Closing the fence after logging

After several weeks of having a section of fence opened for loggers to access a part of the ranch, I was faced with the thrilling prospect of restoring the fence.  

The first step was to fix the two H braces the loggers had broken.  A close inspection indicted that none of the components of the H braces were broken which was good.  The brace pins were bent downward indicating something very large was dropped on them.  The fix was to unbend the pins with a hammer and pop the two horizontal beams back into place. 

The next step to was to clear and level the ground with the tractor and measure and mark the locations for each post.  

Then came the arduous task of installing the posts during the hottest time of the year. The posts I use for this fence are a mixture of wooden posts and metal t-posts with a pattern of one wooden post for every two metal posts.  

 For installing posts I have a very heavy t-post pounder I made years ago as one of my first welding projects and a tractor mounted auger for the wooden posts.  I have used the pounder for years for driving t-posts into the ground without issue, but while pounding the first t-post into the ground the end cap came flying off.  

The following morning I welded the end cap back on the pounder and went back to it.  

Using the heavy pounder is exhausting, so I alternate it with the wooden post installation.  

I got two of the five wooden post holes augered and then the auger broke.  What was going on?  Something I learned early on with farming is to expect the unexpected.  Another thing I learned is how to cope better with multiple setbacks.  I think a much younger me would have, at a minimum, cursed a blue streak when the auger broke off its support beam.  Now I just start thinking about what I need to do to fix the issue and how best to move forward with the project.  I've learned that getting angry just wastes energy I could be putting towards fixing the problem.  Anger also makes you less aware of your surroundings, which increases the risk of injury or damaged equipment.  

Because the part of the auger that broke was cast iron, welding it back together was not an option for me, so I would need to order a replacement part, which meant the three remaining post holes needed to be dug by hand.  Sigh.  I dug two of the three holes and then used a metal t-post in place of the last wooden post.  

When all the posts were installed, the last steps were to stretch and reconnect the woven wire I had previously cut and then attach the woven wire to each post.  All the old tools worked without issue for this part of the project, which was nice.  Information on how all that is done can be found in this previous blog post.

One morning, while heading out to work on the fence I noticed this tiny fence lizard hanging out on my belt.  The lizard seemed completely okay with spending the day hanging on to my pants. 

I moved the lizard to a nearby log which seemed to suit it better.  

With the fence back up this section was ready once again for the bison.