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Lucky

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Fence, do you know if there's any certain spec for how tight barbwire should be? I know they make the spring gauge for high tensile but not sure if it'll work on barbwire. Reason I ask is I'd like to pull wire tight with the skid loader instead of a come a long. I figured maybe they make a scale or something. It's getting nearly impossible to find help around here I'd like to make fence building a little easier and faster. It's amazing how lazy these people are getting. I've never had one last an entire fence project. The guys I know with fencing crews are even keeping 2-3 extra people hired on just to make sure enough will show up everyday.
 
Fence, do you know if there's any certain spec for how tight barbwire should be? I know they make the spring gauge for high tensile but not sure if it'll work on barbwire. Reason I ask is I'd like to pull wire tight with the skid loader instead of a come a long. I figured maybe they make a scale or something. It's getting nearly impossible to find help around here I'd like to make fence building a little easier and faster. It's amazing how lazy these people are getting. I've never had one last an entire fence project. The guys I know with fencing crews are even keeping 2-3 extra people hired on just to make sure enough will show up everyday.
Tell me about it.
Ive been working on one by myself all week trying to help the guys get caught up.

NCRS spec used to be 400 pounds on 12 gauge low tensile. I've never used a guage as we just pull it near breaking point.
I know you've built alot of fence maybe you got your arm calibrated to a comealong. Lol
When I pull with a machine and I do it all the time on long pulls . I pull the wire pretty tight . Get out of the machine and put my comealong on it and finish it. So really pulling the slack and putting some tension with the machine then pulling it tight with my tools.
High tensile netwire. ..pull it till the tires spin.
Next time you come through swing by.
 
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We used to pull the old low carbon barbed wire with a small tractor..comealong hooked to the tractor between the wire while pulling the slack, then lock the brakes or block behind the wheels and get off and finish with the comealong that was already hooked up.

Lucky,
Are you talking about pulling it with this kind of skid loader?

DSC00560.JPG
(I'd pull the wire in two before I knew it if I tried it. It wouldn't even know the wire was hooked up to it)
 
Thanks for responding fence. I got to thinking after I wrote the post and thought maybe do as you said and get the slack out then come a long it. I do have a calibrated fence tensioning arm…lol. Hard to believe but I've had the same old come a long for 20 yrs. I've bought new ones but always use the same old one. I've got an tracked skid steer and am afraid I'll pull the wire in two with it. On high tensile net I pull until it won't pull anymore.

I've broken barbwire by pulling too tight before but never had the roll up disaster some talk about. It always just lays down flat. I could see the grapper device coming back at the skid though.
 
Thanks for responding fence. I got to thinking after I wrote the post and thought maybe do as you said and get the slack out then come a long it. I do have a calibrated fence tensioning arm…lol. Hard to believe but I've had the same old come a long for 20 yrs. I've bought new ones but always use the same old one. I've got an tracked skid steer and am afraid I'll pull the wire in two with it. On high tensile net I pull until it won't pull anymore.

I've broken barbwire by pulling too tight before but never had the roll up disaster some talk about. It always just lays down flat. I could see the grapper device coming back at the skid though.
The roll up disaster is mostly myth.
Hey
Hold on a minute, .......
 
I have never been accused of being a good fence builder but I always have done mine the same as graybeard. Use the tractor to pull the wire until all of it is off the ground with the center being about 2' high. Lock the tractor brakes down then finish it with the come-a-long.
 
We do much appreciate all these videos and other fencing tips and aids but that one was 'kinda' hard to see.
May I make a small suggestion to make it easier on the viewer ?
;)

View attachment 6474
Boy howdy. Y'all will bitch about anything won't you. Why don't you pry yourself outta the ac drive up to Milam county and hold the fu#&& phone for me.... 😂
 
Boy howdy. Y'all will bitch about anything won't you. Why don't you pry yourself outta the ac drive up to Milam county and hold the fu#&& phone for me.... 😂
I would, but I'm scared you would put me to work....
besides, I broke down a rear tractor tire early this morning and patched the tube and I'm too tuckered out to drive anywhere.
 
Good video Fence. Thanks for the tips.

That wasn't a JD skid steer…..
 
For people reading along here who may not build fence daily, a former boss of mine had a scar that went for a little under his eye almost down to the edge of his mouth from some one pulling barbed wire with a tractor when he was a kid. It parted and went flying. The wire cut clean through his cheek and almost got his eye. Did the tractor cause it, did the wire have a kink or bad spot? We dont know that part.

Its extremely easy when using machinery to over pull wire, especially a single wire. When you are controlling the pull with some thing like a come along, it's like having a fish on the line, you can feel it and and have a little more control. You have to really get down on a hand crank to break it. Kind of like using an air impact vs a hand ratchet.

You may pull wire 100 times with your tractor, it may break 5 of those and fall to the ground, but it only takes that 1 time to go across your kids face and you will spend the rest of your life wondering if you shouldn't have just done it by hand.

I watched chains bust and fall dozens of times winching up equipment on trucks in my life before one time I saw it slingshot right into his back headache rack. I took the stand back call a lot more serious after.

How many times have you seen a rope break when guys are roping? A friend of mine who does it for a living had a rope bust when they were dragging a cow up in a trailer with a tractor. He was pointing in the air to the guy on the tractor to go ahead and the rope snapped and whipped around and chopped his pointed finger off a foot or less from his face. It happend so fast he didnt realise it at first. Would that have happened with a horse dragging?

Just consider the risk vs reward before you do some of these things. Short term gain does not always pay off long term.
 
For people reading along here who may not build fence daily, a former boss of mine had a scar that went for a little under his eye almost down to the edge of his mouth from some one pulling barbed wire with a tractor when he was a kid. It parted and went flying. The wire cut clean through his cheek and almost got his eye. Did the tractor cause it, did the wire have a kink or bad spot? We dont know that part.

Its extremely easy when using machinery to over pull wire, especially a single wire. When you are controlling the pull with some thing like a come along, it's like having a fish on the line, you can feel it and and have a little more control. You have to really get down on a hand crank to break it. Kind of like using an air impact vs a hand ratchet.

You may pull wire 100 times with your tractor, it may break 5 of those and fall to the ground, but it only takes that 1 time to go across your kids face and you will spend the rest of your life wondering if you shouldn't have just done it by hand.

I watched chains bust and fall dozens of times winching up equipment on trucks in my life before one time I saw it slingshot right into his back headache rack. I took the stand back call a lot more serious after.

How many times have you seen a rope break when guys are roping? A friend of mine who does it for a living had a rope bust when they were dragging a cow up in a trailer with a tractor. He was pointing in the air to the guy on the tractor to go ahead and the rope snapped and whipped around and chopped his pointed finger off a foot or less from his face. It happend so fast he didnt realise it at first. Would that have happened with a horse dragging?

Just consider the risk vs reward before you do some of these things. Short term gain does not always pay off long term.
Horses and deep water or dangerous to. ...I don't doubt your scairt....
 

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