Wrap old fence wire

[n8wrl]

We recently bought an additional 12 acres for pasture, etc. As is usually the case for me, I have lots of barbed wire fencing to replace with smoother stuff the horses won't tear themselves up on. I'm looking for a better way this time...

This seems like a job for the tractor! Is there some PTO attachment that will wind the old wire up once I've removed it from the poles? It seems like some variation on the post hole digger - with a spool of some sort where the auger would go - would do the trick.

Does such a beast exist?

-Brian

 

[Jimbrown]

I have not seen one of those but I have seen people use to old wire reels ( the big wood wheels)that the power company uses. They will usually give them away or sell them cheap. Just hook the wire to it and then roll it along the ground and the wire rolls up on it. Makes it easy to throw away also.

 

[BlueToy1]

Something like this?

Tractor Supply Company - JET POWER TAKE-OFF WIRE ROLLER

 

[mjarrels]

I have always been tought to "never" use horsepower when working with barbwire... things get ugly quick when the wire breaks.

mark

 

[turnkey4099]

I have always been tought to "never" use horsepower when working with barbwire... things get ugly quick when the wire breaks.

mark

But then things get ugly quick no matter what when working with old bob wahr fences. Yes, I don't think I would want to be around a power winder.

Harry K

 

[n8wrl]

Ah, that looks interesting! But the comments about rolling barbed wire under power give me pause. Maybe the manual approach is better...

Thanks all!

-Brian

 

[Charolais]

I've taken down a lot of barbed wire over the years. Have all HT fence now. The safest and fastest way I found was to use a small angle grinder with a metal cutting disk. I use a small generator for power. I cut between each post and stack the wire on a 4 wheel wagon. Once the wagon is full I push the wire off with the loader in a hole and cover it with dirt.

That might sound like a lot of work but it goes pretty fast. I don't have to bother about getting stuck or cut and don't leave small pieces of barbed wire all over the fields. The wire cut between the post doesn't curl up. It stays straight and stacks well.

My Dad years ago use to pull up long runs of barbed wire with the post. I've found several places where he just dumped it in the edge of the woods. I've since dug holes and buried that wire. It sure makes a mess laying on top of the ground.

 

[ns_in_tex]

We recently bought an additional 12 acres for pasture, etc. As is usually the case for me, I have lots of barbed wire fencing to replace with smoother stuff the horses won't tear themselves up on. I'm looking for a better way this time...

This seems like a job for the tractor! Is there some PTO attachment that will wind the old wire up once I've removed it from the poles? It seems like some variation on the post hole digger - with a spool of some sort where the auger would go - would do the trick.

Does such a beast exist?

-Brian

We own one we purchased maybe 45 years ago from tractor supply that looks just like the present day Tractor supply picture.

At that time, we were fencing a new place we purchased & someone gave me the fence to take it down.

I do not consider it any more dangerous than most other farm equipment. It has an adjustable clutch on it to set the tension (or amount of pull) on the wire. We would pull the staples on a complete strand, leaving it attached to the end post. Pull the other end a good ways away from the fence (room for tractor to operate), connect to the pto spooler & start backing up. If you needed to stop & get off the tractor, you could leave the pto running, so the tension was held. The tension could be adjusted very lightly & still roll the wire fine.

Otherwise, if the wire is no good, I just cut all strands every 100' or so & pile & roll the fence, post, trees, brush, ETC, all at the same time, into a pile with my tree getter ( brush brute) that can be picked up with with a root rake grapple & loaded to be desposed of.

 

[3RRL]

The timing of this thread could not have been better for me. I will be removing about 700' of fencing with 4 rows of rusted old barbed wire and was wondering the best way to do it. This wire is so old that it has rusted and broken in several places. I don't think it would roll up without busting. Should I not even attempt to roll it? Just cut it up into strips as Charolais suggested?
Thanks,
Rob-

 

[ovrszd]

The timing of this thread could not have been better for me. I will be removing about 700' of fencing with 4 rows of rusted old barbed wire and was wondering the best way to do it. This wire is so old that it has rusted and broken in several places. I don't think it would roll up without busting. Should I not even attempt to roll it? Just cut it up into strips as Charolais suggested?
Thanks,
Rob-

There are certainly different levels of "rotten" wire 3RRL, but when dealing with what you describe, I make my rolls about four foot in diameter. Doesn't bend the wire as sharply and it stays together better. Roll until you have as much as you want to handle, then cut and start over.

But then I've never used a power roller, always rolled by hand so can't help you there. I can't see a power winder working at all with old stiff wire like yours.

 

[Farmwithjunk]

I've taken down and re-used barbed wire on numerous occasions. At one point, I owned one of those "power-winders". Mine got "borrowed" and never returned. There's been no need to get another one yet. Most of the wire I wound was reasonably new. Some was older, but not brittle with rust. Not sure how that would work out.

Anyway, The way I liked to use my power winder was to COMPLETLY remove the wire from the posts, one end to the other. Then I'd weight the far end (from the tractor) with something heavy enough to keep resistance while winding. I usually used a log or a couple fence posts. (100lbs or so)

 

[RonR]

As a pup, we used two different implements to wrap barbed wire.

One was a bolt on rim for a pickup. You jack up one rear tire, bolt on the rim that stuck out a foot or so. Attach wire, put truck in low at idle, and let it wind.

Other one was a differential and wheels mounted to a 3PH. Same principle. PTO powered the wheel. The differential had a hand brake on the opposite wheel, so only the right wheel turned. When you filled one rim, you removed the full one and installed a new empty.

To string the wire with the 2nd implement, you tied of the wire at the end post, and drop the tractor to the other end, letting the wire freewheel out. We could release the brake and string two wires at once.

I'm sure we broke wire, but I don't recall any devasting injuries.

Ron

 

[AlanB]

Man, I figured someone else would say it.

My thought was that my bush hog seemed to do a great job at it................. Just I never want it too.

 

[n8wrl]

Man, I figured someone else would say it.

My thought was that my bush hog seemed to do a great job at it................. Just I never want it too.

Hoo man, I had a close call with this. I ran over some dangling electric before i realized it. I shoved the PTO lever back and it stopped. Nothing wrapped too tight - I don't know how I lucked out so much but a couple of snips and it was free. I do NOT want to use that to gether barbed wire

Thanks for ALL the comments - very educational.

-Brian

 

[diggerman]

The safest and fastest way I found was to use a small angle grinder with a metal cutting disk. I use a small generator for power.

Would it not be simpler ,and safer to use bolt cutters to do this ?

 

[Robert_in_NY]

A good pair of linesmans pliers would do this also and is a one handed tool so the other hand can be pulling wire at the same time you are cutting. I have removed a lot of wire this way, cut at every post and pull the wire out of the weeds and ground if it is old. Set it out in the open to pick up after I am done cutting out the line.

 

[turnkey4099]

Man, I figured someone else would say it.

My thought was that my bush hog seemed to do a great job at it................. Just I never want it too.

A walk behind mower is great tool to pick up used bailer twine. Note, good to pick it up, not to get rid of it!. I used to let my neighbor pasture a cow on my small 1 acre...up to the point he left bailer twine laying. His own barn lot had that stuff laying everywhere. I don't think he ever picked up a piece.

Harry K

 

[N80]

Yep, a good heavy set of linesman's 'dikes' work like a charm. And at the end of the day your right forearm will look like Popeye's too. I've used bolt cutters and dikes, but prefer dikes for the one-handed aspect and easier to lug around.

 

[Iplayfarmer]

... I used to let my neighbor pasture a cow on my small 1 acre...up to the point he left bailer twine laying. His own barn lot had that stuff laying everywhere. I don't think he ever picked up a piece.

It's the poor farmer's pavement.