When neglected, old fence lines clog up with weeds and dirt builds up underneath. A new fence line mower is designed to mow the weeds and also remove dirt built up by throwing it away from the fence.

"It works great for mowing fence lines and will even disperse sand and dirt piled up in the fence row," says inventor-manufacturer Larry Wright, Hempstead, Texas.

The pto-powered, 3-pt. mounted "Fence Mower" reaches right under fence lines, automatically gliding around all obstacles, including fence posts and trees. As the tractor drives parallel to the fence, the mower cuts away brush, saplings, tall grass and vines as it levels out mounds of dirt.

The self-retracting mower is available in a 23-in. cutting width. It's just 5 3/4 in. high, allowing it to maneuver underneath the lowest fence wire. It'll cut up to 12 in. on each side of the fence and throw dirt out up to 7 ft.

The mower deck is free-floating and is completely supported by a steel frame suspended from a pair of chains. The deck swings back and forth on a pair of pneumatic wheels that ride on a curved steel track. A stainless steel, angled wedge covers the front part of the mower deck while the other sides of the deck are open. As soon as the deck clears a post, spring action forces the deck to go back up under the fence line. A rototiller-type "spade" works with the cutting blade to disperse dirt.

You can set the tension on the spring based on how heavy the vegetation is. "It lets you get down low and smoothen out everything under the fence line," says Wright. "Because the deck doesn't ride on wheels it's able to get low to the ground without getting tangled up in vegetation. It'll cut tree saplings up to 1 1/2 in. in diameter."

According to Wright, in many states and provinces there are miles of fence line where nothing has been done for years to keep fence lines clean. "Eventually the vegetation gets so bad you can't even see the fence. Some people use a chain saw to hack away at small trees, but that's very labor intensive and you've still got to get rid of the dirt. The only other option is to use a bull dozer to clear everything away and then put up a new fence," says Wright.

"It takes a tractor with at least 40 hp to operate this unit. Smaller tractors work better because you can get in closer to the fence than you can with a big tractor."

"We encourage dealers to rent our mower. In some areas, it could also be used to run a sideline business," notes Wright, who adds that the unit will be demonstrated at the upcoming Sunbelt Expo near Moultrie, Ga.