P1120AUl1 FENCE INSTALLATIONS AND SUPPORTS THEREFOR FIELD The invention relates to fence installations and supports therefor. Preferred forms of the invention are suited to, and the invention will be described with 5 reference to, hoarding. Variants of the invention may be suited and applied to other applications. BACKGROUND Hoarding is temporary fencing for screening off construction sites. Construction sites are dangerous places, thus hoarding serves the important function of protecting the general 10 public from the dangers within. Hoarding also serves to secure the construction site. Certain existing hoarding includes steel mesh panels carried by support footings. The mesh panels are generally square or rectangular in elevation and surrounded by a perimeter frame of cylindrical tubular steel. The uprights of the perimeter frame include end portions projecting downwardly below the lower crossbars of the perimeter frame. 15 The footings are typically hollow members in the vicinity of 200 mm x 600 mm when viewed in plan. These footings are filled with water, sand or other suitable dense material so that they are relatively heavy. The footings are positioned at the juncture of two adjacent panels and include upwardly open sockets for receiving the downward extensions of the panels. The adjacent panels are also connected by a suitable linking 20 member connecting adjacent uprights towards the top of the panels. Such existing hoarding can be unstable. Construction time is routinely lost in reinstating collapsed hoarding. Moreover, the collapsed hoarding leaves the site insecure and is safety risk both in and of itself, and in that it permits public access to the construction site.
P1120AUl1 2 Instability is of particular concern in installations where there is limited space for the hoarding in the direction transverse to its length. By way of example, a construction site which opens immediately to a footpath can present particular difficulties. In such situations the hoarding is sometimes installed along the edge of the footpath with its 5 footings rotated to extend generally parallel to the length of the hoarding, rather than transverse thereto, to reduce the projection of the footings into the footpath. This further reduces the stability of the hoarding. Building involving excavation immediately adjacent a footpath, e.g. a basement development, compounds these dangers in that a likely fatal drop awaits anyone falling 10 through the hoarding. From time to time, various ad hoc attempts have been made to stabilise hoarding. Typically they involve a member (e.g. 4 inch x 2 inch timber) or taut wire extending obliquely downwards from an upper portion of hoarding to a suitable immobile portion, e.g. to the ground. These ad hoc attempts are of course expensive and time-consuming. 15 Moreover, in some installations there are no convenient anchor points. Various embodiments of the invention aim to provide improvements in and for fencing, or at least to provide an alternative in the marketplace for those concerned with fencing. It is not admitted that any of the information in this patent specification is common general knowledge, or that the person skilled in the art could be reasonably expected to 20 ascertain or understand it, regard it as relevant or combine it in any way at the priority date. SUMMARY One aspect of the invention provides a support, for a fence, including an arm, P1120AUl1 3 a pivotal connection at one end of the arm to allow the arm to pivot relative to the fence; and a portion at the other end of the arm fixed or fixable to an immobile portion. Preferably the arm is length adjustable. The portion at the other end of the arm may be 5 pivotally connected to the arm. The support may include a member vertically adjustable relative to the fence and to which the arm is pivotally connected at the pivotal connection at the one end of the arm. The support preferably includes an upright fixed, fixable or integral to the fence. Most preferably the member is relocatable along the upright to effect said vertical adjustment. 10 Optionally the upright includes a lower portion fixed or fixable to an immobile portion, which lower portion preferably includes one or more apertures by which it may be bolted to a planar immobile portion. Preferably the upright carries one or more panels and together with the panel(s) defines the fence. The upright may include portions shaped to receive at least one edge of one 15 or more panels such that the upright together with the panel(s) defines the fence. Preferably an externally threaded member is provided and one or more of the portions shaped to receive includes at least one internally threaded aperture with which the externally threaded member is engaged or engageable to retain a received panel edge. The portion at the other end of the arm may include apertures by which it may be bolted 20 to a planar immobile portion. Another aspect of the invention provides a fence installation including the support. Optionally the arm projects upwardly away from the fence and the portion at the other end of the arm is fixed to an immobile portion above the pivotal connection at the one P1120AUl1 4 end of the arm. Alternatively the fence installation may run along the top of a wall and the portion at the other end of the arm may be fixed to a face of the wall. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS The figures illustrate various exemplary features. 5 Figure 1a is a perspective view of a support in a first configuration; Figure 1 b is a perspective view of the support in another configuration; Figure 1c is a perspective view of two supports in yet another configuration; Figures 2a to 2g schematically illustrate a support in various installed configurations; Figure 3a is a close-up perspective view of the shuttle of the support of Figure 1a; 10 Figure 3b is a cross-section view corresponding to the line A-A in Figure 3a; Figure 4 is a close-up perspective view of an arm pivot of an alternate support; and Figure 5 schematically illustrates a fence installation. DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Figures 1a to 1c illustrate fence supports 10. Each support 10 includes an upright 12, 15 shuttle 14, arm 16 and mounting feet 18, 20. The upright 12 is preferably about 1.8, 2.0 or 2.4 metres high. As best illustrated in Figures 3a and 3b, upright 12 includes vertically running channel section 12a carrying a respective angle section 12b, 12c on each of its sides. The angle sections 12b, 12c are welded to the channel section so as to define vertical planar 20 flanges projecting generally parallel to the line of the fence. Each angle section 12b, 12c P1120AUl1 5 carries a series of short planar webs 12d spaced along their length. The webs 12d are spaced from and parallel to the lengthwise projecting flanges of the angle sections 12b, 12c so as to define openings 12e for receiving the edge of a panel. In one possible fence installation, a panel of plywood may be received within the 5 opening 12e. Alternatively, panels of mesh may be provided with a suitable flange for receipt within the opening 12e. By way of example, a respective element having a suitable flange may be clamped to each of the tubular uprights of the previously described existing mesh panels. The flanges 12d each include a threaded bore 12f (see Figure 3a) in which an externally 10 threaded member (e.g. a bolt) is engageable to clamp a received panel against the flange of its angle section 12b or 12c. In an alternative example of the support the openings 12e are dimensioned to receive and cooperate with the tubular steel uprights of the mesh panels, which uprights may have an external diameter of about 32mm. Packers may be employed when plywood 15 sheets are used in place of mesh panels. The upright 12 together with suitably received panels can define a fence, which fence can be supported by the arm 16. The upright 12 thus may constitute a fence post. The shuttle 14 is a unit fixable to the upright 12 at a plurality of vertically spaced locations whereby the shuttle 14 is vertically adjustable. The arm 16 is pivotally 20 connected to the shuttle to allow the arm to pivot relative to the fence. The shuttle 14 includes a vertical square tubular portion 14a dimensioned for receipt within, and to vertically slide along, the channel 12a. Square tubular stub 14b is welded to a lengthwise centre of the tubular portion 14a and projects laterally therefrom away from the upright 12. Each side of the stub 14b carries a respective plate 14c. Plates 14c 25 project beyond the end of the stub 14b to define a space in which an end of the arm 16c is received and skewered by a horizontally extending bolt to form a pivotal connection P1120AUl1 6 15 in the manner of a clevis. In this way, the arm 16 is constrained to pivot about the axis of the bolt, i.e. about a horizontal axis that is generally parallel to the line of the fence. The tubular portion 14a is skewered by a bolt 13 passing through the side walls of the 5 channel section 12a. The channel section 12a includes suitable bolt holes spaced along its length whereby the shuttle 14 may be skewered and so retained at any one of a number of possible vertical positions. The lower end of the upright 12 includes the foot 20. The foot 20 takes the form of a simple horizontal square plate carrying four bolt holes arranged in a square array. 10 The other end of the arm 16 (i.e. the end distal the shuttle 14 and upright 12) carries the mounting foot 18. The mounting foot 18 includes a square plate with bolt holes similar to the plate of foot 20. The foot 18 further includes a spaced pair of plates, perpendicular to the square plate, defining a clevis by which the foot 18 is pivotally connected to the arm 16. This clevis arrangement allows the foot 18 to rotate, about a horizontal axis parallel 15 to the line of the fence, relative to the arm 16. Each of the above pivotal connections allows the pivotally connected components to pivotally move in relation to each other and includes a physical element, e.g. bolt, at the centre of this motion. Of course, other implementations of the invention are possible. By way of example, the pivot may be a virtual pivot. In some implementations, the pivot may 20 be a spherical pivot as in a ball-and-socket joint. The arm 16 is length adjustable. It includes a first tubular member 16a attached to the shuttle 14, and a second tubular member 16b attached to the foot 18. The tubular member 16b is dimensioned for sliding receipt within the member 16a whereby the length adjustment is telescopic length adjustment. The length of the arm 16 may be 25 fixed at the selected length by passing a bolt through a pair of aligned apertures in the walls of the tubular portion 16a, and through one of a plurality of spaced pairs of aligned apertures through the walls of the tube 16b.
P1120AUl1 7 The described support 12 is adapted to installation in a wide variety of settings. Figures 1a and 2b illustrate the upright 12 and foot 20 mounted atop a wall 22 and the arm 16 extending obliquely downwardly to the foot 18 fastened to a floor 24 at the base of the wall 22. Such a configuration suits a construction site in which there is a drop in the 5 vicinity of a metre or so adjacent a footpath. The foot 20 can be fastened to the footpath via suitable anchor bolts passing through the apertures of the foot 20. Installation in this fashion allows the upright 12, and the fence panels carried thereby, to be at the very edge of the footpath without presenting any tripping hazards to pedestrians. If the floor 24 is concrete, anchor bolts may also be employed to fix the foot 18. Alternatively, the 10 floor 24 could simply be earth and the foot 18 suitably anchored with appropriate arrangement of stakes driven into the earth. Figures 1b and 2d illustrate the upright 12 and foot 20 mounted atop a wall 22 and the foot 18 fastened to the upright face of the wall 22. This manner of installation is particular suited to basement developments adjacent footpaths. The foot 20 may be 15 mounted to the footpath as in Figures 1a and 2b and then the foot 18 mounted to the upright face. By way of example, the upright face may be a substantially vertical concrete face. This manner of installation allows the support 10 to be installed in circumstances when an obliquely extending support arm would be unworkable. By way of example, in basement installations several metres deep, an obliquely extending 20 support arm may be a significant construction project in itself and present an unacceptable obstruction to work below. Desirably, projection onto the footpath beyond the line of the fence itself, and tripping hazards associated therewith, are substantially avoided and the projection into the building site is minimal. Figures 1c, 2e and 2f illustrate a mode of installation to address the problem of hoarding 25 off the area when renovating a shop front which opens onto a footpath. In this configuration, the arm 16 projects obliquely upwardly away from the fence to attach to an elevated immobile portion of the building, e.g. a portion of facade above that which is to be renovated. By suitably adjusting the vertical position of the shuttle 14 and the length of the arm 16, the fence can be positioned to hoard off only a portion of the P1120AUl1 8 footpath so as to leave space under the arms 16 for workmen (Figure 2e) and space outwards of the fence for pedestrians (Figure 2f). Desirably, tripping hazards on both sides of the fence are avoided. Figure 2f also illustrates the foot 18 rotated to engage the underside of a ceiling. 5 Figure 2a illustrates a simpler installation in which the support 10 is mounted atop a simple planar surface. In Figure 2c, the support 12 is mounted via the foot 20 to horizontal ground and braced against a vertical wall by the arm 16. Figure 2g illustrates the support mounted on rough and uneven ground 26. Figure 4 illustrates an alternate form of the support in which the arm is pivotally 10 connected to the support 12 without the intermediate shuttle 14. Comparing Figures 3a and 4, it will be appreciated that the shuttle 14 serves to laterally space the pivot axis of pivotal connection 15 from the fence, giving the arm 16 the flexibility to extend vertically, parallel to the fence, as in Figures 1b and 2d. The support of Figure 4 is suited to applications in which the arm need not extend vertically. The illustrated shuttle 14 (or 15 more specifically the lateral spacing of the pivot axis from the fence) is one approach to allowing for installation as in Figures 1 b and 2d. Other approaches are possible. By way of example, in the support of Figure 4, the clevis of the foot 18 may be extended and the arm extended downwardly at a shallow angle from vertical. Alternatively, the arm 16 may not be linear. 20 Figure 5 illustrates a fence installation 28 including four supports 10 and a plurality of steel mesh panels 30 and plywood panels 32. The plywood members 32 are clamped in place within the slots 12e (Figure 3d), and the steel mesh panels adjacent respective supports 10 are likewise clamped in place. For this purpose the mesh panels 30 are provided with suitable flanged members 36. Figure 5 shows the supports 10 used in 25 conjunction with existing supports 34. The illustrated exemplary support 10 allows a mix and match approach in which the support 10 is used in portions of the fence thought to need more support than is provided by the existing footings 34.
P1120AUl1 9 The described exemplary support 10 affords a great deal of flexibility. A hoarding installer may simply arrive on site with a number of supports and suitable panels and proceed to rapidly install the hoarding without forward planning or custom fabrication of supports because the supports can be rapidly adapted to suit the site (which may 5 relevantly vary from support to support along the fence line). While the above description refers to various examples, it will be appreciated that other examples can be adopted by way of different combinations of features. Such examples fall within the spirit and scope of this invention.