Cattle Panel Bending

[Deere Dude]

I have 3 4x16' cattle panels to be used for tomato cages. They are to end up being 16" square by 48" tall.

I could cut them up and wire 16"x 48" pieces together to get the job done but I was considering just trying to bend a 64" piece 3 times to make a 16" square cage.

Wiring them together might make storage easier possibly.

I don't have a big torch for heating the metal but have FEL and a log splitter for putting pressure for bending somehow.

I am just wondering if anyone ever bent one to make something. Any ideas welcome. Thanks.

 

[Birdhunter1]

I have just put steel t posts in the round, wired a cattle panel to it and weaved the mater vines up into it and let it go that way. It worked surprisingly well.

 

[Ford850]

I use the panels like Birdhunter1 describes. After working the soil, I drive tee posts in a row, about 8' apart. Then I tie up the panels to the tee posts, holding them up off the ground 5 - 10". I used to wire them on, but now I use black zip ties from Harbor Freight. I double them, at tops and bottoms. Then plant under the panel, and weave them through as they grow. They work best if I prune off the lower vines otherwise those go horizontal and are on the ground.
I cut my panels in half, leaving long tines on one side and none on the other. Then overlapped and bent those long tines through the edge of the sister half panel and back on itself in a "U". That creates a long panel hinged in the center which is easier to carry and store. But they are bulky to get tied in place unless you have a helper. I also have a couple half panels (8'), and they are easier to tie up.
What I learned from bending them, I wouldn't want to make 16" cages. Maybe if you make a jig and a bending lever to sandwich the panel and make a sharper bend. I found that a 2 or 3lb hammer helps correct poor bends. You might be able to bend/hammer/bend/hammer around a square timber to get a nice corner.

 

[Deere Dude]

What I learned from bending them, I wouldn't want to make 16" cages. Maybe if you make a jig and a bending lever to sandwich the panel and make a sharper bend. I found that a 2 or 3lb hammer helps correct poor bends. You might be able to bend/hammer/bend/hammer around a square timber to get a nice corner.

I had a few scraps around and cut some and found I could weld them in the shape I want but it is a lot of fooling around. I think I have a big chunk of 5" angle iron laying around and I will set it in there and push down with the FELfor the bend and the finish with the hammering to finish it off. I'll try one bend and see what happens.

 

[Mendonsy]

We use a simpler and more old fashion method that has worked well for many years.
I install T posts about every 6' and string a 1/4" steel cable between them at about 5' above the ground. Once the plants reach about 12" high I loosely tie a length of bale twine around the base of the plant and make a couple of wraps around the stem. The twine is then tied up to the steel cable with some extra left for later use. Every week or two during the growing season I make another wrap around the plant stem to keep it upright. Depending on the size and variety some plants will need extra strings added as they grow.

 

[hslogger]

I have used cattle panels cut up and then take the four pieces, make a square, and zip tie them at the corners. It works but often cumbersome to get your hands in and out for pruning or selective harvest.

Also used straight panels and then just tie the plants to the panels. It works nicely. I like the other guy's idea of raising the panels up five to ten inches to begin with and think I will try that out. Basal pruning makes for a cleaner bottom area that makes watering easier and you are not as apt to trash bottom growth.

 

[joeu235]

Concrete remesh works really good for tomato cages. I would think cattle panels would be difficult to bend into squares.

 

[SandburRanch]

Concrete remesh works really good for tomato cages. I would think cattle panels would be difficult to bend into squares.

That's what I use. The 6x6 openings make for easy gathering and 24" diameter is easy adjustable. I two piece mine which makes then easy stacked storage by being cradled.

You could bow the panels and make a green house.

 

[EddieWalker]

Why go through all the effort trying to make tomato cages when they are so cheap to buy? I have a dozen of the really thin and cheap ones that we still use every year, but lately we've been buying the thicker ones for more money that are painted different colors just because my wife likes the different colors in her garden.

 

[Deere Dude]

Why go through all the effort trying to make tomato cages when they are so cheap to buy? I have a dozen of the really thin and cheap ones that we still use every year, but lately we've been buying the thicker ones for more money that are painted different colors just because my wife likes the different colors in her garden.

Good point being cheap to buy. We have a dozen of them already but am running out of little projects. Actually was at a friends house and he had rolled fencing from Tractor Supply cut 4' high and 16" in diameter round cages. Then he cut out a few segments for reaching the tomatoes. I was impressed at how the tomatoes were trained to stay inside the cage and I wanted to build some that way. After a few months having a roll of wire in the garage I took it back and got cattle panels instead.

More work to do now. Paining them green and yellow for John Deere or the Packers.