I've just ordered...

[Danllan]

... a bit of kit that one of cousins in Oz sent me a link to. It looks good and since Mrs Danllan owed me a 'present' for being very good, one is now on the way, and a 'needle' thing too.

I'll admit I'm a bit of kit-junkie for tools like this but, if nothing else, it's going to be a good thing for my blood pressure since I have been known, on occasions, to get rather p!ssed off and swear a bit when the cows decide that they like going in straight lines.

My cousin hasn't got one yet, but a chum of his has one and, having just had a go, he's ordered one too. A fair bit more expensive than the old Texas tighteners, but better engineered and with a more sensibly sized 'arch' at the top; apparently it is much more robust than it looks in the video. I hope and think that this will be a great time saver, and stress reducer...

The Fence Repair Tool by James Higgins

A premium rural fencing strainer, the Fence Repair Tool is designed primarily for rapidly removing slack from tired and sagging fence lines using only a short piece of wire and with no cuts and joins. It can be also used for repairing broken wires.

www.jameshiggins.com.au

 

[Muddyroads]

You must have been very very good at that price!
Be interesting to hear how you get on.

 

[DanniAgro]

That looks handy, but if you had to pay carriage and import duty from Aus, the total cost must be rather high - unless it's available here?

The mind boggles to see the inventor is a collector of old barbed wires, as I've never seen anything other than the standard style, even in ancient fences here. Is the presence of different types restricted to the new world or do we have them here in livestock areas?

 

[Danllan]

You must have been very very good at that price!
Be interesting to hear how you get on.

Well, one doesn't like to brag...

But yes, it will either be a superb bit of kit or a total waste of money; however, the Oz $ is at about 50p and I don't mind paying once for the best kit. I put off getting a Strainrite wire puller because i though it was a bit steep, but it's an absolutely superb tool. We'll see.

 

[Danllan]

That looks handy, but if you had to pay carriage and import duty from Aus, the total cost must be rather high - unless it's available here?

The mind boggles to see the inventor is a collector of old barbed wires, as I've never seen anything other than the standard style, even in ancient fences here. Is the presence of different types restricted to the new world or do we have them here in livestock areas?

Yep, just over £200 all in... painful, but, then, I'm not paying it!

 

[tepapa]

... a bit of kit that one of cousins in Oz sent me a link to. It looks good and since Mrs Danllan owed me a 'present' for being very good, one is now on the way, and a 'needle' thing too.

I'll admit I'm a bit of kit-junkie for tools like this but, if nothing else, it's going to be a good thing for my blood pressure since I have been known, on occasions, to get rather p!ssed off and swear a bit when the cows decide that they like going in straight lines.

My cousin hasn't got one yet, but a chum of his has one and, having just had a go, he's ordered one too. A fair bit more expensive than the old Texas tighteners, but better engineered and with a more sensibly sized 'arch' at the top; apparently it is much more robust than it looks in the video. I hope and think that this will be a great time saver, and stress reducer...

The Fence Repair Tool by James Higgins

A premium rural fencing strainer, the Fence Repair Tool is designed primarily for rapidly removing slack from tired and sagging fence lines using only a short piece of wire and with no cuts and joins. It can be also used for repairing broken wires.

www.jameshiggins.com.au

What sort of price are you expecting to pay once arrived inc delivery and import duty?
I quite fancy one but it's in the "do i actually need it list".

 

[Danllan]

What sort of price are you expecting to pay once arrived inc delivery and import duty?
I quite fancy one but it's in the "do i actually need it list".

No idea about duty because I've ordered lots of stuff from Oz and some comes straight to me and some gets 'held' until I fork out, tools etc. included, we'll see. But the all-in price so far and barring any tax / duty at this end - if any - is just over £200.

I had an old Texas style one, but that seems to have got lost when we came back to Wales, only crappy Chinese versions of that are now available and I'm not wasting time or money on them.

Do you need it? I'm guessing that I'll be using it probably a few dozen times each year, more or less. If ,each time, a half-hour job goes down to 15 minutes, that means I'll save 9 hours a year and - as importantly - I'll not get a fair measure of stress from being p!ssed off with fiddlling about. That's the plan anyway.

 

[Yale]

Get the guy in OZ to put a minimal value and class as ‘gift’.

Only becomes an issue if it goes missing in transit.

 

[Danllan]

Get the guy in OZ to put a minimal value and class as ‘gift’.

Only becomes an issue if it goes missing in transit.

Some sending stuff do that; but I don't mind paying duty / tax so I'd not suggest it...

(That written, if CANZUK comes to - as now seems pretty likely - be I'll be delighted.)

 

[Blaithin]

What happens if you need to suck in more than 4 inches of slack? Just do it over and over and over again?

 

[Yale]

What happens if you need to suck in more than 4 inches of slack? Just do it over and over and over again?

I’d assume if within reason there’d be enough slackness to manually drag more slack stuff by hand through the gripper bit then tension.

 

[Danllan]

What happens if you need to suck in more than 4 inches of slack? Just do it over and over and over again?

Good question, see below...

I’d assume if within reason there’d be enough slackness to manually drag more slack stuff by hand through the gripper bit then tension.

Probably right, but I'll experiment. @Blaithin's suggestion is as good as any.

 

[milkloss]

Sorry to ask: Why not just put a gripple in it?

 

[Danllan]

Sorry to ask: Why not just put a gripple in it?

Fair question; I've had a go with them, I just don't like them. I also think that this way is simpler and - probably - a lot better value in the long run. Also, I like 'self-contained' systems rather than ones that keep requiring inputs, especially proprietary ones.

 

[2wheels]

Sorry to ask: Why not just put a gripple in it?

a gripple would work better with high tensile fencing.

 

[Blaithin]

Are the goldenrod style ones not common there?

 

[Danllan]

Are the goldenrod style ones not common there?

Yes we can get them here - well, we can all get everything everywhere now - and I've had a go and they work; but this is just a simpler and, for me (I hope) a quicker and therefore better method.

 

[Exfarmer]

Had something similar years ago but it used chains , Don’t think I ever worked it out properly at the end of the day I always favoured the combine finger on a length of bar As a universal tool

 

[hendrebc]

Fence Repair Tool For Garden Fence Fence Repair Texas Fence Fixer Fence X3A P1N7 | eBay

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Has anyone tried one of these knock offs? I know it's Chinese... £27 compared to £200+ though.

 

[DrDunc]

Spanish windlass.....????

(winding the slack using a bit of stick)