Something useful~
The purpose of this page is to share information about making a 3 point hitch Fence Spooler from a Carry All or Handy-Lift. While it certainly won’t win any beauty contests, the principle of this is transforming what you already have laying around into a very functional tool. The one shown here is adapted from a used King Kutter Carry All picked up at D & M Tools in PEI [link below]. This whole thing is geared for a one man operation. In the pictures above and below you can see that a 100 ft roll of horse fencing has been spooled, brake inserted and tightened, tractor inched ahead and parking brake set, and we are about ready to staple.
I have now pulled up the ATV wagon with tools, generator, air compressor, chop saw with some 10 x 1 x 6″ hemlock boards for sight boards at the top. Hanging on the fence is a Freeman PFS9 Pneumatic 9-Gauge 2″ stapler. In the picture below you can see the next roll has already been placed ahead of time. In this particular tranche I did 400 ft, fence and boards up to a gate post.
The beginning~
Above~ The used Carry All right after I had attached new pressure treated boards.
When we were ready to install fencing, I removed the pt boards from the bottom. Then:
1) Attached some 3 x 3 boards to make the bottom supports square or solid.
2) Attached some heavy 2 x 12″ planks to act as a base with some galvanized bolts.
3) Attached a heavy 2 x 2 ft 3/16″ plate for the fence to “spool” on.
4) Got ready to pre drill and install flanges for the pipes.
Notice that the base has to be attached underneath the Carry All because the fence has to spool as low to the ground as possible. This is to keep it from “riding up” too much as you go down the fence line. I was able to use the pre-drilled holes that were already in the frame to attach the boards.
Above~ The only thing we had to buy were flanges and pipe. I realized for it to work the spooler pipe had to be removable, so I bought heavy black pipe from our local plumber. Maybe $60 at the time?
Notice that the “Idler Arm” has to go out past the left rear tire of the tractor.
There is tremendous torque on the Idler Arm as you go down the fence line. Therefore, an adjustable/flexible brace is installed at the top that goes slack when the unit is raised and taut when lowered. Also, I attached an old piece of rod support that got unearthed somewhere on the farm for a side-to-side brace (installed after this pic).
Making the Brake~
When you get to the end of the roll you need to “brake” it, then inch ahead to tighten the fence and set the parking brake on the tractor. For this purpose I cut some pieces of stall mat to fit against a 2 x 4 which is then placed up against the fence and inserted into some pre drilled holes in the Idler Arm. Three bolts are then tightened with some wing nuts before pulling ahead. It might not be necessary to use the stall mat material but I had some, so why not.
Not shown in the pics above are the three 3/8″ holes drilled with 6″ bolts sticking through the stall mat material for the wing nuts.
Getting ready~
Pulling up alongside the spools, the black spooler pipe is removed and a roll is put into position.
The pipe is then screwed back in. Only need to tighten by hand, but it helps to keep the threads greased a bit.
In action~
Above~ Here you can see the left-to-right brace going from the Carry All frame up to the eyebolt in the Idler Arm. This is where we began, our first spool. Note a fence brace had been removed to drive through and the ATV wagon is waiting with equipment. We had mowed with the riding lawnmower ahead of time.
Above and below~ Stopped at the end of the roll. This shows when the brake is inserted, wing nuts tightened, and then tractor inched ahead a bit.
Above~ It turns corners fairly well. Just swing out, then come back in and tighten up. Below~ Finishing off a corner. The ATV winch has been applied to a post before the final board is cut and installed.
Tools~
Thought I would mention some tools I have found useful with this type of fencing:
Wire Twisting Tool~
This thing is worth its weight in gold: a wire twisting tool that works and is fairly easy to use. Really handy for splicing, three sizes of holes for wires plus a hollow shaft, got it from the local Co-op ($20 or so). Once you get onto it a bit it is indispensable–you can get pretty close to machine grade twisting.
Crimper~
This tool needs cleaning up a bit after getting caught in a shower, but it has been a reliable tool. After I got more comfortable twisting the wires, I now only use this on the top and bottom for the large crimps, and maybe three smaller ones. I felt it wasn’t necessary to crimp all 13 wires, only top, bottom, and maybe a couple of others.
Scaffolding nails~
When putting up the boards, scaffolding or double-headed nails are your friend. I also use them for positioning the fence up or down before stapling, doing a level by sight. Once the fence is stapled, nailing one of these 1 inch above the top wire, it gives something for the boards to rest on while you install them. My Dad had a coffee can of these–have come in very handy.
Note: I now connect the entire 100 ft of board in one strip and tweak the height here and there before installing. I keep the boards from falling off the nails with bungie cords.
Bungie cords~
When installing this type of fencing and boards, bungie cords are handy. Sometimes the roll wants to flop over or lay down when you’ve come to the end, a bungie cord around a post keeps it upright. Also, when splicing the ends of two rolls together, two bungie cords will help keep the ends together in position so your hands are free. And, as said above, keeping the boards up.
Freeman PFS9~
This tool has worked out well. Because this type of 4 foot high fence requires 13 staples per post, that’s about 1300 staples for every 100 feet (posts 10 feet apart). Anyone who has put up barbed wire will occasionally get a misfire when you’re stapling by hand, and then you’re searching for that staple in the grass. Never had a misfire of that type with this tool. Got it from Amazon for about $330, but the staples are cheaper from Home Depot.
Notes~
Companies also make a 3 pt hitch pallet mover with forks. That should work too, might even be better because you could slip the spooler on and off. Would obviously have to drill holes in the forks to bolt it somehow. Tough drilling maybe.
A person could make the same thing out of metal square tubing or 2″ angle iron if there was some laying around or perhaps from the scrap yard. It would be a nice welding project and nicer looking, and the metal wouldn’t rot over time. You could weld the flanges to the tubing or angle iron as well. I already had the wood, bolts and everything (except the pipes) so went with it.
I was surprised that the Idler Arm seems to provide just the right amount of tension going down the fence line. But there is an incredible amount of torque on it, so it needs bracing.
The Freeman pneumatic fence stapler turned out to be a good move for me. With my arthritis I could see doing that much stapling with that kind of horse fencing becoming a bit of a problem. Our local Co-op has a battery powered stapler you can rent per day, but I just couldn’t see it. We already had a generator and air compressor so this allowed me to move at my own pace, when I wanted.
The beauty of a 3 pt hitch system is that when you come to the end of a roll and it is all installed, you can drop the unit in the field, then go use the tractor for something else and come back to it when you’re ready.
When I started out, I only did the fence first, then I came back and did the boards. I quickly found it less trouble to install both fence and boards before moving on to the next roll.
Once I got my system down, it wasn’t the rolls of fencing, stapling, or putting the boards up. It was the splicing the wires that tries one’s patience. When it went right– 30 – 40 minutes for this type of horse fence. Patience. Put on your favourite tunes or podcast, or just enjoy the silence.
Links & Sources~
Dare 1707-S Wire Twisting Tool~
Freeman PFS9 Pneumatic Fencing Stapler~
See Also~
D & M Tools in PEI~ Incredible salvage yard in Prince Edward Island