Hi I’m Mike, fencing is a never ending project on anyones ranch, not matter what size you
deal with and today we take a look at a couple of new tools that both promise to help with
just that job.
The Texas fence fixer, and this little guy a somewhat local invention called the cats
claw fastener.
It’s coming up, on our Wyoming life.
Welcome back, did you know that here at our Wyoming life we receive emails almost daily
about new products and inventions that may benefit the farmer and rancher.
The problem has always been that I am not a salesman, I’m not here to tell you what
product to use and what to buy.
Because of that moral dilemma in my life, I have shied away from taking products that
people offer to send us, until now.
I got to thinking that some of these products might actually help us out, both in the savings
of time and sometimes the savings of money.
So I made a deal with myself.
If there is a product that I want to test, I’ll contact the company once, if I don’t
hear anything from them, then maybe I’ll go and buy it myself and test it and see how
it might work of all of us.
But if I do hear from back from a company, I make it very clear that I am not here to
sell their product.
I want to find out how it works on our ranch, how it helps us and in turn may help others.
You still have the option to take it or leave it, and I refuse to let any company dictate
how I test or what I have to say about their product.
That’s my promise to you.
So with that said, I am leaving it up to you after this video.
If you want to see more of these types of videos.
Testing products, showing you how they work and how they can help, both your operation
and mine.
Its totally up to you, leave a quick comment, yay or nay and I will listen to what you have
to say.
Its not going to be a daily thing, or even weekly or maybe even monthly but its up to
you if you ever want to see it again.
I figured I would start with a project that is almost constant around here and one that
I don’t mind doing but also wouldn’t mind seeing some new, or maybe old technology make
things a bit easier.
That project, is fencing.
We have over 26 miles of fence on the ranch, and because of that its almost a constant
project to keep it all up and doing its job.
Animals, cows and weather can do a number on fences and in areas where animals are I
check fences every chance I get.
We have had cows out on the highway, we have had them in neighbors pastures and even sometimes
front yards, but the old saying that good fences make the best neighbors is true, especially
if you want to keep your herd safe.
Which is exactly what fences do.
By keeping our animals where they are supposed to be, they always have access to water and
food.
They have the safety of the herd, and a cow that gets on the wrong side of the fence,
may not have any of those things.
Its because of that we keep good fences and one of the biggest problems we see with barbed
wire fencing is stretching of the wire.
Over time, as snow drags down fence, or animals or what ever may be influencing it, we will
see fence wire start to sag.
There are number of ways to combat this problem but the main gist is that you have to get
the fence tight again.
In the past we have used jakes wire tightners.
These tighteners were invented in Lee County Texas by David Franklin Els but his friends
called him Jake.
The concept is pretty simple, a small clip that fits over a lose piece of wire.
A handle is used to turn the clip, winding the wire around it and then it locks by clipping
over the wire itself.
These clips have worked great for us on the ranch.
I still use them but they can get expensive.
You can buy a bag of them for about 25$.
That works out as a cost of 1.25 cents each repair.
Plus you need the handle which will cost you a one time fee of 20 bucks.
Like I said, we have a lot of fence and I started looking a while ago for a cheaper
alternative for fixing the loose wire.
We can use a fence tightener, but that can get awkward and its not the quickest alternative.
When you are out working by yourself, time becomes a factor and time, as they say, is
money.
That’s when I found the Texas fence fixer.
It cost about 90$ but all you need to tighten a fence is the tool itself and some scrap
wire.
I use smooth wire, which I can get for about $75 for over 1300 feet.
I need about 18 inches for each repair and that one roll will do about 800 repairs.
Now we are down to a cost of about 9 cents for each repair.
Roll in the price of the tool and call it 10 cents for enough wire tightening experience
for a life time, or at least a few years.
The use of the tool is simple.
It clamps on to your existing wire.
Then you use your body to tighten the tool, get it as tight as you need to, then with
the chain you hold in it in place.
Your piece of scrap wire goes over the tool and wraps on to the existing wire, then you
use a pair of fencing pliers to twist it around, and there you go, your fence is tight.
Just for fun, lets compare times between the standard fence stretcher and the Texas fence
fixer.
Another new tool that we have in the fencing realm this week come from Miles City Montana,
where Curt who worked on a ranch got tired of replacing the same staples year after year,
he knew there had to be a better way and he invented the cats claw fastener.
Cats claw fasteners can be used to secure not only wire to posts but also wire panels,
and are completely reusable and rust free.
They come completely assembled and in buckets of 170 for about 55 dollars, about 32 cents
each.
More expensive than staples obviously but in areas where you have constant pressure
or issues with staples popping out these might be a good addition to your fencing tool box.
Each one is simply installed with a hex driver and the attached 2 inch screw.
They are easier than staples, and a lot less hammered fingers, or those little barbs jabbing
you through your gloves, but for me the staple wont be replaced by these guys, but I will
keep some around for those trouble spots.
There is something to be said for the old fashioned way of doing things, but at the
same time if we ignore new technology, well, its bound to march right past us.
If you are interested in learning more about either of these products, I am putting their
information down in the description.
I did buy the Texas fence stretcher myself, and I like it.
The Cats Claw fasteners were sent and I like them too, they work really nice and are easy
to install.
I doubt they are coming out of the fencepost and will work great in a number of applications,
Although there is a time and place for just a plain old staple.
I’ll ask you again to let me know if you like these product reviews, if you do, we
will keep doing them and if you have an idea for a product to review, or you have a new
invention, or your company makes a product that you think may just help out the ranching
or farming community, let us know, you can email us at mail@ourwyominglife.com
Thanks for coming along, be sure to subscribe, have a great week and I’ll see you next
time, on our
Wyoming life.