Wrapping a clip to a T-post takes even the best farmers and ranchers upward of 20 seconds. If they’re using pliers, it takes even longer, racking up valuable time.
To cut that time down to eight seconds or less, farmers and ranchers can purchase custom clips from either Rosbin or FenceFork.
FenceFork sells what looks like a two-pronged fork, where users press a 15-cent clip against the T-post and insert the fork into two hooks that then wrap around the fence wire as the user pulls down.
Rosbin, on the other hand, can be fastened a second or two quicker, depending on the user. Effingham, Ill.,-based Rosbin sells a drill bit that twists a $1.39 custom clip, requiring two runs to get both hooks to wrap around the wire. It can be used on both barbed wire and stock fencing.
The way the clip automatically ejects out of the bit largely prevents a wrist-twisting kickback for users of the Rosbin, says Ajit Rose, inventor of the Rosbin.
He says he created the product through trial and error after talking with a friend in Tennessee who was complaining about how long it took to put up fence.
“He cuts his time by more than half now,” Rose says.
While the FenceFork itself can be bought on walmart.com for $17.50, the $30 Rosbin drill bit available on rosbin.com makes up for a higher cost by making the task less labor intensive. Packs of Rosbin’s clips are less messy than FenceFork’s $15 100-packs, but they’re also more expensive per clip.