feet from the final post. Attach the yoke to the pull bar. 10.Tighten the Mesh Crank the fence puller until the loops of the mesh move no more than 1/4 inch when you squeeze them together. If the mesh changed height or became distorted during tightening, pull on it to reshape it.