The forest fence serves a number of purposes, from drawing boundaries and protecting stands, to deterring wildlife and potential trespassers. What was once a laborious, time-consuming process has been streamlined in recent years with the likes of mechanical post drivers and fencing rollers.

While methods of construction may have changed, the fence still needs to be strong, durable and reliable. Here, Forestry Journal provides a snapshot of what is currently available on the market.
 

AUTOGUIDE EQUIPMENT
POSTMASTER RANGE

ESTABLISHED in 1977, Autoguide Equipment provides a specialist design, development and production resource for OEMs and its own branded products.

The popular Mini, Midi and Maxi Postmasters are the most powerful 2-pipe vibrating post drivers on the market, compatible with excavators from 1.5 to 8 tonnes and capable of installing posts up to 10” in diameter.

They offer higher force on significantly smaller excavators than standard falling weight machines and allow a two-man team to install posts faster and more quietly and safely. The unique clamp holds the post securely with minimal damage (jaws can be made to suit round, square, pre-formed channel or Z section posts, as well as timber, steel or composite material) and also allows the user to remove posts.

For all machines, the connecting bracket for the skid steer/excavator and the hose fittings to suit are supplied.

The machines are all manufactured in Heddington, Wiltshire, where the company has been based since 1980. Autoguide are always happy to show off the Postmasters and can offer demos on request. The machines are also always available for hire and are supplied across the UK and worldwide, with dealer links in Australia and the USA.

Customer Matt Harriyott, of Farnham-based Country Works, said: “As a repeat customer, Country Works highly recommends the Postmaster. It consistently performs above expectations. We were able to install 60 chestnut post and rail bays, plus gateposts and a stile in 1.5 days. This is 3 days quicker than if we’d used an auger, and 6 days if installed by hand.”

Find out more at www.autoguideequipment.co.uk or call 01380 850 885 to speak to a member of the team

Forestry Journal:

FARM FORESTRY

FENCING RANGE

SHROPSHIRE-based Farm Forestry offers both plastic mesh deer fencing and the full range of Tornado Wire, including galvanised deer fencing, stock fencing, and various other types of fence, for rural security, horse, badger, otter and dog, among many others.

The plastic mesh (HDPE), comes in two weights, 80 g/ m² (low visibility with round threads) and 120 g/ m² (extra strong, with a flat profile). Both types have been pre-stretched for greater tensile strength and are UV stabilised.

If posts are used at a max of 2.5 m spacing, line wires need not be used for most sites, but battens need to be used for fixing the mesh to the posts for greater strength.

Plastic fences should be considered as temporary, and the extra strong (120 g/ m²) version is best used to protect young trees and offers far greater economy for deer protection than individual 1.2 m or 1.5 m shelters.

As plastic can be chewed by rabbits,
60 cm shelters are still needed, and if clear spiral guards (with cane supports) are used, broadleaved trees can be protected at a fraction of the cost, as compared to tube type protection.

Please contact Farm Forestry on 01588 650 496, email sales@farmforestry.co.uk or visit www.farmforestry.co.uk for more information

Forestry Journal:

BSW TIMBER

ROUND POSTS AND STRAINERS

BSW Timber Group, the UK’s largest integrated forestry business, offers a range of peeled and stock fence stakes and deer posts, as well as a range of peeled strainers to match stakes and posts, which are ideal for farmers and fencing contractors.

Through a combination of the highest production and preservative treatment standards, BSW’s peeled fencing stakes and strainers are manufactured from locally sourced, FSC-certified pine softwood, carefully dried to the premium moisture content ready for treatment and pressure-treated by BSW Timber using next generation Tanalith E wood preservative and meet ground-contact performance requirements of BS8417 for a 15-year desired service life.

Next-Generation Tanalith E is a unique formulation product from Lonza Wood Protection. It has over 20 years of tried, tested and proven performance in markets around the world. Industrially applied in BSW’s own high-pressure treatment vessel, it provides advanced long-term protection for our tanalised timbers against the threat of wood decay and insect attack.

Next-Generation Tanalith E now incorporates award-winning BARamine application technologies. These innovative technologies help to boost the performance of Tanalith E to provide a more consistent and deeper penetration of the preservative into the wood.

David Mills, mill manager at BSW Boat of Garten, said: “Our range of high-performance stakes and posts are pressure treated and come with a 15-year warranty, making them ideal for agricultural use. It’s a relatively new product range for us but one that complements our wider timber offering – and it’s already been incredibly well received in rural areas.”

For more information, call BSW Timber on 0800 587 8887, email sales@bsw.co.uk or visit www.bsw.co.uk

Forestry Journal:

PROFENCER

THE PROFESSIONAL

DEVELOPED by Derbyshire-based fencing contractor Allan Froggatt, ProFencer allows the professional fencing contractor to dispense wire at ground-breaking speeds, saving both time and money. The ProFencer range of hydraulic fencing equipment, wire netting and tensioning machines can dramatically increase efficiency for stock fencing, deer fencing, horse netting and more.

ProFencer’s flagship Professional model is a hydraulic wire-dispensing and -tensioning machine for the professional agricultural fencing contractor. Features include:

  • Hydraulic loading mechanism for loading rolls of netting onto the machine up to 500 m in length and up to 2.5 m high with the appropriate clamp fitted.
  • Hydraulic top link for levelling the machine and for top or bottom of netting tension.
  • Hydraulic adjustable barbed wire dispenser.
  • Hydraulic forward shift for safe hydraulic tensioning of netting.
  • Hydraulic side shift for placing your netting out away from the side of the tractor when dispensing and also for placing the netting close to the fence when tying off.
  • Hydraulic tilt on the clamp for placing the netting to a vertical position for tying off when working on banksides.
  • Hydraulic rise and fall on the clamp for lowering the netting to the ground, ready for tying off.
  • Hydraulic non-slip clamp for tensioning netting up to 500 m in one go.

The machine has 3 different heights of clamps, which fit to the machine on a quick hitch system:

  • 1.3 m high to take netting up to 1.2 m high.
  • 2.1 m high to take netting up to 2.0 m high.
  • 2.6 m high to take netting up to 2.5 m high.

All clamps are two-way, meaning the netting can be dispensed in either direction with the machine on the front or rear of the tractor. All machines are powder coated, for a long-lasting hard finish.

The Professional comes with a 1.3 m high two-way clamp, toolbox, tool carrier and hydraulic twin barbed-wire dispenser. The 2.1 m and 2.6 m high two-way clamps are optional extras if needed.

Other models in the ProFencer range include the Junior Plus, which has fewer hydraulic functions, and the Junior, a more basic machine still capable of handling 500 m roles of netting up to 2.5 m with the appropriate clamp fitted.

For more information, please contact Allan Froggatt on 0778 570 0952, email info@profencer.co.uk or visit www.profencer.co.uk

Forestry Journal:

HOME FORESTRY

RABAUD FENCING MACHINERY

RABAUD produces a vast range of fencing production and instillation equipment, all manufactured in the factory in mid-west France. The range includes post peelers and pointers, drilling augers, post knockers (both hydraulic and weighted), along with cleaving machines for hardwood posts and rails. There is also a wide range of netting tensioning equipment and wire fencing machinery.

The range of post pointers known as the BIFACE 240 and larger 350 have a wide following and customer base in the UK, primarily with chestnut and oak fencing producers and standard coniferous roundwood. Pointer-wise, the ROBOPEL 250 is a semi-automatic machine able to cope with hard and softwood posts and rails and is adjustable for the amount of material removed in one pass. The pointers, cleavers and peeling machines can be powered by tractor hydraulics via a spool valve, PTO hydraulic tank kit or optional three-phase power pack.

The range of post knockers is wide and can be mounted to small tracked excavators, tractors and vineyard specialist machinery. There is a postknocker to meet most contractors’, farmers’ and estate owners’ requirements, from low use to professional.

For more information on the product range, please contact Nathan Home on 01746 718 456/07966 365 157, or visit www.homeforestry.co.uk