Fence Repair

[msscamp]

This is kind of an old topic, but when the ice storm took down a few miles of fence on my place I ordered several bags of Jakes tighteners, I was splicing the fence with my goldenrod dohickey and fixing the slack spots with the Jakes.
Then I found a website that showed repairing the fence with a jakes tightener. You just make a loop in each end of the broken wire. Splice in a new piece of barbwire then put a jakes tightener in and tighten it up. I can fix a broke spot in about a minute which is a whole lot faster.
I have about five miles of destroyed barbwire fence so I will get a lot of practice
Just though I would share...

Ummm, yeah, that is how we did it - we just left out the jakes thing as we never found it to be necessary. A little practice with a good pair of fence pliars will do the same thing, but it's cheaper.

 

[hillrancher]

We are repairing after the ice storm. We are using the sleeve splices and the(golden rod stretchers) for the first time. Went to buy the crimper tool they were $60+ had an old pair of blot cutters that look like them went ground the jaws to the same spacing as the crmpers works. If possible we bend the wire back on the end of the splice. Have not had any to slip when not enough to bend back.
A good thing about the fence repairing, I had two guys that build fence scheduled to build some new fence for about 18 months, gave up on them. I had every thing loaded and ready to start repairing on Monday. Sunday night they called said they could start on the fence if I still need it done. We have been cutting pushing trees and limbs. If every thing goes well will be back where we were before storm next week.

 

[dun]

This is kind of an old topic, but when the ice storm took down a few miles of fence on my place I ordered several bags of Jakes tighteners, I was splicing the fence with my goldenrod dohickey and fixing the slack spots with the Jakes.
Then I found a website that showed repairing the fence with a jakes tightener. You just make a loop in each end of the broken wire. Splice in a new piece of barbwire then put a jakes tightener in and tighten it up. I can fix a broke spot in about a minute which is a whole lot faster.
I have about five miles of destroyed barbwire fence so I will get a lot of practice
Just though I would share...

Ummm, yeah, that is how we did it - we just left out the jakes thing as we never found it to be necessary. A little practice with a good pair of fence pliars will do the same thing, but it's cheaper.

I just find it a lot less agravating to use the Jakes

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

Like Dun said in his first post. We (hubby) just cuts the tree off the fence and might have to replace an insulator or two. Rarely ever have to tighten or REPAIR.
Had to repair 1 time. Previous friendly neighbor (gone) managed to put her disc into our 4 strands of hi-tensile & continued to go. Cut fence wires & broke off two wooden posts. They never said a thing.
Bet they had fun pulling out the fence from the disc.

 

[danl]

Like Dun said in his first post. We (hubby) just cuts the tree off the fence and might have to replace an insulator or two. Rarely ever have to tighten or REPAIR.
Had to repair 1 time. Previous friendly neighbor (gone) managed to put her disc into our 4 strands of hi-tensile & continued to go. Cut fence wires & broke off two wooden posts. They never said a thing.
Bet they had fun pulling out the fence from the disc.

I may have to figure out how to post a picture, cause I don't think you all are getting the "picture". Not trying to be a smart aleck, but I'm not talking about a few limbs,
I have 6 to 8 inch thick tree limbs and whole tree tops that have took all five strands of barbwire. (no insulators involved here) to the ground and broke at least the top two strands and drove t posts further in the ground and broke some of them off.
Some of my neighbor's fence that was more out in the open, got so heavy with ice that it popped the fence clips off the posts. The wire was about two or three inches around.
Some of the tree tops landed 30 or 40 feet from the base of the tree, out in the field. Like they were catapulted out there.

 

[mobgrazer]

I just ordered the stuff to put up 5 miles of 5 strands hi tensile if any one needs some work. I should get in on 2-16 and plan on starting next week.

As far as trees I hate having to fix a fence because of trees. I found that 75' from the nearest tree to the fence works well for being able to go out with some brush cutters to clean the limbs off. Every year I will get a few limbs on my temp fencing but the cattle are still in the right field just not in the MOB I want them to be in.

As far as clearings I have my driveway and power lines cleared out so nothing falls on them. But it is fun to see the power company come up my drive to clean off my fence ever few years. Some how it still takes them at least 2 hours to get it done and they don't even lift any tools.

 

[dun]

I may have to figure out how to post a picture, cause I don't think you all are getting the "picture". Not trying to be a smart aleck, but I'm not talking about a few limbs,
I have 6 to 8 inch thick tree limbs and whole tree tops that have took all five strands of barbwire. (no insulators involved here) to the ground and broke at least the top two strands and drove t posts further in the ground and broke some of them off.
Some of my neighbor's fence that was more out in the open, got so heavy with ice that it popped the fence clips off the posts. The wire was about two or three inches around.
Some of the tree tops landed 30 or 40 feet from the base of the tree, out in the field. Like they were catapulted out there.

Had all of that in the icestorm here in 2007. Single strand of hotwire is sure a whole lot faster and easier to fix then barbed. Had one 50 foot tall 3 foot diameter tree do down lengthwise on a section. Wack it up, push it off, pop on a couple of insulotrs and lift the hotwire and hook it back up.

 

[danl]

Dun, I have already figured out my cows aint as smart as yours.. Mine are stupid enough to be right back underneath big hanging limbs, if that wasn't bad enough they are "delicately" nibbling on the ends of some of the branches. Sometimes I think they are suicidal.

I have never been brave enough to depend on electric fence as the last barrier. I know a lot of people do. though.
I just use it for inside fences.

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

Dani, what I was referring to was that Hi-Tensile fence does not BREAK. Might stretch a little, but you can just tighten it with the built in tightener. Barb wire fence can be a nightmare. Been there - done that! not thanks. Will never put another stand of it up. Don't like handling it and don't like fence repairs.
Feel sorry for you. Ice storms are a nightmare.

 

[Angus Cowman]

Dani, what I was referring to was that Hi-Tensile fence does not BREAK. Might stretch a little, but you can just tighten it with the built in tightener. Barb wire fence can be a nightmare. Been there - done that! not thanks. Will never put another stand of it up. Don't like handling it and don't like fence repairs.
Feel sorry for you. Ice storms are a nightmare.

You must have a different high tensile than I have ever used because it does break if it is hit to hard

 

[danl]

Jeanne - Simme Valley
That is an L not an i
The only person I never griped at for calling me Danny was my Grandma and she refused to call me Dan, because she used to have a mule named Dan.. Who can argue with that logic, let alone your Grandma.

Danl

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

Sorry - DANL - old eyes, you know! :lol:
I have had lots of large trees over the years drop on our fence - 1 strand - 4 strand - never broke - and we do not put the "springs" in the lines. Waste of money to us.
I would imagine if a tree dropped on a real tight SHORT span of fence, something would have to give - maybe break the post.

 

[danl]

Sorry - DANL - old eyes, you know! :lol:
I have had lots of large trees over the years drop on our fence - 1 strand - 4 strand - never broke - and we do not put the "springs" in the lines. Waste of money to us.
I would imagine if a tree dropped on a real tight SHORT span of fence, something would have to give - maybe break the post.

It will also drive the post further into the ground. I have to carry my deluxe harbor freight t-post puller with me to retrieve some of my posts which went from 5 feet to 3 feet left out of the ground!!!
Was a lot of fun when the ground was frozen, it is about 60 now so just mud.

 

[dun]

Dani, what I was referring to was that Hi-Tensile fence does not BREAK. Might stretch a little, but you can just tighten it with the built in tightener. Barb wire fence can be a nightmare. Been there - done that! not thanks. Will never put another stand of it up. Don't like handling it and don't like fence repairs.
Feel sorry for you. Ice storms are a nightmare.

You must have a different high tensile than I have ever used because it does break if it is hit to hard

It's takes driving through it with a tractor for a ways begore it breaks, that's theo nly one we've had break, stretch yes, but not break

 

[dun]

Dun, I have already figured out my cows aint as smart as yours.. Mine are stupid enough to be right back underneath big hanging limbs, if that wasn't bad enough they are "delicately" nibbling on the ends of some of the branches. Sometimes I think they are suicidal.

I have never been brave enough to depend on electric fence as the last barrier. I know a lot of people do. though.
I just use it for inside fences.

Our cows and calves after a month of age are so conditioned to it that they won't even walk over it and lot of times won;t cross were it has been. Even without it being up they'll walk to were the gate used to be.

 

[Brute 23]

Dani, what I was referring to was that Hi-Tensile fence does not BREAK. Might stretch a little, but you can just tighten it with the built in tightener.

I think you got that back-ards. High tensile breaks, the regular wire stretches. ;-) You can break the high tensile wire by pulling to too tight.

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

We use the 12.5 (I think that's the number) and I have 150 acres of 3 and 4 strand with single strand all over in between in and around lots of woods. I have had it break where we put an insulated section around a tree and the tree outgrew the "loop" and wire broke at the crimper. That's about the only time I know of it breaking - AND the tractor & disc that drug it, posts & all, & cut it with the disc.
I actually had a tractor jump out of park & rolled thru a single strand (broke the crimp nicropsy than stopped at the 4-strand. Not a big hill, but it still stopped it without any damage.
And, I'm not saying that you CAN'T break it. Of course you can. Just under normal "stretched tight" situations, it can handle a huge tree with no problem (except maybe a 20' section from corner post to corner post).