Fig. 79.—A Sulky Wire-holder.
Fig. 80.—The Axle.
A lighter form of reel holder is shown at [figure 79]. It is made of two pieces of two by four scantlings fastened to the axle of a sulky corn plow. They must be placed far enough apart to allow the reel or spool to run between them. Make a square axle, [figure 80], of some hard tough wood, rounding it where it runs in the slots of the scantling; drive it through the hole in the spool, and attach the crank. In moving fence, place the spool on the frame; remove one end of the wire from the post, fasten it to the spool, and while one man holds the pole and steers and steadies the sulky—he will have to pull back a little—another turns the spool and winds up the wire. When a corner is reached, the wire is loosened, the sulky turned, and the winding continued. When the end of the wire is reached, it is carefully loosened from the post, and firmly fastened to the spool.
Fig. 81.—A Sled Wire-holder.
Fig. 82.—Another Sled For Wire.
It is best to have a separate spool for each wire, especially if they are of great length. The same contrivance may be used for unreeling the wire. Attach a gentle horse to the sulky, fasten the pole securely to the hames, and have a boy lead him slowly along the fence line. Once in fifty yards stop the horse, grasp the handle, move forward very slowly, and draw the wire straight and taut. If no sulky plow is at hand, a light “double-ended” sled, shown in [figure 81], may be used. A man holds the short pole extending from one end, steadying and pushing a little, while the other winds the reel. The sled is drawn forward by the wire as it is wound on the reel. To unreel, attach a slow horse to a chain or rope fastened to the opposite end of the sled. A man must walk behind the horse and hold the pole to steady the sled. Managed in this way, the removal of a barbed wire fence is not at all the formidable operation that has been supposed; it can be taken down and set up again, easily, safely, and quite rapidly. [Figure 82] shows another form of home-made sled, which is very useful for carrying rolls of wire for making a fence. The roll is supported on a rod, which has round ends to fit into the uprights, and which turns in the slots. When the wire is run out, the end is fastened to the clevis on the centre beam, and a notched stake, [figure 83], being put under the wire, the sled is drawn up to tighten the wire, which is then stapled. This sled is useful for many other purposes, and is large enough to carry five rolls of the wire, so that by going back and forth, the whole of the fence can be put up very quickly. It is drawn by one horse, the draft chain being fastened to the front beam.