Amazing Collection Of Electric Fencers

2007 - Volume #31, Issue #5, Page #24

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One of the more unusual collections we've ever seen at an antique tractor show is Loren Etter's collection of some 40 electric fencers.
  "As far as I know I have the biggest electric fencer collection around," says Etter. "Some of my fencers contain a battery; others hook up to a battery; and others plug into a 110-volt wall outlet. I get most of my fencers at flea markets and auctions and sometimes at antique shops, mostly in Minnesota and Wisconsin. At shows, people come up to me and say they remember their dad using many of the fencers I have."
  What got Etter started was a fencer called the "Busy Bee", which he bought at an auction about 15 years ago for $1. "I didn't even know what it was when I bought it. But once I figured it out I thought it was cool, so I got it working. Then I went to another auction where there were about 20 electric fencers, although most of them were old junky things. I bought 8 to 10 fencers when the auctioneer put the balance together as one lot. They cost a total of about $15. Most of them work.
  "The farthest away that I've bought a fencer was in New York state. It was an all metal Shoc-Stock in working condition. The smaller of my two glass æRed Devil's' came from Lawrence, Kansas."
  The fencers come with colorful names, such as the Electro Line, Weed-Omatic Farmaster, Surge, Red Devil, Hold-Em, Shoc-Stock, Le-Jay, and Busy Bee. "The most I ever paid for a fencer was for the Red Devil, for which I paid $20."
  Here's a description of some of Etter's fencers and how they work.
  Weed-Omatic Farm Master - It was made by the old Gamble's department store and was quite popular in the early 1950's. It has a pulser built into the center of it. "Without the pulser, the fencer wouldn't let the animal loose once it was shocked," says Etter. "There's a red light on one side that shows the fencer working, and a green light on the other side that shows if the wire is grounded out and not working. The pulser is located in the center and can be replaced when defective."
  Busy Bee - This fencer has a round glass dome and a photo of a yellow jacket hornet on front. The words æBusy Bee' are etched on the front.
  Surge - It's a 110-volt operated, metal round canister equipped with an electric cord at the bottom and what looks like an electric meter dial. It was made by the same company that made Surge milkers.
  Shoc-Stock - Battery-operated, it has a metal base with what looks like a 4-in. glass canning jar on top. "I have three glass Shoc-Stock fencers, and two other all-metal Shoc-Stock models that are also battery-operated," says Etter.
  Red Devil - It has a metal base with a glass rectangle on top of it. There's even a photo of a devil with a lightning bolt.
  Hold Em - The 110-volt operated, reddish round canister has a light bulb on top of it. The current is regulated by the wattage of the bulb you put in the socket. "The higher wattage the bulb, the thicker the element so the more voltage goes through it. So to reduce shocking power and electricity costs most farmers would use only a 25-watt bulb. The downside is that it was dangerous to use," says Etter. "There is no pulser on this model."
  Le Jay Hi Ball kit - This kit sold for $1.95 and was designed to make use of the coil on a Ford Model T car. "The kit I have is still new in the box," says Etter. It includes pieces that you screw onto the coil, and then the coil is wired to the fence. It comes with a mounting bracket that supports a glass test tube set at an angle above the coil.
  "A black marble would roll up or down inside the tube, and every time the marble hit the bottom of the tube it contacted a metal tab that contacts the Ford coil and causes the fencer to stop shocking. Whenever the marble goes up the test tube it creates the pulse," says Etter. "There was a felt pad in the end of the tube to keep it from breaking."
  Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Loren Etter, 1921 - 130th Ave., Mora, Minn. 55051 (ph 320 679-5500; nika1@ecenet.com).

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Amazing Collection Of Electric Fencers AG WORLD 31-5-24 One of the more unusual collections we've ever seen at an antique tractor show is Loren Etter's collection of some 40 electric fencers. "As far as I know I have the biggest electric fencer collection around," says Etter. "Some of my fencers contain a battery; others hook up to a battery; and others plug into a 110-volt wall outlet. I get most of my fencers at flea markets and auctions and sometimes at antique shops, mostly in Minnesota and Wisconsin. At shows, people come up to me and say they remember their dad using many of the fencers I have." What got Etter started was a fencer called the "Busy Bee", which he bought at an auction about 15 years ago for $1. "I didn't even know what it was when I bought it. But once I figured it out I thought it was cool, so I got it working. Then I went to another auction where there were about 20 electric fencers, although most of them were old junky things. I bought 8 to 10 fencers when the auctioneer put the balance together as one lot. They cost a total of about $15. Most of them work. "The farthest away that I've bought a fencer was in New York state. It was an all metal Shoc-Stock in working condition. The smaller of my two glass æRed Devil's' came from Lawrence, Kansas." The fencers come with colorful names, such as the Electro Line, Weed-Omatic Farmaster, Surge, Red Devil, Hold-Em, Shoc-Stock, Le-Jay, and Busy Bee. "The most I ever paid for a fencer was for the Red Devil, for which I paid $20." Here's a description of some of Etter's fencers and how they work. Weed-Omatic Farm Master - It was made by the old Gamble's department store and was quite popular in the early 1950's. It has a pulser built into the center of it. "Without the pulser, the fencer wouldn't let the animal loose once it was shocked," says Etter. "There's a red light on one side that shows the fencer working, and a green light on the other side that shows if the wire is grounded out and not working. The pulser is located in the center and can be replaced when defective." Busy Bee - This fencer has a round glass dome and a photo of a yellow jacket hornet on front. The words æBusy Bee' are etched on the front. Surge - It's a 110-volt operated, metal round canister equipped with an electric cord at the bottom and what looks like an electric meter dial. It was made by the same company that made Surge milkers. Shoc-Stock - Battery-operated, it has a metal base with what looks like a 4-in. glass canning jar on top. "I have three glass Shoc-Stock fencers, and two other all-metal Shoc-Stock models that are also battery-operated," says Etter. Red Devil - It has a metal base with a glass rectangle on top of it. There's even a photo of a devil with a lightning bolt. Hold Em - The 110-volt operated, reddish round canister has a light bulb on top of it. The current is regulated by the wattage of the bulb you put in the socket. "The higher wattage the bulb, the thicker the element so the more voltage goes through it. So to reduce shocking power and electricity costs most farmers would use only a 25-watt bulb. The downside is that it was dangerous to use," says Etter. "There is no pulser on this model." Le Jay Hi Ball kit - This kit sold for $1.95 and was designed to make use of the coil on a Ford Model T car. "The kit I have is still new in the box," says Etter. It includes pieces that you screw onto the coil, and then the coil is wired to the fence. It comes with a mounting bracket that supports a glass test tube set at an angle above the coil. "A black marble would roll up or down inside the tube, and every time the marble hit the bottom of the tube it contacted a metal tab that contacts the Ford coil and causes the fencer to stop shocking. Whenever the marble goes up the test tube it creates the pulse," says Etter. "There was a felt pad in the end of the tube to keep it from breaking." Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Loren Etter, 1921 - 130th Ave., Mora, Minn. 55051 (ph 320 679-5500; nika1@ecenet.com).

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