Thread: Fencemaster Post Borer.

Hi Boringgeoff,
These were a very solid and reliable fence borer. I had one fence contracting in the late 1950's in the Burnett district in Qld and worked it hard.
Ran it off the PTO on the TE-20 Fergy. Brings back some great memories of a very different era.
Cheers, Fred

Hi Fred,
Good to hear from someone who's actually used one of these. The advertisement shows it equipped with grease cups, mine's got nipples, so may be a later model or the cups were replaced by the owner perhaps. I've got a TE20 Fergie, but not about to go contract fencing.

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Cheers,
Geoff.

Hi Geoff,
I have trouble remembering details now but I am pretty sure it had the grease cups. We were fencing with mostly split narrowleaf iron bark posts
and I do remember getting 'winded' quite often when reversing the borer and it would fly out and ram you in the belly. It certainly was a great
improvement from the old hand brace and bit we started with, especially with the 1 1/8" bit we used for the barb wire. I bet the old TE-20 still runs
like a Singer sewing machine too.
Cheers, Fred

Hi Fred,
An elderly friend (now deceased) told me his father rigged up a motorised cable with a chuck and auger bit on the end, no clutch, no reverse, just straight direct drive and it was as dangerous as billyo. If it grabbed in the post it could screw the bit and snap it off. At least with the fencemaster you've got reverse and also the fact that loosening your grip on the handle will let it fall back to neutral.
This one came with two bits, 3/8" and 7/16" I reckon you'd have to have your wits about you with the 1 1/8" bit.
How did you draw the barb through the posts? On a trip to NSW in 2013 we saw this six line barbed wire fence, which I thought was pretty amazing.
NSW 2013 069.jpg
A local bloke told us you'd run a plain wire first, attach the barbed wire then pull it through with a patient horse, the horse will stop and wait if the wire snags.
Yes old Fergie runs well.
Cheers,
Geoff.

Hi Geoff,
Yes the big bit was a bit of a handful. I vaguely remember we filed down the worm on the front of the bit to stop it biting in too fast. It was the breaking out on the far side of the post that was pretty violent. Ripped you towards the post or if you hit reverse too quickly it rammed you in the tummy. Thinking about it now, we probably had it geared wrong and it was running too fast.
With running the barbed wire we did the same as the chap you talked to only used the TE-20 to pull it through. Most of the fences we did had 2 or sometimes 3 barbed wires with a plain on top.
Those time are pretty hazy now, was about 65 years ago, but some good time were had and is great to recall them.
Cheers, Fred

Hi Fred,
By the time i got into fencing, mid 60's, it was all steel pickets and ringlock.
Thanks for your memories.

Cheers,
Geoff.