The tools and machinery fencing contractors use have modernised substantially. The Revolution range of post drivers is one such innovation.
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The Telescopic 180 rotational design reduces tractor movements and allows easier post-placement accessibility
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Rural fencing installation is governed by the concept of industry best practice, which provides technical fundamentals to allow for sound and sustainable techniques. While these industry best practices remain largely unchanged over the past 70 to 80 years, the tools and machinery that fencing contractors use have modernised substantially to the point that efficient operating systems are dependent on them.
Tony White of White Fencing is one such fencing contractor who looks for the latest tools and machinery and how to adapt them into his business to assist with reducing the physicality of the work for his workers, reduce time spent on a task, and to increase productivity.
Tony has been fencing for more than 35 years. Having started off with a rear mount post driver and moving onto a second-hand side mount, Tony then went down the track of designing and developing his own rotational post driver as that just “made sense”.
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The Revolution Telescopic Swinga is another Revolution rotational designed by Tony
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These early thought processes lead to the development of the Revolution Telescopic 180 and Revolution range. With the Telescopic 180 rotational design reducing tractor movements and allowing easier post-placement accessibility, Tony says the post driver saved them “considerable time and created ease of usage. Also, it got us jobs as word got out, especially for hill country fencing, it really helped expand the growth of our business.”
Tony then started buying new tractors as his business developed, favouring these for their warranties and lower level of maintenance, starting with Fiats and moving through into New Hollands, which he favours for factors that are required by fencers – low profile to the ground for stability and easy to get in and out of.
Wanting to stick with rural work, Tony looked at what would help expand his income streams and started to diversify with his machinery. Three excavators later, White Fencing currently runs a Case CX145, which is used for track clearance and maintenance, drainage, culverts, and putting poles in for kiwifruit canopy, artificial structures, and shade houses, which has become one of White Fencings divisions – horticultural structures. The CX145 has a Revolution post driver, a Vibe plate, pole clamp, and Digga auger drill as attachments.
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The Kubota skid steers running Revolution Telescopic Swingas are working well as efficient one-man units
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Tony was looking for a machine that would offer an all-up capacity for unloading materials, efficiently pulling down the old fence lines, clearing lines, and posting. Skid steers have been popular in Australia and the US for fencers but largely overlooked in the rural fencing scene in New Zealand. Purchasing a Kubota SVL95-2 in 2019 and an SVL97-2 a couple of months ago, both have been remote-controlled and are running Revolution Telescopic Swingas, which is another Revolution rotational designed by Tony. These skid steers are working well as efficient one-man units and the attachment changeovers take minutes. With track grips on the tracks, they work well on steep country.
Tony continues to strive towards modern plant and high efficiency and his latest design is the Revolution Netmaster – a netting machine that rolls out netting and tensions as it moves along. Another recent design is the Revolution HORT post driver, designed to go onto skid steers to work doing post replacements under kiwifruit canopies and do general fencing.
Tony juggles the fencing business, working on the fence line, and running Revolution Postdrivers alongside his wife Debbie who also works on both businesses.
It’s pretty hectic but many Revolution owners comment that they appreciate
the benefits of operating a post driver that has been designed by a fencing contractor who has spent so many years working on fence lines in all types of terrain and varying ground conditions, who values the concept of longevity in the build, who understands the concept of balance and reach being inherent in the design, and can talk with such an in-depth knowledge on the whole process of the design through to the application.
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