Fencing & Post Drivers
Erecting or repairing a fence? Help is at hand
It’s in the winter months that we often take stock of the condition of our fences and have a little time to give them some attention. It doesn’t matter whether you are erecting post and rail, or post with high tensile wire/netting, it can be a back-breaking job trying to get posts, let alone strainers, into frozen ground. If you have sandy or light loamy soils, putting in posts can be a slightly easier job, but most of us are not so lucky and have stone infested heavy soil.


Erecting or repairing fencing manually can be speeded up with the help of a few tools. These can be purchased from any good supplier and it is worth buying quality tools that withstand the test of time. Hand post-hole augers/borers will make a neat narrow hole when the ground is forgiving and are available in a variety of sizes. Post drivers can be used in tight spaces where you cannot swing a maul, but would not be suitable if you need to drive a post flush with a building such as at the start of a fence. Post drivers can be used on tall posts for deer fencing, by putting the post driver over the post before it is lifted upright.

The post driver avoids damage to the post top. A disadvantage is that a post driver can only be used effectively on the correct sized post, and not at all on a post that is too big, or bent. It is also not easy to exactly line up fence posts when using a post driver, particularly if it is over-sized, as you cannot see the upper part of the post. Even a few millimetres can make the fence line wobbly, which, apart from looking less neat, is less strong than a perfectly straight fence.

A good heavy pinch crowbar will break through the ground and often smash smaller stones. It needs to be around the same height as the user. They are available with a tamper on one end to assist in tamping the soil tightly back into the post hole. Specialist spades are also available which have a square-ended blade on a longer shaft than normal spades; these are often referred to as rabbit or drain spades.

A shov-holer comprises two square-ended blades hinged together, and can be used for lifting
excess soil/debris from the hole. These long narrow styles of tools have the advantage of minimising the amount of disturbance to the ground, therefore ensuring the post is a firm fit. No fencing kit would be complete without a sledgehammer/ maul, used for driving the posts into the ground. These come in various weights and when hit squarely onto the head of the post will hopefully ensure it goes in straight.

Visa Tools Ltd is part of the Gibson Group of companies. They manufacture specialist hand tools which include those needed for industries such as forestry, fencing and landscaping. Every fibreglass-handled tool they sell is manufactured in Leeds and they don’t, and won’t,
buy inferior products from the Far East to supply to their customers. Each fibreglass tool is hand assembled from its major components, then fixed, finished, and packed by hand. For driving in posts Gibson’s have a steel 5-inch post driver, with weighted cap to maximise the blow to post. Post-hole screw augers of 3 and 6 inches, with wooden handles, and post-hole borers, ranging from 4- to 9-inch diameter blades, are available. Their fencing mauls range
from 7lb right through to 28lb. Many other products such as a variety of spades and shov-holers are also in their range.
Visa Tools 0113 2869245

Anyone who has had to erect long lengths of fence line will appreciate that if you can get a little mechanical assistance on the job, life is so much easier. Post drivers and augers are very easy to use and greatly increase speed and daily productivity, and anything that saves swinging a maul for hours on end has my vote. These items can be fitted onto a whole host of different machines, the most common being the 3-point linkage of a tractor, front-end loader, telehandler or small excavator.

Although initially designed for post driving, these machines can readily be used for a variety of jobs apart from just putting up fencing posts. They can drive posts into riverbanks or embankments to help with erosion control, or to help with landslide control on road cuttings
on steep ground, and also be used for the installation of timber footings for cabins, and pilings for waterside decking. Postpuncher is made by Meade Machines Ltd. They offer four different machines, having different hammer weights suitable for different post diameters. On all models the hammer is totally enclosed and the top of the post is enclosed inside the tube thus offering maximum safety to operators and bystanders.

The Postpuncher can be fitted to a tractor, front-end loader, telehandler, excavator, skidsteer and backhoe. It also allows operators to drive posts in at angles of 45 degrees and
upwards. Meade Machines 01747 871010

Wrag Powerswing post drivers produce seven different driver models. Mast height ranges from 10 to nearly 14 feet and hammer weights range from 200 to 400 kg. All models have a post plate as standard. Thus the hammer doesn’t directly contact the post top, which prevents
the post getting damaged. The Powertilt feature allows the mast to work anywhere within 360 degrees, which means you will always get the mast into an upright position. When unhitched from the tractor, the driver can stand alone for safe storage. In areas of difficult
terrain the rockspike makes light work of driving a pilot hole, whether the terrain is stone, flint, shale, hard frost or just simply hot and dry.
Wrag 01889 590275

Protech Machinery currently offer a wide range of rear- and frontmounted post drivers to suit all requirements. They are made to fit 3-point linkages, loaders, telescopic handlers, excavators and specialist tracked carriers. Their P300S post driver received the best new product award at the Lamma Show 2005, and is designed for use in awkward situations.
The P30 (rear-mounted) contractor model includes features normally found on larger professional drivers. This machine is available for compact tractors and has driver weights up to 180kg, depending on the tractor size. It is capable of handling 8-foot posts and has 300mm hydraulic backshift. This function, together with the 500mm telescopic side shift, maximises output and accuracy for the operator.

The P18 (front-mounted) model is designed for 3- to 5-ton mini diggers, small front-end loaders, skidsteers and excavators. Features of this model include driver weights up to 210kg depending on digger size, 60mm diameter hardened steel rock spike for piloting holes through
rocky ground conditions and the extendable mast leg and offset mounting bracket which improve stability and visibility. Optional features include a variety of driving weights, rock spike and extractor kits. All models can be adapted to suit the operator’s needs.
Protech Machinery 07971 079751

Jock Bryce, an experienced fencing contractor for many years, is well known for his development of Bryce Suma post drivers. This was as a result of Jock being dissatisfied with
the drivers available at that time. The designs have been awarded many prizes by the major agricultural societies, the most recent being at the 2008 Lamma Show. Two new models are available, the Profi Supreme and Profi Max Supreme with hammer weights of 400 and 500kg respectively. Both machines are fitted with a new design of post cap to protect the post tops. The Suma drivers are well-made, rugged machines offering various options to increase productivity and the standard of the finished job. Options include Jock’s Handi cap, which helps to keep the stake square with the fence line, hydraulic post twister, rock spike,
tow bar, lights, and options on hammer weights.

Other machines are available for fitting to diggers of 3.5 tons upwards, including the new Bryce Powershift HD1 series, which have hammer weights up to 500 kilos and are suitable for diggers in the 8- to 39-ton range. Power adaptations allow these machines to be fitted to
telehandlers and plant dumpers. Other services available include the conversion of tracked dumpers to fencing machines with threepoint linkage and dual controls.
Bryce 01573 440314

Bobcat has extended its family of auger drive units to cover a range of applications including planting trees and erecting fences. The new 15H and 30H augers, like the current range of 10, 15C and 30C models, can all be mounted on Bobcat compact loaders, excavators
and telehandlers. The 15H and 30H augers accept all the Bobcat heavy-duty auger bits
as well as the company’s rock auger bits, and come with hydraulic hoses and a locking pin for the auger bit. The various drive units, together with the different types and sizes of auger bits, enable Bobcat tool carriers to drill holes with diameters from 152 to 915mm (6 to 36
inches) with speed and plumb-line accuracy in various types of soils.

With the capacity to take bits up to 915mm in diameter, the model 15H auger can be used in rocky soils as well as for the occasional tough augering application. In contrast, the model 30H auger has an output of 68 rpm at a flow rate of 106 lpm making it a high-torque, low-speed unit for extended augering applications in hard, frost-affected or asphalt surfaces. This auger is ideal for use with large diameter bits.
Bobcat 020 8723 0161

Once a fence is erected it is important to maintain it and protect it where possible. Animals can and will rub up against it and can cause damage by putting their feet through it or catching their horns in it. Building a length of barbed wire into the fence can reduce some of
the damage, but the erection of an offset electric wire can be more effective in keeping stock off the fence. It can also help to rejuvenate a fence in poor condition until such
times as it can brought back up to standard. In long lengths of fencing in remote areas this can be achieved with a battery energiser unit, but better results are obtained using a mains unit where possible.

Having worked with electric fencing for many years I would always advocate its use where possible. A ‘hot wire’ on a traditional fence is quick and easy to install and remove, and there are many miles of it working effectively around the country. The 2.5mm galvanised wire
can be offset from the traditional fence using a variety of brackets that are readily available. The usual offset brackets are made from galvanised spring steel and have two legs which cross over and have an insulator attached at the end.

The Gallagher Offset Pinlock Insulator is one example and will attach to any existing barbed, net or wire fence. The insulator has a pinlock design, allowing the pin to be pulled up, the wire placed into the insulator and the pin replaced to hold it firmly in place. These
insulators are 12 inches long and designed with a large spark guard to prevent arcing of the power to the bracket legs. A unique curl design on the legs gives good grip on all types of fence including barbed wire and netting. A similar design is available for attaching to mesh/wire fences such as deer fencing.

When working with post and rail fences, or wishing to attach an offset bracket to the post in a wire fence, there are brackets available that can be screwed or stapled onto the post. To assist in tightening up the hot wire there are galvanised wire tighteners. By placing the wire
into the centre and turning the tightener any slack in the fence can be pulled up.
There are various configuration options for permanent offset fencing, depending on the type of animal to be contained. For this type of fencing, the height of the offset wire should be approximately twothirds the height of the animal being contained.
Gallagher UK Ltd 0870 2010101
Anne Berry