Gallagher M550

• 3yrs warranty as standard but upgraded to 7yrs when registering with Gallagher within 3 months of the purchase date
• Stored energy – 5.5 Joules
• Output energy – 3.9 Joules
• Fence voltage max – 9,200v
• Fence voltage at 500ohms – 7,000v
• Distance – 30km
• Current consumption – 7w

If you’re only fencing smaller areas, paddocks or short runs, this is more power than you need and a smaller unit will usually do the job just as well.

It’s also not suitable for portable fencing setups, as it needs to be installed in a fixed location.

While this unit is powerful enough to run electric netting, we don’t recommend using it for that purpose long term. Because nets sit close to the ground, you tend to get more frequent arcing, and with an energiser of this size that can be quite harsh. Over time, this can lead to damage or premature wear of the netting.

For horse paddocks, this level of output is generally unnecessary unless you’re dealing with very large areas or particularly challenging fencing conditions.

Points to Consider When Using Higher Output Energisers

Higher output energisers like this are designed for longer fence runs and heavier loads, but that extra power needs to be matched to the setup.

Match the energiser to the fence length

On shorter fence runs, a very powerful energiser can be harder on the system than expected. The pulse has nowhere to go, which can lead to increased arcing at weak points.

This can cause:

• Premature wear on insulators
• Damage to conducting lines
• General inefficiency in the fence

As a rule, it’s better to choose an energiser suited to the length of fence you’re running, rather than simply going for the biggest unit available.

Use the correct insulators

Not all insulators are built for higher output machines.

Standard or lighter-duty insulators can:

• Arc more easily
• Break down over time under higher voltage

For these energisers, it’s important to use good quality, heavy-duty insulators with proper spacing from the post, especially on corners, strain points and gateways.

Be careful with rope, tape and plastic conductors

Poly products (rope, tape and some twines) contain plastic, which makes them more vulnerable to damage from arcing.

They can still be used, but:

• They should be paired with high-spec insulators
• Avoid setups where the conductor is close to posts or likely to arc
• Keep vegetation well managed to reduce leakage and arcing

Over time, repeated arcing can burn or weaken the material, shortening its lifespan.

Netting and high-output energisers

While these energisers are powerful enough to run electric netting, they are not ideal for it.

Because netting sits close to the ground, it creates more frequent arcing. With higher output units, this can be quite harsh and may lead to premature wear or damage to the netting.

Earthing becomes more important as power increases

The larger the energiser, the more important the earth system becomes.

Without a proper earth:

• You won’t get the full output
• The fence won’t perform as expected

For higher output units, this usually means multiple earth stakes installed properly in suitable ground.