Apparatus and method for installing wire fencing

A wire fencing dispensing and installation apparatus adapted to be drawn by a conveyance for dispensing wire fencing along a line of fence posts from coiled wire fencing units carried by said apparatus, each coiled wire fencing units being configured to define a unit aperture through the wire fencing unit and having a free wire fencing end attachable to a post of the line of fence posts, said apparatus including:

• a translation support engagable with the conveyance and adapted to be drawn thereby;
• and
• a wire support assembly attached to the translation support and including:
• a support frame;
• and
• a spindle assembly, supported by said support frame and comprising a wire fencing unit support plate for supporting the plurality of coiled wire fencing units and an upstanding spindle adapted to coaxially receive the coiled wire fencing units by extending through the unit apertures of the coiled wire fencing units,
• wherein said apparatus is capable of simultaneously dispensing wire fencing from the plurality of coiled wire fencing units supported by said spindle assembly by uncoiling the wire fencing from the coiled wire fencing units as the coiled wire fencing units are caused to rotate relative to said support frame in response to the conveyance moving said apparatus past the line of fence posts and wherein said spindle assembly is a rotating spindle assembly and said apparatus further includes a drag assembly comprising a compression spring engagable with the wire fencing unit support plate for providing a drag force effective to control the dispensing of wire fencing from the coiled wire fencing units supported by the spindle assembly as said apparatus is moved past the line of fence posts.

A wire fencing dispensing and installation apparatus adapted to be drawn by a conveyance for dispensing wire fencing along a line of fence posts from coiled wire fencing units carried by said apparatus, each coiled wire fencing units being configured to define a unit aperture through the wire fencing unit and having a free wire fencing end attachable to a post of the line of fence posts, said apparatus including:

• a translation support engagable with the conveyance and adapted to be drawn thereby;
• and
• a wire support assembly attached to the translation support and including:
• a support frame;
• and
• a spindle assembly, supported by said support frame and comprising a wire fencing unit support plate for supporting the plurality of coiled wire fencing units and an upstanding spindle adapted to coaxially receive the coiled wire fencing units by extending through the unit apertures of the coiled wire fencing units,
• wherein said apparatus is capable of simultaneously dispensing wire fencing from the plurality of coiled wire fencing units supported by said spindle assembly by uncoiling the wire fencing from the coiled wire fencing units as the coiled wire fencing units are caused to rotate relative to said support frame in response to the conveyance moving said apparatus past the line of fence posts and wherein the apparatus further includes a dispensed wire installation post assembly to prevent tangling and to maintain the order of the wire fencing dispensed from the coiled wire fencing units as said dispensing apparatus is moved past a line of fence posts, said wire installation post assembly comprising an elongate post and a plurality of retainer assemblies, said retainer assemblies being arranged along said elongate post in spaced apart relation and capable of being selectively engaged with portions of the dispensed wire fencing prior to attaching the dispensed wire fencing to the line of fence posts and alternatively disengaged from the dispensed wire fencing, each retainer assembly comprising a retainer block having a slot for receiving dispensed wire fencing and a pin for selectively retaining the dispensed wire fencing in the slot.

A method of dispensing and installing wire fencing from coiled wire fencing units having a free wire fencing end along a line of fence posts, said method comprising the steps of:

• providing a fencing dispensing apparatus comprising a support frame, a spindle assembly supported by the support frame and comprising a wire fencing unit support for supporting a plurality of coiled wire fencing units and an upstanding spindle adapted to coaxially receive and support a plurality of coiled wire fencing units thereon;
• placing a plurality of coiled wire fencing units about the spindle to be supported by the spindle assembly;
• placing a separator plate having an upper surface between adjacent ones of the coiled wire fencing units supported by the spindle assembly for separating the adjacent coiled wire fencing units so that one of the adjacent coiled wire fencing units rests on the wire fencing unit support plate, the separator plate is positioned atop the one of the adjacent coiled wire fencing units, and another of the adjacent coiled wire fencing units is positioned over the spindle and supported on the upper surface of the separator plate,
• securing the free wire fencing end of each of the coiled wire fencing units to a fence post of the line of fence posts;
• and
• conveying the dispensing apparatus along the line of fence posts in a dispensing direction to simultaneously dispense the wire fencing from the coiled wire units supported by the spindle assembly, the separator plate allowing adjacent ones of the coiled wire fencing units to rotate relative to one another in response to said apparatus being conveyed by said conveyance.

A wire fencing dispensing and installation apparatus adapted to be drawn by a conveyance for dispensing wire fencing along a line of fence posts from coiled wire fencing units carried by said apparatus, each of the coiled wire fencing units being configured to define a unit aperture through the wire fencing unit and having a free wire fencing end attachable to a post of the line of fence posts, said apparatus including:

• a translation support engagable with the conveyance and adapted to be drawn thereby;
• and
• a wire support assembly attached to the translation support and including:
• a support frame;
• and
• a spindle assembly, supported by said support frame and comprising a wire fencing unit support for supporting the plurality of coiled wire fencing units and an upstanding spindle adapted to coaxially receive the coiled wire fencing units by extending through the unit apertures of the coiled wire fencing units, wherein
• said apparatus is capable of simultaneously dispensing wire fencing from the plurality of coiled wire fencing units supported by said spindle assembly by uncoiling the wire fencing from the coiled wire fencing units as the coiled wire fencing units are caused to rotate relative to said support frame in response to the conveyance moving said apparatus past the line of fence posts;
• said fence clamping means further includes a stranded wire clamp and a field fencing clamp separate from the stranded wire clamp, said stranded wire clamp and said field fencing clamp being supported by said frame and adapted to independently and selectively engage respective portions of the dispensed wire fencing to prevent further dispensing of the wire fencing from the coiled wire units and to secure the dispensed wire relative to said frame;
• the stranded wire clamp includes a clamp housing attached to the support frame and having a pass-through opening for allowing stranded wire to pass through the clamp housing, a threaded clamp aperture, and a threaded clamping shaft engaged in the threaded clamp aperture and selectively advanceable through the threaded clamp aperture for clamping the stranded wire within the clamp housing;
• and
• the field fencing clamp includes a clamp frame attached to the support frame, a movable clamp bar, an opposing fixed clamp bar, and means for moving the movable clamp bar into engagement with the opposing fixed clamp bar to clamp woven wire fencing therebetween.