[Azzdodd]

Got some fencing to do tomorrow I have no other tool but my hands a claw hammer and a crow bar last time I used a quad to pull it tight but I no longer have it? Any other tricks anyone knows to get it tight

[TheGirlsMum]

hubby used a rachet strap

[bloomer]

Have used a ratchet strap fairly well in the past (it depends how long a piece of wire you need tighten)


Have done enough now to decide to suck it up and buy some monkey strainers as they are so useful!!!

[henchard]

Got some fencing to do tomorrow I have no other tool but my hands a claw hammer and a crow bar last time I used a quad to pull it tight but I no longer have it? Any other tricks anyone knows to get it tight

We used to use the following method for straining barbed wire and you could adapt it for stock wire.


Select a very thin fence post and knock two staples in about a foot from the top end. The staples should be at 90 degrees to the post and around half an inch apart. This post is just a straining lever and you can use it for the whole job. Pull the barbed wire fairly tight by hand then put the wire between the staples then insert a 6 inch nail through the staples and behind the barb and over the wire. The nail will hold the wire in place. You can then use this post as a lever to strain your wire against the post in the ground and hold it with your body as you staple the wire.


Hope you see what I mean! I'm away from home otherwise i'd do it and take a photo to show how it's done.

[Sbom]

We thread a bar through the stock fence and ratchet it tight 

[graham-j]

Hi,that sounds like a good Idea.

Graham.

[Dan]

We thread a bar through the stock fence and ratchet it tight 

That's what we do when we can't get a vehicle in to strain it. Works okay, and you get a better finish if you make loops in the wire ends and thread the bar straight through those rather than 'weaving'.

[shep53]

Have a look at draper fence wire tensioning tool  £30 on amazon , not as good as monkeys but handy and easy to use

[SteveHants]

I always used a digging bar too - helps if there are two of you.

[shygirl]

you can get the little tensioners that stay on the fence line and you turn to tighten.they are about 4" long.

[EP90]

Have a look at draper fence wire tensioning tool  £30 on amazon , not as good as monkeys but handy and easy to use

+1, did the job for me althoutgh it was only an acre perimeter to do.  Go for high tensile wire, less likely to sag over time.  Also this link might be of use, how to tighten a fence with a pair of pliers.
How to tighten fence with nothing but pliers

[shygirl]

the draper tool is really good, easy to use when you have no helper.

[devonlad]

after umpteen different methods (generally failed) we have settled on ratchet straps, which seems to do the job well enough. It took us ages to also work out that we needed to strain everything together (stock wire and barbed wire) to avoid that terrible moment when your oh so tight stock fence becomes completely slack when you strain the barbed wire above aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaagh !!!!!!!!!!!!

[HamishMcMurray]

We also use the Draper tool 

[Remy]

Another here who has the Draper wire strainer!


Draper Fence Wire Strainer