How do you put fence stays on barbed wire?

[crackpot]

I have been on or around farms for 50 years now, but until recently I had never seen or heard of a fence or wire stay. They still are not used in my region so I cannot find anyone to ask. I came across them in a catalog so I ordered 100 for a short section of new fence I am ready to put up. I am using Gaucho 15 gauge wire and the stays are about 9 gauge . Any help is appreciated.

 

[rtimgray]

Are you refering to placing vertical pieces of wire (usually twisted around themselves) over the horizontal wire? Around here, I see some folks do that in between posts (i.e. the posts are 12' apart with a vertical wire stay in the middle connecting the 4 or 5 runs of barbed wire).

Is that what you mean? or something completely different?

Take care.

 

[Ridgewalker]

Not sure myself but I think folks use a cordless drill. Chuck up the closed end and start the open end on the top strand, push down and go...I think it will screw itself on you just have to make sure it catches all the strands on the way down.

If I am off base I am sure someone will correct me before too long.

Good luck!

 

[weldingisfun]

Not sure myself but I think folks use a cordless drill. Chuck up the closed end and start the open end on the top strand, push down and go...I think it will screw itself on you just have to make sure it catches all the strands on the way down.

If I am off base I am sure someone will correct me before too long.

Good luck!

I just used a screw driver, but any pointed tool should work. Put the tip into the loop on the top and turn it being sure as Ridgewalker said, "to make sure it catches all the strands on the way down." I suppose an cordless drill will work if your chuck is large enough to grab the top loop.
Keep in mind, if your animals rub against your fence the stays will bend and hold the bend. They do not straighten easily.

 

[Jimbrown]

If the wire is just half way tight all you got to do is start the thing on the top wire and then just use your had to tap it down. Once it starts down it will just zing right to the next wire. I somtimes bounce the wire with my fence tool that I usally have in my other hand. It is really easy once you do one or two.

 

[crackpot]

rtimgray- That's what I'm talking about.
Ridgewalker- The cordless drill method sounds good; I have a one-half inch Makita cordless.
Weldingisfun-As silly as it seems, I do not own any livestock. I am trying to keep out non-english-speaking "Americans" from south of the border. We grow a lot of long-leaf pine to produce clean high-quality pine straw mulch for landscapers. My 10 year-old stand brought $150.00 per acre for leasing out the raking and baling rights for one year. It is much more profitable to rake and bale at night by the light of the moon and pay me nothing for the straw. That is why I want it taut, so when they cut the wire, it might rake them across the face ! Actually anything that slows them down discourages them from trying.
Jimbrown- It will be super-tight when I put the stays on, so maybe they will slide down easily.
Thanks To You All !!