US769479A - Combined fence stretcher and post. - Google Patents

Description

No. 769,479. PATENTED SEPT. 6, 1904. J. W. HUTGHISON. COMBINED FENCE STRETOHER AND POST.

APPLICATION FILED NOV.27, 1903.

NO MODEL. 2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

QQ mm@ PATENTED SEPT. 6, 1904.

J. W. HUTCHISON. COMBINED FENCE STRETOHBR AND POST.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 27.1908.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

NO MODEL.

MQW

UNITED STATES Patented September 6, 1904;.V

PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN lV. HUTOHISON, OFV BLAOIUVELL, OKLAHOMA TERRITORY.

COMBINED FENCE STRETCHER AND POST.

SPECIFCATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 769,479, dated September 6, 1904.

Application filed November 27,1903. Serial No. 182,926. (No model.)

To al] Ich/)m if muy concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN lV. HUToHIsoN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Blackwell, in the county of Kay and Territory of Oklahoma, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in a Combined Fence Stretcher and Post, of which the :following is a specification.

My invention relates to combined fence stretchers and posts, and is designed more especially as an improvement on a wirefenee stretcher on which Patent No. 573,150 was issued to me on December l, 1896.

M y particular' object in this connection is to provide means for not only stretching the fence vertically, but also and with the same structure for bracing it laterally, so as to provide a fence which will successfully resist the efforts at escape of stock of all kinds.

A further object is to provide a post which in slightly-modified forms is adapted for use as a corner-post, as a divisionpost, or as an outside post and which can be easily and quickly set up or taken down.

VlVith these and other objects in view the invention consists in certain novel and peculiar features of construction and organization, as hereinafter described and claimed, and in order that it may be fully understood reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l represents a perspective view of a portion of a wire fence equipped with combined 'fence stretehers and posts embodying my invention, said figure showing a cornerpost and a division-post. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section taken on the line Il ll of Fig. l. Fig. 3 is vertical section taken through the fence and ground contiguous to a combined fence stretcher and post, said figure showing the latter as an outside post.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, l designates the base or sill, the same for a corner-post being in the form of intersecting arms, whereas for division and outside posts it consists simply in a single arm. For the division-posts said arm is preferably of the same length as the arms of the corner-post sill, while for the outside post the sill is of shorter length, as shown in Fig. 3.

In alll cases the sill is preferably of cast-iron or other suitable metal, and the ends of the arm or arms are formed with depending portions 2 for embedment in the ground, so as to serve as an anchor against dislocation or creepage of the posts. The sills are provided at their upper sides with suitably-spaced lugs 3, the corner-post sill being provided centrally with four of said lugs, while the division and outside post sills are provided with only two of said lugs. ln the division-post sill the lugs are disposed near its center. In the outsidepost sill they are preferably disposed near the inner end of the sill.

#L and 5 designate the two superposed mem- 65 bers of the stretcher proper, said stretcher in the division and outside fence-posts constituting a part of the post. rl`hese members combined slightly exceed the height of the felice when stretched and have their contiguous ends hinged together, as at 6, and their opposite ends provided with grooves 7 to receive the top and bottom wires of Vthe fence. For the corner-post structure the post 8 constitutes the locking-plate for the stretchers, of which there are two, while in the other post structures a short plate 8 constitutes the locking-plate. One member, of each stretcherof the division and outside posts is secured pei'- manently, as at 9, to the plate 8, while the 8O other member, 4, is secured detachably, as by screw 10, to said plate, and said plates hold the two members in vertical alinement, so as to constitute a rigid structure. A pair of stretchers are provided for the corner-post 8, S 5 a stretcher at each outer side thereof, and one member, 5, of each stretcher is secured permanently, as at 9, to the post, while the other member of each stretcher is detaehably secured to the post, as by screws 10, the post acting as a lock to hold the stretcher members vertical and rigid.

l1 represents inclined braces, which are preferably of steel of suitable dimensions, having their upper ends bent vertically, as at l2, so to fit iiatly against and be bolted to the top of the post 8, while the lower ends of said braces are bent inwardly to provide foot portions 13 to rest uponand be bolted to the outer ends of sills l. For the division-posts IOO similar braces 1la are provided, their upper ends being bent to a vertical position to lit flatly against and be bolted to the upper mem-- ber of the stretcher, while their lower ends are bent inward to form foot portions 138L to rest upon and be bolted to the sill. For the outside post a similar brace Il unites the upper member of the stretcher to the end of the sill most remote from'lugs 3.

In practice the fence, preferablyT of woven wire and consisting of horizontal or strand wires 14 and vertical or tie wires l5, is stretched as follows: The sill is firstdisposed at the point where the corner of the fence is to be located, substantially as shown in Fig. l. The post 8 is then mounted thereon, as shown, and braced with the fence-wire in contact with two of its sides. The stretchers while flexed or bent outward from the post on hinges 6 in an obvious manner have their upper grooves 7 engaged with the upper strand-wire, while their lower grooves 7 are engaged with the bottom strand- 4wire. The stretchers-are then straightened out, so as to stretch the fence vertically, and are then bodily lowered until their lower members and the post t in the socket in the groundsill, being -then secured, as at 9a and 10a, to the post 8, Vso as to secure them reliably in the position described. The fence being then stretched longitudinally, the division and outside posts are set up.v They are first placed adjacent to the fence at proper intervals in knockdown condition-that is, with the sills extending transversely of and below the fence and the braces and stretchers disconnected from each other and from said sill, the stretchers being also in a flexed con' dition, as shown by dotted lines, Fig. 3, so as to bring their grooved ends nearer together.

for engagement with the top and bottom strand-wires. After the depending ends of the sills are embedded in the ground to anchor them the stretchers are straightened to vertical position to stretch the fence and are so secured vby means of thelocking-plates, the lower end of the stretchers being of course tted between the lugs 3 of the sills before the members of the stretcher are locked together in vertical alinement by means of said plates. The braces are now bolted to the upper members of the stretchers and to the sills, as shown and hereinbefore explained. For the outside post a single bracey only at the outside of the fence is employed, as shown in Fig. 3. A fence thus equipped with combined stretchers and posts of the type described is stronger and more durable than an' little resistance to the lateral pressure imposed upon the fence by the stock; nor does it usually hold the fence stretched sufiiciently to prevent hogs from raising the lower wire or wires and escaping from below. Vith this structure the fence is braced laterally from top to bottom and stretched so `tightly in a vertical direction that there is practically no chance for a hog to escape below it. Lateral pressure against the fence is efe'ctually resisted by the inclined braces at the opposite side, and all the strain imposed upon any particular wire is through the Vm'efdium'of the stretcher distributed more equally upon all of the wires than in an ordinary post-fence,` and where the' inclined braces are provided at both sides the attempt of a steer to uproot the post by hooking his horns under the in-f ner inclined brace is resisted. by the inclined brace and groundsill at the opposite side of the fence. I This combined stretcher and fence-post possesses another advantage overthe ordinary:

fence-post-namely, it can be removed temporarily when it is desired to burn dry weeds or thistles where they have accumulated ad-` jacent to or against the fence-a great many y fences being destroyed in the western country by the employees of railroad companies, who when the weeds are dry frequently burn them out along the railroad-tracks to avoid more vserious conflagrations due to accidental igni-v tion of said weeds by sparksfrom the loco' motives. Furthermore, ranchmen frequently have occasion to burn up the immense amount .of thistles which accummulate against fences gso heavily at timesl as to break them down; gand the only remedyY is to' burn them.' My: gstretcher and'post, as above stated, if made of;

wood may be easily and quickly removed preliminary to this burning operation'and can subsequently be replaced with thesame ease vand despatch.

If the combined fence stretchers and postsare made of metal, they will lasta lifetime, cor' rosion being prevented by giving them at suitable intervals a coat of paint; The stretchers and posts also possess the desirable featureV of simplicity, cheapness of construction, and lightness of weight, to the end that in knockdown condition theyV may kbe conveniently transported from one'place tov another.

From the above descriptionit will beiappar ent that I have produced a combined stretcher and post for wire fences of any type which includes connections between the horizontal wires so that the upward pressure on the top wire andthe downward pressure on the bottom wire will stretch vertically the entire fence. i

Having thus described the invention, whatr I I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, isg i l. A combined. fence stretcher vand. post, comprising a stretch er composed of a plurality*y `ofmembersconnectedI together and adapted tot:

I OO

engage and stretch the fence vertically, means for locking said members in the relation they occupy while the fence is stretched, a groundsill connected to the stretcher near its lower end, and an inclined brace connecting the groundsill with the upper part of the stretcher.

A combined fence stretcher and post, comprising a stretcher composed of a plurality of members connected together and adapted to engage and stretch the fence vertically, means for locking said members in the relation they occupy while the fence is stretched, a groundsill connected to the stretcher near its lower end and provided with depending portions embedded in the ground, and an inclined brace connecting the groundsill with the upper part of the stretcher.

3. A combined fence stretcher and post, comprising a stretcher composed of members hinged together and adapted to be brought into vertical alinement and vertically stretch the fence, means to lock said members in vertical alinement, a groundsill projecting from the lower end of the lower section, and an inclined brace connecting the upper section with the groundsill.

i. A combined fence stretcher and post,

-comprising a stretcher composed of members hinged together and provided with a notch in the lower end of the lower member to engage the bottom wire, and a notch in the upper end of the upper member to engage the top wire, a locking-plate to secure said members in vertical lalinement, a g'roundsill connected to the lower member, and an inclined brace connected at its opposite ends to the upper member and outer end of said groundsill.

5. A combined fence stretcher and post, comprising a stretcher composed of members hinged together and provided with a notch in the lower end oi' the lower member to engage the bottom wire oi' the Jfence, and a notch inl the upper end of the upper member to engage the top wire, a locking-plate to secure said members in vertical alinement, a groundsill connected to the lower member, an inclined brace connected at its opposite ends to the upper member and outer end ot' said groundsill, and portions depending from the groundsill and embedded in the ground.

6. A combined fence stretcher and post, comprising a stretcher composed o't' a plurality of members connected together and adapted to engage and stretch the fence vertically, means for locking said members in the relation they occupy while the fence is stretched, a groundsill connected to the stretcher near its lower end and projecting' from opposite sides of the fence, and inclined braces connecting the groundsill with the upper part of the stretcher.

T. A combined fence stretcher and post, comprising a stretcher composed of a plurality of members connected together and adapted to engageiand stretch the fence vertically, means for locking said members in the relation they occupy while the fence is stretched, a groundsill connected to the stretcher near its lower end and projecting' from opposite sides of the fence, inclined braces connecting the groundsill with the upper part of the stretcher, and portions depending from the groundsill and embedded in the ground.

S. A combined fence stretcher and post, comprising a stretcher composed of members hinged together, a locking-plate by which said members maybe secured in vertical alinement, a groundsill provided with lugs forming a socket to receive the lower end of the stretcher, and inclined braces secured at their upper ends to the upper portion of the stretcher and at their lower ends to said groundsill.

In testimony whereof l atiix my signature in the presence of two witnesses` JOHN lV. HUTUI'HSON.

VitneSseS/z M. H., BU'r'rs, A. B. lViLliiNsov.,

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