A 4000' coil of 12.5 gauge hi-tensile wire will weigh around 103#, and a 2000' coil about 51.5#. The older I get the better the 2000' coils look to me.
When you load your wire on the Jenny, keep the bands on the wire until you have positioned it and have it under control. Center the wire on the jenny. If you get it offset to one side it will wobble during payout.
The coil holder brackets will slide out to the inside of the coil. Keep them balanced to the center. These arms usually have thumb turns on them and are loosened and tightened by hand.
The end of the wire where you begin to pull from usually has a tag on it. Our WSA2 wire does, with a bend in the end of it as well. There will also be a loose end on the interior side of the coil. If you inadvertently start from this end, you will have a mess in short order.
Most jennies have a brake on them that allows you to control the friction on the pay out. It’s similar to the drag on a fishing reel. You want it to spin freely, but not overly so. When you stop, you want your jenny to stop with no backlashes. This brake is usually mounted on the top center. Some have springs with lock nuts. Our SJMK uses a urethane washer and lock nut, which will probably last longer than the spring and gives a smooth pay out of wire.
When you cut the last band off of the wire, keep the end in hand. It will want to spring away from you. Our SJMK has a couple of channels in the top that you can insert the wire end into, thus alleviating the wire from springing away. Another option is to just poke the wire end into the ground to keep it secure.
The jenny may be placed on the ground and you walk it out or pull the wire to the other end. If you place it on the ground at a corner, then you can pull two directions without moving it. Some people mount the jenny on an ATV or on the back of a vehicle. I guess I am old fashioned myself and prefer it on the ground. If you have access to a 4-wheeler or ATV, you can still leave the jenny on the ground and use the vehicle to pull the wire with. Caution: if using a vehicle to pull wire out, beware of snags and possible sudden stops should you get a backlash. This doesn’t happen often, but it does happen.
Cutting HT Wire: HT wire is much harder to cut than is regular fence wire. You will appreciate a good quality pair or wire cutters. You discover quite quickly that your old pair of side cutters are not the best thing to use. When cutting HT wire please take caution. When cut it will spring away from you, so try to hand hold it to avoid a sudden whip.
Kinks or Nicks in Coating: If you inadvertantly get a kink in the wire, it is probably best to go ahead and cut out the kink and install a crimp. It could possibly break at that point in the future. The same thing goes for a nick in the coating, from plier slips etc.
Storage: While the wire is still on the coil, we highly recommend that you keep it under roof until you are ready to install it. Once installed it lasts a very long time, however, while still in the coil it will likely hold water in the wrap, possibly giving it a slightly milky color over time.
Crimping: For 12.5 gauge HT wire use either the C23 or the C2L, both crimped in the 2-3 slot of your crimp tool. See other articles about crimping in the archives.
Tensioning: HT wire only needs to be tensioned up to between 150 to 250 foot pounds of torque. It does not have to be banjo string tight. A slight sag betwen line posts is quite acceptable.
Fence Staples: Do not drive the staple home into a wood post as you would with soft wire products.. This could possibly damage the coating. Just allow the fence wire to have free travel and movement at fence staples.
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