Handy Devices

TO CATCH A RAT (Editor's Choice):

Most farms have problems with rodents. But, how do you poison them without risk to your favorite hunting dog? John Cornette, King George, Virginia, came up with a fix. He drilled a 1/2-inch hole into the center of a 4-foot-long PVC pipe. He put poison into the hole and placed the pipe against a wall with the hole facing up. Rats and mice are drawn inside where the poison should do its work.

TEMPORARY T-POST HOLDER:

Max Robinson, Renick, West Virginia, has designed a way to temporarily put T-posts into the ground. He cuts 9-inch-long pieces of 1 1/2-inch PVC pipe and sets them into the ground. The PVC holds a standard steel T-post securely in place. Robinson uses these T-post holders for temporary runs of wire to create stronger fence corners and support the 16-foot cattle panels he uses for temporary gates.

T-POST EASY LIFT:

Larry Leier, Valley City, North Dakota, was tired of wrapping a chain around his T-posts to pull them from the ground. He created an easy tool. Leier cut a hole a bit larger than the size of a T-post into a 6-inch square, 3/8-inch-thick piece of scrap plate steel. The hole roughly mirrors the shape of a T-post. To pull posts, he attaches one end of a logging chain to the steel plate and the other end to his loader. He lowers the plate down over the top of the T-post. As he raises the bucket, the plate snags the T-post and pulls it out of the ground.

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> WINNING IDEAS: Win $400 if your idea is chosen as the month's "Editor's Choice" Handy Device. Win $200 for other ideas used on this page. To submit a Handy Device, please send clear photographs, detailed drawings and a complete explanation of your idea. With each entry, include your name, address and telephone number. Send Handy Device entries to Progressive Farmer Handy Devices, 2204 Lakeshore Dr., Suite 415, Birmingham, AL 35209. Sorry, but we cannot acknowledge submissions or return photographs, drawings or documentation.

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