“Mini Plow” Works Great To Install Invisible Fence
Cal Miner, Willmar, Minn., built a 2-wheeled “mini plow” to install underground “invisible” dog fence for a friend who wanted to make a 1-in. deep cut all the way around his 3-acre yard. The fence wire rides on a spool above the plow and feeds down through a steel shoe. He can pull it with a garden tractor.
“We could have done a short distance with an edger or shovel, but running 2,000 ft. of wire was another matter,” says Miner. “I patterned it after larger plows used by utility companies to bury electrical lines.”
The plow rides on a pair of push mower wheels with their axles welded to a 2-ft. long, 4-in. I-beam that sets about 3 in. off the ground. A 4-in. dia. coulter is located in front of the shoe, and was made by removing the flanges from the hub off a wheelbarrow wheel rim and then grinding the hub to a sharp edge.
Miner used 1/4-in. thick sheet metal to make the shoe and bolted it to a metal bracket welded on back of the I-beam. Wire feeds down between two 1/8-in. thick metal plates behind the tooth. The plates are held together by a cotter pin near the tooth’s back edge that keeps wire feeding into the shoe. He used a wire welder to widen the tooth in order to accommodate the wire. The shoe has depth holes on its leading edge that are used to vary trench depth.
“It does a nice job and makes a trench just big enough for the wire, which only goes about 2 to 3 in. deep,” says Miner. “The operator drives at about walking speed. One advantage is that it’s small enough to avoid ripping the yard apart.
“The hardest part is getting the coulter to start cutting through the sod. The plow works best with a 100-lb. weight placed on the I-beam, or with someone standing on it to hold the coulter down in the ground for the first few feet.”
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Cal Miner, 3971 8th St. N.E., Willmar, Minn. 56201 (ph 320 235-3351 or 320 295-8481).
Click here to download page story appeared in.
Click here to read entire issue
“Mini Plow” Works Great To Install Invisible Fence FENCING Miscellaneous Cal Miner Willmar Minn built a 2-wheeled “mini plow” to install underground “invisible” dog fence for a friend who wanted to make a 1-in deep cut all the way around his 3-acre yard The fence wire rides on a spool above the plow and feeds down through a steel shoe He can pull it with a garden tractor “We could have done a short distance with an edger or shovel but running 2 000 ft of wire was another matter ” says Miner “I patterned it after larger plows used by utility companies to bury electrical lines ” The plow rides on a pair of push mower wheels with their axles welded to a 2-ft long 4-in I-beam that sets about 3 in off the ground A 4-in dia coulter is located in front of the shoe and was made by removing the flanges from the hub off a wheelbarrow wheel rim and then grinding the hub to a sharp edge Miner used 1/4-in thick sheet metal to make the shoe and bolted it to a metal bracket welded on back of the I-beam Wire feeds down between two 1/8-in thick metal plates behind the tooth The plates are held together by a cotter pin near the tooth’s back edge that keeps wire feeding into the shoe He used a wire welder to widen the tooth in order to accommodate the wire The shoe has depth holes on its leading edge that are used to vary trench depth “It does a nice job and makes a trench just big enough for the wire which only goes about 2 to 3 in deep ” says Miner “The operator drives at about walking speed One advantage is that it’s small enough to avoid ripping the yard apart “The hardest part is getting the coulter to start cutting through the sod The plow works best with a 100-lb weight placed on the I-beam or with someone standing on it to hold the coulter down in the ground for the first few feet ” Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Cal Miner 3971 8th St N E Willmar Minn 56201 ph 320 235-3351 or 320 295-8481
To read the rest of this story, download this issue below or click
here to register with your account number.
