Barbed wire removal!

_GG_

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What's the easiest way?

There are 99 acres here, so I won't be doing it all in one go, but I need to remove the barbed wire from the winter grazing this weekend as first liveries arriving next week and I've been a bit distracted with family so left it too late to get anyone in.

So...do any of you have any handy tips for not shredding myself whilst removing it?

I can offer Key Lime Pie, a cup of Glengettie tea and some cheese and crackers :)
 

joulsey

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Some thick thick gloves! I'm sure the ones I'm on about have a "proper" name...but I have no idea! Probably not the answer you was after as it was probably stating the obvious! :) Eeeeeek 99 acres!
 

jsprince

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Stout gloves,
Eye Protection never trust barbed wire it will try and get you.
Long sleeved top.
Heavy duty wire cutters.
1 ton builders bags
I find it easier to snip between posts so its in manageable lengths then stick in the builders sack so no need to rehandle, then go along dragging said sack.
Nasty stuff.
 

_GG_

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Some thick thick gloves! I'm sure the ones I'm on about have a "proper" name...but I have no idea! Probably not the answer you was after as it was probably stating the obvious! :) Eeeeeek 99 acres!

Stout gloves,
Eye Protection never trust barbed wire it will try and get you.
Long sleeved top.
Heavy duty wire cutters.
1 ton builders bags
I find it easier to snip between posts so its in manageable lengths then stick in the builders sack so no need to rehandle, then go along dragging said sack.
Nasty stuff.

Fab, thank you. I like the idea of cutting into shorter lengths. I'll have my dad helping me. I don't have to take it all out, well, I can't actually. The land is Higher Level Stewardship so I can't cut back the hedges. It's perfect for the horses as shelter and natural pickings, but luckily, where it has overgrown the barbed wire, it has done so by a good 5-6 feet and is extremely dense. The dogs can't even get in there so it's no risk to horses. I just have to remove all of the wire that is or could be exposed, probably about 50m total for the winter grazing and then about 400m to remove before moving to spring pasture.

Oh, you're right too...it is nasty stuff. The farmer, before leaving, has blocked the gateways with it, all criss crossed, so I think we'll just hack that to pieces, lol.
 

pennyturner

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I wind it around an old fence post, plank or similar as I go.
That way you don't have to touch it too much and it can be stored and re-used :)
 

_GG_

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99 acres... Help! I whinging at fencing 9 acres..

Luckily, all nice big fields with amazing large, tall hedges. Under the stewardship, they haven't been cut back for about 35 years so fencing isn't really needed here, just a case of taking down the exposed bits :)

There is one big fence splitting a field in half, but it's an awesome field and I'm going to open that into one again, so not too difficult. Refurbishing the barns and stables will be a whole different story though :)
 

bakewell

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I wind it around an old fence post, plank or similar as I go.
That way you don't have to touch it too much and it can be stored and re-used :)

I do similar: we have an old fire hose reel (metal, but perhaps a heavy duty garden hose one will do?) mounted onto a bit of ply. I then strap this to quad trailer (A+) or wheelbarrow (C-) dependent on where we're going and reel it in as it comes off the posts. Use same for electrical.
I hate it. Have found this involves least touching.
 

_GG_

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I wind it around an old fence post, plank or similar as I go.
That way you don't have to touch it too much and it can be stored and re-used :)

I do similar: we have an old fire hose reel (metal, but perhaps a heavy duty garden hose one will do?) mounted onto a bit of ply. I then strap this to quad trailer (A+) or wheelbarrow (C-) dependent on where we're going and reel it in as it comes off the posts. Use same for electrical.
I hate it. Have found this involves least touching.

This would probably be pointless for this weekend as small sections of fencing, but an awesome idea for the other field.
 

cptrayes

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Seriously long handled, high quality and ultra sharp wire cutters are a must.

I've had to leave most of mine to stop other people's sheep climbing the walls to eat my grass, so I have electrified just inside it, on the same posts.
 

_GG_

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Seriously long handled, high quality and ultra sharp wire cutters are a must.

I've had to leave most of mine to stop other people's sheep climbing the walls to eat my grass, so I have electrified just inside it, on the same posts.

We have a cordless angle grinder that goes through wire like it's butter, then just a case of pulling the posts up, not hard as all are loose. There's no tension on the barbed wire so no pinging in face to worry about :)
 

_GG_

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Pinkvboots

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If you struggle to remove all of it you could run another fence on the inside to stop the horses getting near it, thhis is what someone I know has done mainly on the bit that is on the road, they have just used wooden posts and electric wire and it works quite well.
 

_GG_

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If you struggle to remove all of it you could run another fence on the inside to stop the horses getting near it, thhis is what someone I know has done mainly on the bit that is on the road, they have just used wooden posts and electric wire and it works quite well.

Yeah, there's one fence where I need to do that but the rest is better with nothing and then the horses will have natural shelter from every angle :)
 

_GG_

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Well if that wasn't a heavy hint for it to be this weekend I don't know what is!

Saturday afternoon, more than welcome....we're putting the smoker on this weekend so having BBQ on saturday afternoon. There will be...pulled pork (I think you may have had some before), brisket, posibly a bacon bomb, macaroni cheese, possibly Bonfire Beans and definitely a Key Lime Pie. There will be a few neighbours, possibly my cousin (he's feeling a bit better and getting out and about now), definitely my mum and dad (will be good for mum to get out the house and not think about Auntie J) and of course, me, Dan and the dogs :)

Ooooh, and you can help be figure out a plan for the yard/stables/barns :)
 

milliepops

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You need one of these. Simply the best thing for taking staples out (you will need a mallet as well to hammer the spike in) and cut wire where required. Made our job 100 x faster.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Draper-6845...qid=1414692682&sr=8-1&keywords=fencing+pliers

I used some of these to take our barbed wire out. We had it at the top and bottom of the fencing (was dog and pig proof but gave me serious nightmares with the horses) It was hard work cutting the wire with them but I was too mean to buy any more tools at the time. Brill for hooking out the staples and shrapnel though :)
 

Dry Rot

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Being a miserable old git, it brings tears to my eyes to think of all that wasted barbed wire, those staples that can be reused, and posts left with bits of metal (staples again!) in them all ready to rip the saw to pieces when they are finally cross cut ready for the wood burner! (Not to mention all the bits of staples in the ash of your fire). :(

Get yourself a small wreckers bar, like the one below, and get someone to grind the sharp end down so it will slip between the post and the wire with the staple in the slot. Sometimes you need to give it a tap with a hammer. Then you can lever the staple out. Release one strand at a time and lay it on the ground beside the fence. When it is all free, go to one end and roll it up on itself making a coil about 3ft/1m in diameter. Just roll the coil along the ground like a child's hoop winding it onto itself.

Get someone to lengthen the slot at the end of the bar with a cutting disc to slip over the stable and sharpen the chisel edge to slip behind the wire, one tap with a hammer, then just lever the staple out.

http://www.toolstation.com/shop/Han...king+Bars/sd3192/Roughneck+Utility+Bar/p14195
 

_GG_

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Being a miserable old git, it brings tears to my eyes to think of all that wasted barbed wire, those staples that can be reused, and posts left with bits of metal (staples again!) in them all ready to rip the saw to pieces when they are finally cross cut ready for the wood burner! (Not to mention all the bits of staples in the ash of your fire). :(

Get yourself a small wreckers bar, like the one below, and get someone to grind the sharp end down so it will slip between the post and the wire with the staple in the slot. Sometimes you need to give it a tap with a hammer. Then you can lever the staple out. Release one strand at a time and lay it on the ground beside the fence. When it is all free, go to one end and roll it up on itself making a coil about 3ft/1m in diameter. Just roll the coil along the ground like a child's hoop winding it onto itself.

Get someone to lengthen the slot at the end of the bar with a cutting disc to slip over the stable and sharpen the chisel edge to slip behind the wire, one tap with a hammer, then just lever the staple out.

http://www.toolstation.com/shop/Han...king+Bars/sd3192/Roughneck+Utility+Bar/p14195

When I go up the fields tomorrow, I'll take pictures. You won't be having tears in your eyes. This stuff is well over 40 years old and the posts are crumbling with rusty barbed wire. It'd not fit for anything, trust me x
 
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