Markhibberdfencing

Good points raised here.  The majority of our workload is too far from home to consider driving a tractor, and most of the jobs we take are big enough to justify moving equipment.  We take the tracked knocker and a tracked skid steer to most every job.  It takes two trips now, but I'm hoping to get a smaller driver set up to eliminate one trip.  We usually are able to schedule our fence jobs on a route so as not to waste miles.  Also, I usually have a crew, so they can be clearing, scattering stakes, or stringing net while I'm driving posts, where a tractor mounted knocker would take away that capability.   What works for us, wouldn't always be the best fit for someone else.  We also can't legally exceed 25MPH in a tractor.....

I have no doubts that once setup in the field there is little to beat speed and ease of operation of a tracked machine.
 
But that's not everything, a tractor has some advantages, no unloading for one, tractor can tow a trailer of materials and knocker too so only one setup to take to the job- plus if you have a loader tractor you have something to clear fencelines and load fencing stakes.
A track machine is a one trick pony and knocking stakes in may only account for 30% -50% of a jobs time. So you have a huge investment tied up just for that. Having operated both I'd also say that a tractor can be better in some terrains, it's large wheels can adjust better to undulating terrain.
 
Similarly a digger with the RIGHT knocker, a clearing grab, buckets, auger, wire unrolling capabilities is going to be far more versatile- and you will get a lot of ancillary work ditching, groundworks etc which personally I welcombe as I can sit in a heated can with the radio on on a pouring wet day! I also agree with other- the best digger knockers are homemade by those who know what they want from the machine. The P10 is fairly dreadful- the geometry is all set up wrong for a small digger and it's unstable and makes for untidy fencing.
 
If however you do mega stretches of stock fencing- plan on towing with the tractor and fence pretty much 100% of the time a tracked knocker may be the best option for you.

Your question is one I've given a lot of thought to myself.  For me at the end of the day it came down to the level of investment required, and I didn't want to committ the capital to a dedicated tracked machine (in addition to or instead of my Massey 5445 and Kinghitter S2 expander- so 340 kg hammer with 1.8M drop).
 
I am also on the wrong side of 55, so the "wear and tear" on my frame  of climbing off and on was a big factor for me.
 
After a lot of consideration I decided Mark Hibberd's approach using a mini-excavator was the right one for me.  There are a few people doing this and they nearly all have a slightly different way utilizing the machine, my driver is a homebuilt vibratory unit with an integrated auger rather than a hammer like Mark's or Stephen Blairs - it suits me and the work I do but would not be for everyone.  All this illustrates is that there are several ways of skinning the cat . . . 
 
If you want something off the shelf (and customer perception comes into this as well, I know a lot of farmers who would laugh if I turned up with my Digger, but my lifestyle clients love it) then that also is important.
 
Cheers

Fantastic this forum has been very dull of late you can see how wars start!!!

Fantastic this forum has been very dull of late you can see how wars start!!!

Hmmm - thought you'd have gotten more feedback on this.  From down in NZ here's what I think after going through a lot of options to get into a tracked machine (I operate a MF5445 and Kinghitter Telescoping mast,  but it I found it too heavy for the conditions I often encounter).
 
If you are a dedicated Ag fencer then I think the Tracked Drivers are the way to go, they are a great productivity tool.  My main reservations about Tracked Drivers (the ones built on Tracked Dumper's) were the availability of parts (especially down here in NZ) and the  high costs of operating that sort of undercarriage.  If you need to exit the business you have a very specific bit of kit that has a narrow market.
 
If you do more general work then a Digger with a postdriver gives a wider range of capability (but not as productive at driving lines unless its a bigger machine) with a better chance of a good resale.
 
My final choice was a sub 2.5 tonne digger.
 
Cheers
Foster