Metal Clamps Make Fence Building Easy

Metal Clamps Make Fence Building Easy FENCING Fence Systems 20-6-18 Ron Shamansky's customers at his welding shop in Star, Alberta, prefer steel corrals to wood but they find repair costs too high. "Steel corrals definitely last longer than wood ones," says Ron, "but welds crack and break due to the shrinking and expanding caused by weather and abuse by animals." After three months of trial and error, Ron came up with an economical answer to the problem. He designed a metal clamp that's made from 3/8-in. sq. steel bar. The clamp allows steel rods to be secured to fence posts made from common 2 7/8-in. dia. round tubing. "The toughest part was building the jigs to put the right bend on the square bar," he says. "The clamps are bent in the shape of a horseshoe and no tolerance is allowed in their construction. It's important that each clamp exactly fit the tubing." A U-bolt fastens to each side of the post clamp. "These clamps let you build an all-steel fence without welding," adds Ron. "If a cross bar gets damaged it's easy to replace. If you build a corral and then decide that it should be bigger or made in a different shape, you can unscrew the clamps to quickly dismantle the entire thing. The corral can then be rebuilt using the same material. You sure can't do that with welded fence." Ron sells a complete package including tubing (2 7/8-in. dia. oil field tubing), sucker rod (for the cross bars), and clamps for a 6-rod fence for $6.37 per running foot (Canadian). He estimates the cost is about $1 more than it would cost to build a traditional wooden fence. He says you can find your own tubing and sucker rod, then buy the clamps from him for $4 apiece. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Ron Shamansky, Box 218, Lamont, Alberta, Canada T0B 2R0 (ph 403 895-7548).

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