Stretched Fence

[cowboydoc]

Those are what are used to build high tensile fence and are called tensioners and tighteners. You do need to get the crimping tool and the crimps to use those.

 

[erich]

There is a special tool for creating a figure eight in the wire to take up the slack. I think Gempler's carries it. Eric

 

[Anonymous Poster]

I have seen one very neat antique tool to tighten fence. It was in use by an old gent on a fence tht was basically on the ground. It was nice and tight and standing tall in very short order.

The tool was a plier like contraption that had 2 prongs on one jaw and 3 on the other. Place on wire, squeeze and it left 2 crimps just like you see on hog-wire.

I looked in catalogues and junk stores with no luck so I built my own. 10" vicegrip with 2" angle irons that nest welded to the jaws. Walk down the fence, put 2-3 crimps between each post and wire is tight with no weakening sharp bends, no screwing around with tighteners, no need to loosen staples. Wish I had seen one 40 years ago.

If you want to try it, clamp a couple of pieces of wire before welding the angle irons. I didn't and it makes it a bit awkward hitting the same crimp each time.
Harry K

 

[dmccarty]

Harry,

I suprised that someone did not mention the tool you speak of either. When I worked on a farm a few years ago, well 20 years ago, we had a tool that sounds like what you used except ours sounded a bit larger.

The tool we had was maybe 12 inches long and I think it did maybe 6 crimps in the wire. The tool was two pieces of round bar that was formed into two squares/rectangles. They were attached to each other so that they would scissor togather which would crimp the wire.

Sure seems like these things would still be out there for sale.....

Later...
Dan McCarty