Safari So Good


[PDF]Safari So Good - Rackcdn.comc897174.r74.cf3.rackcdn.com/leafagfennl1eng.pdfCachedHandling this length of pole throws up its own set of problems. ...

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A Helping Hand Gripple donates products to charity farm Risdon Farm is a 320-acre site based in Devon, and home to Gilead Foundations, a therapeutic community offering rehabilitation programmes for life-controlling issues such as drug and alcohol addiction, homelessness, eating disorders and abuse. Aside from the various schemes designed to help people overcome addiction and resettle in society, as a working dairy farm they also offer courses that include therapy through work and training. The organisation was first established in 1988 when the owners of Risdon Farm - Ian and Bronwen Samuel decided to set up a place for people in need. As a part of Ridson Enterprises, the dairy farm generates some funding for Gilead Foundations, but in

total they only receive limited support from the local authorities, and as such rely heavily on gifts, donations and sponsorship. Gripple have provided assistance for the charity by supplying fencing products, including Gripple Plus wire joiners and tensioners (Small and Medium), Gripple T-Clips and Torq Tensioning Tools. The Gripple Plus Smalls were used on 2mm chicken wire, and the Gripple Plus Mediums were applied to sheep fencing, all of which was supplied by Tornado Wire Ltd. Farm manager Ben Samuel really appreciated the help, and found the Gripple method most useful. “We are very grateful for receiving the equipment. Not only has it helped us financially, it’s also given us a great opportunity to train our clients in fencing our chicken unit with the best tools for the job.”

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Spring 2012

GRIPPLE NEWS Issue 1

One Man And His Gripple

Stronger and more robust than ever before, it’s the only tool for the job.

Gripples put to work on lion enclosure

The International Sheepdog Trials take place throughout the UK each year, and in Wales Gripple wire joiners and tensioners were clearly the products of choice. The Welsh competition took place on on Rhoslydan Farm in Bryneglwys, Corwen, Denbighshire, and attracted around 20,000 people. Different events ran over the course of the two days, with the dogs and handlers being strictly judged in all areas. The farm held the World Sheepdog Trials back in 2008, which was a great success, and now it has now shown it can hold these kinds of events it looks set to be a regular holder of the trials in future. The Yorkshire Wildlife Park - one of South Yorkshire’s premier tourist attractions - recently undertook an exceptionally challenging big cat rescue operation, saving thirteen lions from the dreadful conditions of Oradea Zoo in Romania. This ambitious rescue mission was made all the more complicated as no housing for the new guests existed on the park at the time. The objective was to create a secure enclosure that was not only perfect for the lions, but also an exclusive experience for the viewing public, all within very strict time constraints.

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Safari So Good

Rounding up at the International Sheepdog Trials

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Contractor John Harrison - a local man to the area himself - was given the contract to prepare the field for the Sheep Dog Trials. John has been in the business for many years, and has a huge amount of experience

Contractors North Easter Plant Ltd. were called in for the job. Their brief was to create a completely unique enclosure comprising a foot safari of 800m of footpaths, allowing visitors to experience the animals with a clear, uninterrupted view, with separate areas for each of the three prides. The land was completely excavated, sculpting out hills, lakes and a waterfall, with deep valleys dug around the perimeter for the fence installation. The chosen fence posts were creosoted poles, each 7 metres in length with a 200 – 250mm diameter. Handling this length of pole throws up its own set of problems - a pole-knocking rig was designed and built by North Eastern Plant specifically continued over >

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With so many end terminations required across the farm, the T-Clip had prime position throughout as the general public meandered around. Gripple were on hand to support John with the set-up, and the T-Clip was also used on some of the lines of barbed wire, showing just how versatile this product can be. The tail wires were pulled through the T-Clip and the Torq Tensioning Tool was used to pull through the excess wire if required. When terminating shorter runs, some tension may be lost - this loss is minimised by pulling the excess wire through the T-Clip. Once completed, the tail wire is then bent underneath to allow a smooth, safe finish. The event was resounding success, and the fencing looked great throughout. The T-Clips allowed John to install his fencing much easier and faster than ever before, especially as there were numerous runs to install in such a short space of time. After the event, much of the fencing was dismantled, but later installed elsewhere on the farm. This means for any future dog trials or similar events, the Gripple T-Clips will remain as prominent as before.

for the job. This allowed the posts to be hammered into the sandrock ground more easily - at an average of 2 metres apart. As with many fence installations, double box strainers were used – chosen for their strength and durability, with security a key consideration. At every turn, a pair of box strainers was used, with brackets attached to hold the strainers in position, for added piece of mind. By double rapping and tensioning 3.0mm HT plain wire around the box strainers with a Gripple Plus in the middle, it enabled the posts to be forced together, and formed a solid structure. The wire was supplied by Tornado Wire Ltd, who, given the high-pressure application of the fence suggested their High Tensile Tornado Titan wire. The rigid design incorporates a continuous vertical stay wire, joined to the line wires with an innovative non-slip knot, thus providing exceptional resistance to impact. The 24 line nets were installed one on top of the other to create a huge 4.2 metre high fence. The top net was erected first, tensioned individually to each of the posts, to create a taught base to install the bottom section below. The netting was secured inside the posts to prevent the lions climbing up the large fence poles. To keep the fence wire tight and secure, steel clamping bars were used to hold the wire to the interior of the posts. Gripples were used to join wire on both the top and bottom fences, and were installed at various intervals to provide additional security. The contractor first came across these some years ago when he when he was operating a previous business – Torne Valley Ltd. During this period he first met Hugh Facey, founder and chairman of Gripple Ltd., and went on to sell Gripples and wire himself, meaning everyone involved was fully up to speed on how they worked and the what benefits they could provide. Once the fence had reached its set end post, Gripple T-Clips were used to tie off the 48 line wires. This job would originally have taken a huge amount of labour, largely because of the spacing between the line wires and the type of fence used. Gripple T-Clips made the job much faster and simpler, allowing this time-consuming task to be completed in less than a third of the time. To finish off the fence and make sure the reserve was completely safe, electric fence wire was also installed around the top, middle and bottom of the perimeter. Single strands were run along the bottom and middle, and a collection of three wires were used at the top as an added precaution, just in case the lions ever did manage to climb up the fence. Cheryl Williams, director of the park, is thrilled by how it all turned out. The help, support and donations from thousands of people has led this to become a true success story. She said, “Seeing the lions out enjoying their new homes is a culmination of everything we have been working towards.” The completed compound is 9 acres in size and perfect for the rehabilitation of the lions. The state-of-the art reserve is named Lion Country, and is believed to be the largest non-drive through lion reserve in the UK.

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Contractor Elgan Metcalfe, based in Llanwryst in North Wales, has been in the fencing trade for over eighteen years. He tells us how Gripple products have proved themselves to be an integral part of his business... How did you get into fencing? I initially worked for another contractor before starting out my own business. I acquired new contacts and built it up from there. We cover the whole of North Wales, occasionally crossing the border into England, depending on the job. How did you first hear about Gripple? We were working on a fence that had factory-fitted Gripples already on it. I realised they joined the wire and wondered how you could tension them. Then I saw the tool, and the rest is history. How long have you being using the Gripple method, and why do you favour it? Around thirteen years now. From a contractors point of view the number one reason is - quite simply - because they save you a lot of time and money. With no twisting or crimping, we can roll out fencing much, much quicker. Secondly, as a result of not having to twist the wire, you don’t break the galvanised coating, meaning the fence itself lasts much longer. What are your thoughts on the Gripple T-Clip? It’s a massively quick labour-saving device - the reduction in time and effort more than compensates for any cost when you factor it all in. It’s much

easier to work with, and the more often you use it, the quicker it becomes. Like everything in life, you need to know how to use it - people are often quick to write something off if they try it once without taking a little time to fully understand it. At the end of the day, you simply can’t tie-off faster than with a T-Clip. What do you think of the Contractor Tool? It’s excellent. The plastic ones were okay, but a return to metal is what we’ve been crying out for, and Gripple have delivered. It’s robust and offers exceptional leverage. It’s a really great product all round. When installing a fence, what do you consider best practice when it comes to straining and joining? We tie off each end with Gripple T-Clips, pull to the middle with clamps, join the wires together with Gripple Plus, then tension up with the Contractor Tool. Are there any obstacles that Gripple helps to you to overcome? When fencing on a hill you’ll get tension at the bottom, but usually end up with a bit of slack at the top. With undulations and contour lines, you can use Gripples to tweak the fence up and get the best tension possible out of the wire.

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when it comes to installing fences. For the event, John went with the standard HT Stock Fence 8 line wires with 2 lines of barbed on top. He already had the wire required for the job, but sought Gripple out to learn more about the Gripple T-Clip. He was already familiar with the Gripple Plus Medium, but was very keen to use the T-Clip this time around.

CONTRACTORS

Thoughts on the Gripple Plus Anchor Kit (GPAK)? We’ve used it for bracing, and found it to be excellent, strong and quick to install. What sorts of fencing jobs do you normally do? A huge variety. We work for national parks, environment agencies, the Countryside Council for Wales, the National Trust, civil engineering companies, private land owners, farmers. Agricultural livestock prices are decent at the moment, so a lot of farmers feel they can afford to spend on good quality fencing. They seem to be renewing and patching their fences up out of their own pocket, and want professional contractors to do it - erecting a tidy, smart, longlasting fence that has both quality and value for money is a specialist job. What are main concerns of the fencing market? The timber, the quality has been awful recently, so we’re looking for better solutions. Posts aren’t lasting as long, often rotting at ground level. Postsaver sleeves exist, but it’s a case of having to convince the end user to pay out for them. How much fencing can you put up in a day? It’s completely dependent on the terrain. We may put up thirty or fifty metres, but we might put up as much as 500m. It all depends on ground condition and terrain type. People want to see a good job - a nice fence with a steady line. We feel it’s important to take pride in our work, and thankfully Gripple products make the entire process of building a sturdy, neat fence a whole lot easier. For any fencing needs in North Wales and the surrounding areas call Elgan Metcalfe on 07881592097

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