Simple Shortcuts For Faster Fencing

2015 - Volume #39, Issue #1, Page #28

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Russell Hackman came up with several small inventions in 40 years of farming and ranching that made fencing a lot easier.
  “I built a lot of fence in my time and most guys I know used an H support to reinforce the gate posts,” Hackman says. “I tried those for awhile and they didn’t hold very well, so I modified that design by moving the cross beam to the top and then placing a diagonal brace underneath from one post to the other. I used 2 3/8 in. pipes driven 5 ft. in the ground for the uprights, and the cross and diagonal pieces fit into brackets that I welded onto the upright posts. I used a metal strap to fasten the gate hinge to the main post and there was never any give to that post, even with a large gate attached.”
  Hackman says he likes this system because he can fabricate the brackets in his shop and then install them in the field with 3/8 in. bolts or muffler clamps. He says the clamps are ‘ambidextrous’, so they work on both sides of a post equally well.
  When he built fence with wood posts, rather than mortising the wood brace into the upright post, Hackman used a metal bracket made out of 4 in. channel iron to attach the cross brace. He used 2 lag screws to mount the vertical bracket to the upright post. The horizontal cradle, which he welded to the upright, supported the horizontal brace. He used metal clamps and bolts to hold the wood brace tight. Hackman made a variation of the bracket with a hinge so it could also be used for diagonal bracing. “This setup is easier to install than a mortise brace and much stronger,” Hackman says. “I make these in my shop and put them on in the field.”
  Another device that saved Hackman time was the barbed wire roller that he mounted on the back of his utility tractor. He bought C brackets and attached those to the tractor lift arms. Those brackets held the spooling roll that he made from 1-in. dia. steel shaft. About 4 in. from each end of the shaft he mounted steel disk blades held in place with metal bushings and a set screw. Inside the blades he placed a 2-in. piece of PVC pipe over the main shaft to spool the wire. He used a small hydraulic motor to drive the spool, with speed controlled by the tractor’s hydraulic flow valve.
  Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Russell Hackman, P.O. Box 1084, 2523 FM 884, Yorktown, Texas 78164 (ph 361 564-8855).

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Simple Shortcuts For Faster Fencing FENCING Miscellaneous Russell Hackman came up with several small inventions in 40 years of farming and ranching that made fencing a lot easier “I built a lot of fence in my time and most guys I know used an H support to reinforce the gate posts ” Hackman says “I tried those for awhile and they didn’t hold very well so I modified that design by moving the cross beam to the top and then placing a diagonal brace underneath from one post to the other I used 2 3/8 in pipes driven 5 ft in the ground for the uprights and the cross and diagonal pieces fit into brackets that I welded onto the upright posts I used a metal strap to fasten the gate hinge to the main post and there was never any give to that post even with a large gate attached ” Hackman says he likes this system because he can fabricate the brackets in his shop and then install them in the field with 3/8 in bolts or muffler clamps He says the clamps are ‘ambidextrous’ so they work on both sides of a post equally well When he built fence with wood posts rather than mortising the wood brace into the upright post Hackman used a metal bracket made out of 4 in channel iron to attach the cross brace He used 2 lag screws to mount the vertical bracket to the upright post The horizontal cradle which he welded to the upright supported the horizontal brace He used metal clamps and bolts to hold the wood brace tight Hackman made a variation of the bracket with a hinge so it could also be used for diagonal bracing “This setup is easier to install than a mortise brace and much stronger ” Hackman says “I make these in my shop and put them on in the field ” Another device that saved Hackman time was the barbed wire roller that he mounted on the back of his utility tractor He bought C brackets and attached those to the tractor lift arms Those brackets held the spooling roll that he made from 1-in dia steel shaft About 4 in from each end of the shaft he mounted steel disk blades held in place with metal bushings and a set screw Inside the blades he placed a 2-in piece of PVC pipe over the main shaft to spool the wire He used a small hydraulic motor to drive the spool with speed controlled by the tractor’s hydraulic flow valve Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Russell Hackman P O Box 1084 2523 FM 884 Yorktown Texas 78164 ph 361 564-8855

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