UNREELING AND STRETCHING BARB WIRE.
wagon holding spools of wireFig. 77.—Device For Unrolling Wire.
Fig. 77.—Device For Unrolling Wire.
Fig. 77.—Device For Unrolling Wire.
wire and screwsFig. 78.—Fastening The Wire.
Fig. 78.—Fastening The Wire.
Fig. 78.—Fastening The Wire.
The general introduction of barb wire fencing has brought out a great variety of devices for handling the wire. One of these is shown in the illustrations. Two pieces of scantling are attached to the rear end of a wagon from which the box has been removed, as shown infigure 77. A slot near the end of each admits the round stick thrust through the reel of barb wire, to serve as an axle. The end of the barb wire is fastened to the fence post, the team in front of the wagon started up, andsome three yards of wire unreeled. Then the hind axle of the wagon is made fast by a chain or rope to the nearest fence-post, the hind wheel nearest the fence lifted from the ground and held there by a wagon-jack or piece of board. One turn is then made in the barb wire, as shown atA,figure 78, to which is attached one end of a piece of smooth wire, some ten feet long. The other end is placed between two screws,bb, in the end of the hub, as shown in the illustration. The wire thus fastened is coiled around the hub, and the operator can tighten it and the barb wire to which it is attached, by employing the leverage of the spokes and felloes.
wagon holding spools of wireFig. 79.—A Sulky Wire-holder.
Fig. 79.—A Sulky Wire-holder.
Fig. 79.—A Sulky Wire-holder.
Axel with crankFig. 80.—The Axle.
Fig. 80.—The Axle.
Fig. 80.—The Axle.
A lighter form of reel holder is shown atfigure 79. It is made of two pieces of two by four scantlings fastened to the axle of a sulky corn plow. They must be placedfar enough apart to allow the reel or spool to run between them. Make a square axle,figure 80, of some hard tough wood, rounding it where it runs in the slots of the scantling; drive it through the hole in the spool, and attach the crank. In moving fence, place the spool on the frame; remove one end of the wire from the post, fasten it to the spool, and while one man holds the pole and steers and steadies the sulky—he will have to pull back a little—another turns the spool and winds up the wire. When a corner is reached, the wire is loosened, the sulky turned, and the winding continued. When the end of the wire is reached, it is carefully loosened from the post, and firmly fastened to the spool.
sled with wire spoolsFig. 81.—A Sled Wire-holder.
Fig. 81.—A Sled Wire-holder.
Fig. 81.—A Sled Wire-holder.
empty sledFig. 82.—Another Sled For Wire.
Fig. 82.—Another Sled For Wire.
Fig. 82.—Another Sled For Wire.
It is best to have a separate spool for each wire, especially if they are of great length. The same contrivance may be used for unreeling the wire. Attach a gentle horse to the sulky, fasten the pole securely to the hames, and have a boy lead him slowly along the fence line. Once in fifty yards stop the horse, grasp the handle, move forward very slowly, and draw the wire straight and taut. If no sulky plow is at hand, a light “double-ended” sled, shown infigure 81, may be used. A man holds the short pole extending from one end, steadyingand pushing a little, while the other winds the reel. The sled is drawn forward by the wire as it is wound on the reel. To unreel, attach a slow horse to a chain or rope fastened to the opposite end of the sled. A man must walk behind the horse and hold the pole to steady the sled. Managed in this way, the removal of a barbed wire fence is not at all the formidable operation that has been supposed; it can be taken down and set up again, easily, safely, and quite rapidly.Figure 82shows another form of home-made sled, which is very useful for carrying rolls of wire for making a fence. The roll is supported on a rod, which has round ends to fit into the uprights, and which turns in the slots. When the wire is run out, the end is fastened to the clevis on the centre beam, and a notched stake,figure 83, being put under the wire, the sled is drawn up to tighten the wire, whichis then stapled. This sled is useful for many other purposes, and is large enough to carry five rolls of the wire, so that by going back and forth, the whole of the fence can be put up very quickly. It is drawn by one horse, the draft chain being fastened to the front beam.
wire stretcher and postFig. 83.—Tightening The Wire.
Fig. 83.—Tightening The Wire.
Fig. 83.—Tightening The Wire.