Handy Devices

Tree as Fencepost (Editor’s Choice):

As Randall Guthrie, Oxford, North Carolina, says, sometimes a well-placed tree just can’t be passed up when you need a solid fencepost. He has a way to use the tree without causing it harm. Into both ends of a length of 2 x 4 treated pine board, he drilled ½-inch holes. Next, he pushed ¼-inch x 5-inch-long lag bolts, each with one washer, through the holes in the board. Then, he partially screwed the bolts into the tree. The space left between the board and the tree gives the tree room to grow normally. Last, Guthrie attached insulators up and down the length of the board.

Reinforce That Post:

Here’s a great way to use an old lawn mower blade--as if there might be more than one way to use an old lawn mower blade. Charlie Masters, Mayslick, Kentucky, drilled a hole through an overly stressed gatepost. Through the new hole in the fencepost and through the mounting hole in the old blade, he inserted a bolt with a washer on one side of the post and a nut with a washer on the other side. By tightening the nut, the old blade gave new support to the old fencepost.

Spring and a Tire:

Looking to bring water to a more remote part of his farm, Gerald Haines, Madison Heights, Virginia, designed a system that uses gravity to deliver fresh water to his animals. He built a spring box to capture water from a spring. The box delivers water to a buried pipeline and into a tire trough. When that trough is full, the overflow water is funneled into another pipe and to a second tire trough. When the second trough is full, the excess water is diverted to a nearby creek.

WINNING IDEAS: Win $150 if your idea is chosen as the month’s “Editor’s Choice” Handy Device. Win $50 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. If your entry is chosen, you will receive in the mail a Federal Tax Form W-9. This form must be completed and returned to The Progressive Farmer before payment can be made. Send Handy Device entries to The Progressive Farmer, 2204 Lakeshore Dr., Suite 415, Birmingham, AL 35209.

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