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Baldwin City, KS | I figured this would get more views on this section. Anyway, I do some custom fencing on the side. Normally, it's barbed wire. I'm going to bid a job that requires woven field type fence, but I've never put any up before. I've got both a bobcat and a large comealong that I use, but I'm not sure how to get a hold of the fence and pull on it evenly. Has anybody come up with any slick tool for this? Any pictures or ideas would be appreciated. |
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| The old fence stretchers i remember using used 2 2x6 boards that were bolted together with the fence in between. they had a bracket top and bottom about 1/4 way in from the ends. Worked real good as i remember but it's been a long time.
INDY |
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nw kansas | That is how they told me, get something that runs the length of the fence and tie top and bottom and pull. pipe or boards, square tubing. |
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Washington, Kansas & Lincoln, Nebraska | ditto on the 2 bys bolted together. When I was a kid, that's how dad did it. Clamp the 2 bys tight to the wire and pull with whatever. We used to use the 8N Ford. |
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Manchester, Georgia | I have used the stretcher bars and chain puller in that you will find at the bottom of this link. They work slick, I use to use the boards and bolts. Boards and bolts work well but kind of slow.
http://staytuff.com/fence-tools.htm |
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Ripley, Ontario Canada | I have a home made stretcher bar. It is a piece of 2x2x3/8 angle with a piece of 1/2 by 2 flat bar that bolts on with the wire in between. I had to put a few beads of weld on the angle to keep the wire from slipping. I have about 5 1/2 inch bolts holding the 2 pieces together (drill 5/8 holes as the flat bar bends alittle around the wire and it damages the threads on the bolts. Then I have a loop welded on the top and bottom that I put a come a long to the ancher post at top and bottom. If you pull with a tractor, you don't tension the anchor post and it will move when you let the tractor off and your fence is loose. More questions email me |
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Ashland County Ohio | How do you know when you have stretched it enough?I need to fix up a lot for my son keep some sheep. |
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| With the 2bys hard wood works well but you will need several bolts the length of the board. About a bolt for every wire. With battery powered impacts this will work good. If you build one for further use its a good idea to drill the bolt holes in one piece so they fit tight and stay in that piece. Stagger the holes side to side so the board doesn't split. You use the first piece for a pattern but drill the other piece with over sized holes and use heavy washers so it won't be hard to put together and especially take apart.
Like one post mentioned the corner may give a little if its not the anchor for stretching. What I do is cut the wires individually while still tensioned and leave the top wire till last. That way the post has been tensioned some and you can pull that wire in some when you wind it around the post.
When stretching you don't want to pull the tensioning curves out of the wire as these are supposed to keep the wire tight due to temperature changes. About all as 30 hp tractor will pull is about right. A 4 wheel drive bobcat can probably over stretch it if its very big.
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Bismarck, IL | had some fence built 4-5 years ago and they stretched from the middle of the line |
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xenia ohio | the stretchers we have in the barn are 2 angle irons that hook together to form a hinge, then at the end of the stretch chain is a T shaped deal that hold the angles together. As you tighten, the T clamps the angles tight and keeps your fence from sliding. |
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South Texas | The other day I saw 4' and 6' stretchers at Tractor Supply. Seemed reasonably priced and plan on getting the 4' one for my next project.
For "how tight" I believe Red Brand has a website with good info.
Take care. Stetts |
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central - east central Minnesota - | I was tought or at least the way dad fenced was to tension the woven wire and then fasten it to most all the posts before unhooking the tensioner (tractor generally) including hooking to the corner posts before releaseing tension. We used the angle iron claming tensioner. Equal presure on top and bottom of the woven wire is key. Nothing like a new woven wire fence ! Good luck. |
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Statesville, NC | My uncle had a fence wire unroller and stretcher that went on a three point hitch of a tractor. It was a factory made unit and worked very well. It had a removable pipe you put thru the center of the roll, or up to four rolls of barbed wire, and had a hinged angle iron clamp with two adjustable over center lever latches. It made putting up woven wire a breeze. I can't remember the brand name, but I don't think they are in business anymore. Everyone in the neighborhood has borrowed it. I think it was called a "fence erector". |
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| Take a look at this http://maverickfencestretchers.com/ |
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Nevada, Iowa | Dad used what looked like a 6x6 ripped in half out of oak. It had about 6 5/8 bolts spaced evenly from top to bottom. Looked like it came across the sea with Moses, had a lot of wounds and character marks but had never been broken. We still have it, used it to pull some fence a few years ago.
Someone asked how to determine tightness. Seems like Dad would get it signing tight and then give her a little more. It's really a guess and by gosh thing but a fence will always loosen a little over time. |
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Crawford County, Robinson, Illinois | Best fencing question so far. I was told to stretch until the little folded notches in the wire just begin to straighten out. You don't want to stretch the wire completely until the notches are gone, but as you notice the notches bent into the wire begin to move, you quit stretching. If you are going on hills or uneven ground, you have to travel the length of wire to make sure it is not getting caught on the ground, lifting it up once and a while. If you are going through a valley, it is trickier, you have to fasten the bottom wire to make sure it will go down into the valley. All we ever used to stretch woven wire was the boards and bolts, homemade, do not need anything fancy. Cut two boards the length of the wires height, mark a place where a bolt would go through between the wires, and drill the holes. Make the holes small enough for the bolts to be forced through the wood when hammering, that way you will always have the bolts stuck on the board when you take off the nuts after stretching. Put the boards beyond the corner post and stretch, then use wire staples on the corner and second post before releasing the tension on the wire. Cut the wire long enough that it will wrap around the second post, and tie the long wires left back to the face of the fence, to hold it better. My FIL and I put up a lot of fence, much of it still standing after many years. |
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Good way to stretch woven wire fence?
