WO1998048135A1

WO1998048135A1 - Fence erecting and dismantling apparatus

Info

Publication number: WO1998048135A1
Application number: PCT/NZ1998/000050
Authority: WO
Inventors: Jan Henry Wierzbicki
Original assignee: Jan Henry Wierzbicki
Priority date: 1997-04-22
Filing date: 1998-04-22
Publication date: 1998-10-29
Also published as: AU737690B2; AU7087298A

Abstract

Apparatus for erecting and dismantling a temporary fence made up of a plurality of posts (P) and fence wire (W) with the aid of an ATV (A). The apparatus includes a drive reel mounting for supporting and driving at least one reel (10) on which fence wire (W) can be loaded. A guide (11, 12) is provided for directing the fence wire (W) out of wire receiving element(s) (14) on each post (P) and onto the reel (10). The guide (11, 12) is arranged to apply a force to the wire (W) such as to release the wire from the wire receiving element (14) as the ATV (A) is moved relative to the post (P). The apparatus also includes a post extractor (20) which engages with and extracts a post (P2) as the ATV (A) moves relative to the post (P2).

Description

FENCE ERECTING AND DISMANTLING APPARATUS

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a method and means for erecting and dismantling electric fences.

Erecting and dismantling temporary electric fences is a laborious and time-consuming job. It usually involves several trips along the fence line to distribute or gather materials such as temporary fence posts and wire. In most cases the farmer performs the operation on foot. When finished he must return to his conveyance to travel to the next job. Many farmers use a four-wheeled all-terrain vehicle, or so-called ATV, to travel around the farm and transport materials from one job to the next.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus which can be used to erect or dismantle a temporary fence with the aid of a powered farm vehicle in a more efficient and time effective manner than has hitherto been possible. The term "post" throughout the following text is taken to mean any elongate member which can be located to extend substantially vertically from the ground and have engaged therewith one or a plurality of fence wires. Preferably, the post is one which is bendable.

The term "wire" is used herein as a convenience and refers to any configuration of single or multi-stranded filament used in electric fencing and includes tape.

In the following more detailed description reels, wires and wire guides are referred to in the singular, but it may be taken that the references could equally apply to a plurality of said items .

The term "ATV" is used herein to refer to any powered wheeled or tracked vehicle, machine, truck or barrow, or a trailer towed by a powered vehicle suitable for use on farmland, but is preferably a four-wheeled motorcycle such is commonly used on farms throughout the world.

Broadly in one aspect of the present invention there is provided an apparatus for erecting and dismantling a temporary fence made up of a plurality of posts and fence wire with the aid of an ATV, the apparatus including a reel mounting means and powered drive means for supporting and driving at least one reel on which fence wire can be loaded, a guide means for directing the fence wire out of wire receiving elements on each post and onto the reel, the guide means being arranged to apply a force to the wire such as to release the wire from the wire receiving element.

Preferably the apparatus further includes post extractor means for engaging a post such that movement of the ATV relative to the post wrenches the post from the ground.

Preferably the apparatus includes a post carrying rack which is mountable on the ATV. The rack can have rack mounting means for detachable mounting of the rack to the ATV.

According to one embodiment the reel mounting is a vertical shaft which can be driven by a geared electric motor and on which one or a plurality of discs may be fastened so as to take the weight of the reel and provide frictional engagement with said reel.

Preferably the wire guide means is adjustable in position and number of components to suit different wire heights and numbers of wires. Further means can be provided to adjust the position of the wire guide means so that the wire or wires can be presented in a convenient position for the operator to clip the wire into the wire receiving elements of a post during fence erection. The post extractor means can take the form of a horizontal fork, the legs of which open out to form a mouth and converge to a narrow throat at the root of the fork. The fork includes fork mounting means for adjustable mounting on an ATV at a height and orientation such that the fork can engage a post underneath a fixture on the post. The fixture can be a wire receiving element located on the post.

Preferably the post extractor means is provided with a mounting arm which is attachable to the ATV by a slide or pivot means so that it can be moved into a stowed position when not in active use. Preferably the mounting arm is provided with steel tines which are shaped to form the fork.

According to a further aspect of this invention there is provided a method of dismantling a fence having a plurality of posts and at least one fence wire whilst riding an ATV, said ATV having reel mounting means, reel drive means and one or a plurality of wire guides, the method of the invention including the steps of mounting a fence reel onto the drive means, threading the fence wire through the guide means, engaging the drive to the reel mounting causing the reel to rotate to thereby wind the wire onto the reel, moving the ATV along the fence line toward an opposite end of the fence line along a path which presents the wire guide means to one side of the fence line and causing the wire guide means to move relative to wire receiving elements on the posts to apply a force to the wire to thereby disengage the wire from the wire receiving elements. Preferably the method also includes the steps of successively feeding the posts into the throat of the post extractor means and engaging the posts under a fixture on the post, (which can preferably be a wire receiving element) and wrenching the posts from the ground by the continued forward motion of the ATV.

According to the preferred form the method includes manually stowing each post into a post carrying rack after being wrenched from the ground.

The invention also provides a method of erecting a fence by mounting a reel wound with fence wire onto a reel mounting means, causing drive means to provide a frictional braking force to the reel as it rotates on the reel mounting, threading the wire through wire guide means, anchoring the free end of the wire to a fixture moving the ATV along the intended fence line, successively locating the wire into a wire receiving element on a post and pressing the posts into the ground and, upon reaching the intended end point of the fence, dismounting the reel from the reel mounting means, removing the wire from the wire guides and anchoring the reel to a fixture . BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Figure 1 is a plan view of the apparatus mounted on an ATV which is shown in the fence dismantling mode,

Figure 2 is a plan view of the apparatus mounted on an ATV which is shown in the fence erecting mode,

Figure 3 is a vertical sectioned view of the reel mounting and drive apparatus,

Figure 4 is an oblique view of the post at the point where the wire is being disengaged from the wire receiving element, and

Figure 5 is a similar view to Figure 3 but showing a different arrangement for applying a frictional force to reels onto which fence wire is wound or from which fence wire is paid out

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

In the following more detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the invention reference will be made, in the interests of convenience and clarity, to the apparatus in use in the dismantling and erection of a temporary fence. Figure 1 shows a preferred embodiment of the invention when employed for the dismantling of a temporary fence. As shown, the operator 0 rides the ATV A (which can, as illustrated, be in a "side-saddle" mode), steering and operating the throttle with his or her left hand. A reel mounting apparatus with reel 10 located therewith is mounted on the front carrier C of the ATV A. Also mounted on the front carrier C are wire guides 11 and 12 as well as a demountable post carrying rack R. In Figure 1 the operator 0 is shown as he is about to stow one of the posts P into the carrying rack R mounted on the ATV.

In a preferred form the rack is mounted by detachable mounting means such that the rack is easily and quickly detachable. This permits spare racks to be mounted on another part of the ATV and swapped with the rack which is currently in use as it fills up (or empties when erecting a fence) with posts.

A geared electric motor (as will be hereinafter described) turns a driving disc (also described hereinafter) supporting the reel 10. The driving disc encourages the reel 10 to rotate in the direction indicated by the arrow shown in Figure 1 by means of frictional engagement. The frictional force created is proportional to the weight of the wire on the reel 10 and the torque required to create a constant tension in the wire W increases as the wound wire diameter around the drum of the reel increases. The two factors, therefore, tend to compensate, ie as the reel becomes heavier with more wire more frictional driving force is created but the effective diameter of the reel is increased necessitating greater torque to create the same tension in the wire W.

The wire W is threaded through wire guide 11 (which, to provide suitable wear resistance to the wire, can be a metal "pig tail" loop) so that the wire is directed between the flanges of the reel 10. Wire guide 11 and reel 10 are separated by a reasonable distance so that the wire W can migrate to all points across the drum of reel 10 rather than accumulate in one spot. In other preferred embodiments, however, wire guide 11 can be mounted so as to be movable and thereby be manually or automatically adjusted to encourage even tracking of the wire across the reel.

The wire W is also threaded through wire guide 12 (of the same or similar construction to guide 11) which is set at a height appropriate to effect disengagement (as herein described) of the wire from a wire receiving element 14 mounted on post PI, ie the post which the ATV A is approaching and with which the wire W is still engaged.

The guide 11 is preferably mounted in an adjustable fashion so that its optimum position for correct winding of wire onto the reel can be achieved. The guide 12 is preferably adjustably mounted so that it can be adjusted to suit different wire heights and/or the type and configuration of wire receiving element 14. The adjustable mounting of guide 12 can also enable the guide to be positioned to make engagement of the wire with the wire receiving element more convenient when erecting a fence. Furthermore, the adjustability can enable guide 12 and if required guide 11 to be stowed away into a non-use position.

Referring to Figure 4, the wire guide 12 is located at a height relative to the ground which is less than that of wire receiving element 14. Depending on the type and configuration of the wire receiving element the relative positioning of the wire guide 12 to the wire receiving element 14 could change, eg could be above rather than below. As illustrated, the wire receiving element 14 is provided with opposingly directed and overlapping lugs 15 and 16 which retain the wire W to post PI. The wire guide 12 attached to the ATV A travels relative to post PI in the direction indicated by arrow 17.

At the point in the travel of the ATV relative to post PI as shown in Figure 4, the wire W is still retained by lug 16. However, as post PI is made of a resilient material such as glass-reinforced plastic, the continued movement of the ATV in the direction of arrow 17 causes the post PI to bend over in the direction of arrow 18. As post PI bends in the direction of arrow 18 lug 16 is lowered relative to wire guide 12 and thereby adopts a sloping or inclined attitude which permits wire W to be pulled free from the wire receiving element 14, ie through the gap formed between the spaced apart overlapping lugs 15 and 16.

Continued forward motion of the ATV A will then place post PI in the position of post P2 (see Figure 1). As shown, post P2 is positioned at the mouth of a post extractor 20 in the form of a fork having a pair of leg elements 21 and 22 which converge thereby forming a mouth 23 which narrows to a_ throat 24. The post P2 therefore eventually becomes positioned in the narrow throat 24 whereupon the post is wrenched, during continued movement of the ATV, from the ground since the wire receiving element 14 is too large to pass through throat 24. The fork can be constructed from steel tines suitably shaped to form the mouth and throat configuration.

The operator 0 removes from the post extractor the post wrenched from the ground and stows the post in rack R. This is repeated as the ATV moves along the fence line until all the posts needing to be removed have been wrenched out and stowed. The apparatus thus enables the wire to be readily separated from successive posts along the fence line and the posts then wrenched from the ground all without the operator having to leave the ATV. With practise, an operator can carry out the operation without the ATV having to stop at each post and at a reasonable speed.

Figure 2 of the drawings illustrates the method in which a temporary fence can be erected using the apparatus. As shown, the operator 0 rides the ATV A in the same manner as for dismantling the fence. The post extractor 20 is mounted by an arm 25 which can be swung about pivot point 25a so the post extractor 20 can be moved to a stowed position (Figure 2). The driving disc (as hereinafter described) on the reel

10 is preferably mounted and arranged so as to be able to be locked in position thereby resulting in a braking force being imposed on the reel 10 as it is forced to rotate by the forward motion of the ATV. This braking force prevents the reel from over-running when the ATV slows or stops.

Taking each post P in turn from the post carrying rack R the operator 0 locates the wire W into the wire receiving element 14 (as illustrated in Figure 2), stops the ATV A and presses the post into the ground via the tread-in pedal T. This cycle is repeated until the end point of the fence is reached whereupon the reel 10 is dismounted from the mounting means and the wire W is disengaged from the wire guides 11 and 12. The reel 10 is then anchored to some fixture such as a permanent fence in a conventional manner. Figure 3 is a composite view showing the mounting plate 27, driving discs 28 and 29, friction pads 30 and 31, a vertical shaft 34 and reels 10 and 10a in vertical cross-section. The electric motor/gearbox 35, wires W and W' , wire guides 11, 11a, 12 and 12a, pivot 40 and ATV carrier C are shown in front elevation view. In operation motor/gearbox 35 imparts rotation to shaft 34.

The driving discs 28 and 29 are fixed to the vertical shaft 34 in the preferred embodiment by means of drive pins 36 and 37 which locate in longitudinal grooves 38 and 39 in shaft 34. This preferred method of engagement allows for easy removal of the driving discs 28 and 29.

Friction pads 30 and 31 are made of a suitably frictional and wear-resistant material such as rubber. They are fixed to drive discs 28 and 29 in a suitable fashion. The weight of the reels 10 and 10a bearing on the friction pads 30 and 31 creates a frictional engagement allowing the rotation of the driving discs 28 and 29 when shaft 34 is rotated to encourage the rotation of the reels 10 and 10a.

Wire guides 11 and 11a are located at a height such that the wires W and W' are directed more or less to the centre of the reels as previously described in the single reel version referred to in the description of Figures 1 and 2. As shown, there is a reasonable separation of the wire guides from the reels to allow the wires to track passively over the width of the reels preventing an unstable build-up of wire on one part of the reel.

Wire guides 12 and 12a present the wires W and W" at an appropriate height to effect disengagement from the wire receiving elements 14 in the manner shown in Figure 4 and as previously described. Wire guides 12 and 12a can be rotated about pivot 40 to present the wires W and W' in a more convenient position for clipping onto the posts in the manner illustrated in Figure 2 when erecting a fence line.

In the arrangement shown in Figure 3, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the apparatus and method according to the present invention can be used for engaging two or more wires with a plurality of fence posts when forming the fence line.

It will also be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the arrangement of the elements disclosed in the preferred embodiments are only by way of example and others are possible arrangements. For example, post extractor 20 could be located on the rear carrier C ' of ATV A as could post carrying rack R. ATV A could take many forms such as a multi-wheeled skid-steer or tractor. In some embodiments operator 0 might walk close to ATV A which might be driven by a second operator or take the form of a powered hand truck or towed trailer. The basic elements of the invention may be duplicated or easily positioned so that they could operate from either side of the ATV or from the front or rear and other arrangements or omissions could be made without detracting from the scope and spirit of the invention as defined by the following claims .

A further modification to the invention is shown in Figure 5. This provides an alternative, or as illustrated, additional means 49 of applying a friction force to the flange of each reel. In this arrangement a roller 41 carried by an arm 42 engages with the surface of the flange 43 of the reel 10 to 10a. The arms 42 project from a mount 44 which can slide and rotate (at least in a restricted manner) on a shaft 45 which extends from a base 46 mounted with carrier C. The mount 44 is arranged in a manner whereby it can be rotated so that the arms 42 are moved to a position where the collars 41 are clear of the reels.

In a preferred form the mount when rotated also slides on the shaft 45 under spring pressure in stepped increments so that at each increment while the rollers 41 remain in contact with the reels they apply a greater pressure to the reel. This results in the operator being able to regulate when necessary the frictional force acting on the reel. Additionally, however, friction can be regulated by a knob or nut 48 threaded (preferably with a coarse thread) onto the upper end of shaft 45. A spring 47 is located between the end of mount 44 and the knob or nut 48. Thus, as the knob or nut 48 is wound in or away from the mount 44 a downward pressure on mount 44 is increased or released. This is transferred to arms 42 and hence rollers 41 to thereby provide additional but finer control of the pressure applied by rollers 41 to reels 10.

According to yet a further modification, the driving disc (28, 29) can be formed of a material which provides a suitable level of friction and wear resistance. With such an arrangement the friction pads (30, 31) are not required.

Claims

1. Apparatus for erecting and dismantling a temporary fence made up of a plurality of posts (P) and fence wire (W) with the aid of an ATV (A), the apparatus including a reel mounting means and powered drive means (35) for supporting and driving at least one reel (10) on which fence wire (W) can be loaded, a guide means (11, 12) for directing the fence wire (W) out of wire receiving element (╬╡) (14) on each post (P) and onto the reel (10), the guide means (11, 12) being arranged to apply a force to the wire (W) such as to release the wire from the wire receiving element (14) as the guide is moved relative to the post (P).

2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 further including post extraction means (20) for engaging a post (P2) such that movement of the ATV (A) relative to the post (P2) wrenches the post from the ground.

3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 or 2 further including a post carrying rack (R) which is ountable on the ATV (A) .

4. Apparatus as claimed in claim 3 wherein the rack (R) has rack mounting means for detachable mounting of the rack to the ATV (A) .

5. Apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the reel mounting includes a vertical shaft (34) adapted to be driven by a prime mover (35) and on which at least one disc (28) may be fastened so as to take the weight of the reel (10) and provide frictional engagement with said reel.

6. Apparatus as claimed in claim 5 wherein the disc (28) is provided with friction means (30) which in use is in contact with a part of a reel (10) mounted with the reel mounting means .

7. Apparatus as claimed in claim 5 or 6 wherein the prime mover is a geared electric motor (35).

8. Apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the wire guides (11, 12) are adjustable in position relative to the wire receiving means .

9. Apparatus as claimed in claim 8 further including means to position the wire guides such that the fence wire is presented in a convenient position for a user to clip the fence wire into a wire receiving element of a post and/or stow the wire guides .

10. Apparatus as claimed in claim 2 wherein the post extractor means (20) is a substantially horizontal fork, the legs (21, 22) of which open to form a mouth (23) and converge to a narrow throat (24) at the root of the fork.

11. Apparatus as claimed in claim 10 wherein the fork (20) includes fork mounting means (25a) for adjustable mounting on an ATV.

12. Apparatus as claimed in claim 11 wherein the post extractor means (20) is provided with a mounting arm (25) which is attachable to the ATV by a slide or pivot means (25a) so that it is movable between stowed and active positions .

13. Apparatus as claimed in claim 12 wherein the mounting arm (25) is provided with steel tines which are shaped to form said fork (20).

14. Apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims further including a plurality of interchangeable post receivable racks (R) .

15. Apparatus as claimed in claim 5 wherein the disc (28) engages directly with said reel (10), the disc being made of a material which provides sufficient level of friction and wear resistance.

16. Apparatus as claimed in claim 5 wherein there is provided adjustable second friction applying means (49).

17. A method of dismantling a fence having a plurality of posts and a fence wire whilst riding an ATV, said ATV having reel mounting means, reel drive means and one or a plurality of wire guides, the method including the steps of mounting a fence reel onto the drive means, threading the fence wire through the guide means, engaging the drive to the reel mounting causing the reel to rotate to thereby wind the wire onto the reel, moving the ATV along the fence line toward an opposite end of the fence line along a path which presents the guide means to one side of the fence line and causing the wire guide means to move relative to wire receiving elements on the post to apply a force to the wire to thereby disengage the wire from the wire receiving elements .

18. The method according to claim 17 further including the steps of successively feeding the posts into the throat of the post extractor means and engaging the posts under a fixture on the post and wrenching the post from the ground by the continued forward motion of the ATV.

19. The method according to claim 17 or 18 further including manual stowing of each post after being wrenched from the ground into a post carrying rack.

20. A method of erecting a fence by mounting a reel wound with fence wire onto a reel mounting means, causing drive means to provide a frictional braking force to the reel as it rotates on the reel mounting, threading the wire through wire guide means, anchoring the free end of the wire to a fixture, moving the ATV along the intended fence line, successively locating the wire into the wire receiving element on a post and pressing the post into the ground and, upon reaching the intended end point of the fence, dismounting the reel from the reel mounting means, removing the wire from the wire guides and anchoring the reel to a fixture.

21. The method according to claim 20 wherein each fixture is a part of a permanent fence.

22. The method as claimed in claim 20 or 21 wherein the posts are successively removed from a post carrying rack located with the ATV.