how far do you go repairing fences for farmers

[Rossco]

Farmer and son nearly scrapping today over materials farmer want a lash and son wanted a new fence I told the farmer we needed to replace the netting as well which has been up 20 years in coastal conditions farmer won but has paid a fortune in grapples do you boy's have troubles like this corner cutting shenanigans

[Frontrowfencing]

Often come across farmers trying to cut corners. It doesn't pay in the long run and that is what I try to get across. A new fence erected well with good materials will last a long time. If you have to repair stuff it can take nearly as long as putting new up, or it does for us anyway. Not agricultural fencing I know but this week we were repairing chainlink fencing that has been up 18 years. I allowed three days and we used 50 metres of wire, ok, we used no posts, but we had to take some out and re set them. So if we had done new fencing we could have done a good lot in that time and it would be nice. Now they have a fence with new wire in places that looks ok, but it doesn't look new, and then you have the old fence we haven't repaired that now looks worse. When you take the customer round at the end you start to worry that they are going to point out the other bits that you didn't price for as they look worse now. And the crazy thing is the company we did it for are a big company extracting gas and from what all there staff told us while we are on site, money is no problem. They say so much is wasted and a then try to save on a few metres of fencing.

[Ajmoore1]

I have a farmer customer who I do some work for. The past few years he asks if I can do the fence maintenance, replace any broken posts and patch up any broken wire. The said fences are coming up for twenty five years old. When I did it this year I worked out that we had replaced nearly half the posts but it still looks like an old fence. Would much prefer to rip it out and start again as would be a nice job as it's about 150 acre in six lots but it is still keeping his sheep in so he isn't to bothered what it look like.

 

Don't really like repairing the old fences as it takes as longer than erecting new but never looks as good.Would usually turn the work down but he does give us quite a bit of other work so it's just to keep him happy.

[Goaty]

We do a bit of repair work, I find it demoralising. Takes longer, looks nowt and tends not to last, cannot get the tension. But its work and materials aren't of the lifespan they used  to be. More of this work will be coming up.  Also waste disposal will become a bigger headache & cost.

[Haydn Gleave Fencing]

I either replace or walk away, had too many farmers pulling a fast one trying to say it was my workmanship rather than the wire netting or barbed wire they had was completely knackered and needed replacing. 

[D A MacDougall Fencing]

i don't mind patching fences as long as there no to far gone . a lot off my customer are steady and loyal so it keeps them happay . There just trying to run a business aswell can't just put new fences up every where.

 

I picked up a lot off work just because some contractors don't want to patch fences. It's all part off the service and I find it does lead to more work.

[Robbell]

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OohTETTiqTc/VGprjTbU52I/AAAAAAAAuGs/Ku6HS7al4Lk/s1600/Baling%2Btwine.jpg

[D A MacDougall Fencing]

Lol I have limits rob

[Rossco]

Thats what it's like lol

[Rossco]

The netting is that old afraid to Tye the gripples off in case the wire breaks wot do you boy's do in theses cases

[Robbell]

The netting is that old afraid to Tye the gripples off in case the wire breaks wot do you boy's do in theses cases

 walk away Rossco

[ffencing]

Not a fan at all of patch repairs, yes for my own fields mend and make do where required.

 

But getting a professional in to bodge work is a false economy.

 

As others have stated you cannot take any pride in your work and it will still look in all likelyhood look poor when you've finished.

 

Did a fence realignment job recently using new Creo posts but reusing old wire, it cost the client more than a totally new fence and was a poorer job for it too. Retensioning the wire was difficult the previous contractor had just stapled the wire to the strainers etc. so had to cut in new wire often to enable a neat tie off.

 

So really unless you need the work, walk away.

[tepapa]

I patch away quite happily for a select few customers, I don't worry what the job looks like, take the money and run.

I don't re tension net as you open a can of worms as you start messing with someone else's handy work(shallow strainers, short struts, poor blocks, hard stapling, weak wire)

Definitely a false economy, customers don't realise how long its going to take and therefore the labour bill, but they save on some materials.

[SAWYERFENCING]

Repairing fencing is one of those jobs that I really hate.like tepapa it only a select few that get this service, in most cases they don't realise that you can put a new fence up hell of a lot faster.

[premnayloon]

Of course the repair usually includes the mandatory broken posts that need the staples removed is it just me or does some magic process happen where when a post breaks the staples take a greater hold!

A fellow contractor my way uses a small cordless grinder and just cuts all.old staples,

But the look on some farmers faces when you go back with a pail of cut staples, and they realise for the first time in 30 years they will.need to buy new ones, is priceless.