6 Best Electric Fence Repair Kits For Emergency Fixes Old Farmers Swear By
A downed electric fence demands a quick fix. Explore 6 emergency repair kits trusted by seasoned farmers for their field-proven reliability and ease of use.
There’s no sound quite like the one your neighbor makes when they call to say your cows are in their garden. A downed electric fence isn’t just an inconvenience; it’s an emergency that can cost you time, money, and goodwill. The difference between a five-minute fix and a five-hour disaster often comes down to having the right repair kit on hand.
Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, this site earns from qualifying purchases. Thank you!
Why Every Farmer Needs an Emergency Fence Kit
A fence break is a matter of when, not if. A heavy branch falls in a storm, a deer misjudges a jump, or a rusty spot on an old wire finally gives way. These things never happen on a sunny, convenient afternoon.
Having a dedicated emergency kit turns panic into a manageable task. It’s the difference between running back to the barn for a tool you can’t find and having everything you need in the Gator’s glove box. This small bit of preparation is cheap insurance against lost livestock, damaged crops, or a tense conversation with the folks next door.
Your emergency kit is for triage, not major surgery. The goal is to get the fence hot and secure right now. A perfect, permanent repair can wait for the weekend. The emergency fix just needs to hold voltage and hold the animals until you have more time.
Zareba Poly Rope Kit for Quick, Strong Splices
Easily tighten your electric fence with the Zareba Tension Kit. This kit includes a ratchet, s-hook, clamp, and rope for a simple and secure tensioning system you can reuse.
Poly rope is fantastic for its visibility and ease of use, but its weak point is always the splice. Tying a simple knot might seem logical, but it often breaks the fine conductive wires inside and creates a poor electrical connection. That’s where a dedicated rope splicing kit becomes essential.
The Zareba kit typically includes a handful of split-bolt rope splicers. These simple metal clamps allow you to join two ends of rope securely without tying a knot. You just thread the rope ends through, tighten the nuts, and you’ve created a strong mechanical and electrical connection that will last.
This is a specialized tool, and that’s its strength and weakness. It works brilliantly for poly rope but is useless for high-tensile wire or tape. If you primarily use rope, having one of these kits is a no-brainer for fast, effective repairs that actually conduct electricity properly.
Gallagher Live Tip Tape Kit for Reliable Fixes
Poly tape presents a unique challenge: how do you connect two ends while ensuring all the tiny, flat conductive filaments make contact? A simple knot almost guarantees you’ll have a dead section of fence. The Gallagher kit is designed specifically to solve this problem.
The heart of this kit is the buckle-style joiner. You thread the tape through, fold it back, and the buckle clamps down hard across the entire width. This design ensures maximum surface area contact, transferring the pulse effectively from one section to the next. It’s a far more reliable connection than any knot you can tie.
Think of it this way: the kit prevents you from fixing the physical break but failing to fix the electrical one. It ensures your repair actually keeps the fence hot. For anyone using poly tape, especially wider varieties, these joiners are the only way to guarantee a dependable splice in the field.
Dare Crimp-N-Cut Tool for Permanent Repairs
While not a "kit" in a box, the Dare Crimp-N-Cut is the foundation of the most durable repair system for steel or high-tensile wire. This single tool is what separates a temporary patch from a fix that’s stronger than the original wire. It’s for when you want to fix it once and forget about it.
This heavy-duty plier-like tool performs two essential functions: it cleanly cuts heavy-gauge wire, and it compresses metal crimping sleeves with immense force. When you use this tool with the correct size crimp, you create a cold weld. The connection is so solid it will never slip or corrode, maintaining perfect conductivity forever.
There’s a small learning curve to getting the pressure just right, but it’s a skill worth learning. While other methods are faster for a quick patch, nothing beats a crimp for a permanent repair. Having this tool and a baggie of assorted crimps in your truck is the mark of someone who plans to fix a problem for good.
Speedrite Fault Finder: Pinpoint Problems Fast
You can’t fix what you can’t find. The single most valuable tool in any emergency fencing kit isn’t a splicer or a cutter; it’s a good fault finder. It turns a frustrating, time-consuming search along a mile of fenceline into a quick, targeted mission.
A basic voltage tester just tells you if the fence is hot or not. A fault finder, like the Speedrite, does much more. It gives you a voltage reading and has a directional arrow that points you toward the source of the short. As you walk the line, the readings guide you directly to the weed-choked wire or the broken insulator.
This tool saves your most valuable resource: time. It’s the difference between finding the problem in five minutes versus an hour of hiking. If you buy only one thing on this list, make it a fault finder. It transforms fence maintenance from a dreaded chore into a simple diagnostic task.
Gripple Plus Wire Joiners for High-Tensile
For high-tensile wire, Gripples are a modern miracle. They offer the strength of a traditional crimp with the speed of a temporary splice, and best of all, they require no special tools. They are the ultimate solution for getting a high-tensile fence back up and running in minutes.
A Gripple is a small metal device with an internal ceramic roller that allows wire to pass through in one direction but locks it instantly if it’s pulled back. To make a splice, you simply feed your two broken wire ends into the Gripple from opposite sides and pull them tight. The connection is immediate, secure, and can handle immense tension.
The tradeoff is cost. Gripples are significantly more expensive per unit than a simple crimp sleeve. But in an emergency—with livestock out and daylight fading—the speed and simplicity are often worth every penny. They are perfect for those moments when you just need the fence to be fixed now.
Field Guardian Pocket Kit for On-the-Go Fixes
Sometimes the problem is small and you’re far from the barn. This is where a small, pre-packaged pocket kit shines. It’s not meant for major repairs but for handling the minor, everyday issues you spot while checking on animals.
These kits typically contain a small assortment of essentials: a few splicers for tape or rope, a couple of T-post insulators, and maybe a gate handle. The idea is to have just enough to fix a single, common problem without a trip back to the workshop. You can fix a cracked insulator or splice a chewed bit of rope on the spot.
Think of this as your fenceline first-aid kit. You toss it in the ATV storage box or your coat pocket and forget about it until you need it. It’s the tool that prevents a small, annoying issue from escalating into a real problem later.
Beyond the Kit: Must-Have Fencing Hand Tools
The best kits are the ones you build yourself over time, tailored to the specific type of fencing you use. While pre-made kits are a great starting point, a few core hand tools are non-negotiable for any serious fencing work. They form the backbone of your mobile repair shop.
Your personalized kit should be built around these essentials:
- Fencing Pliers: This is the multi-tool of the fenceline. It hammers, pulls staples, cuts wire, and grips. Don’t leave the barn without it.
- Insulated Gloves: Getting a full-power jolt from your energizer is not fun. Good, thick leather or rubber gloves make handling hot wires a much more pleasant experience.
- A Variety of Insulators: You will break insulators. Keep a handful of your most-used types (T-post, wood post, corner) in your kit at all times.
- A Small Spool of Wire/Tape: For patching larger gaps, having a 50-foot "pony roll" of whatever you use is invaluable. It’s much easier to carry than a full-size roll.
Ultimately, a store-bought kit gets you started, but a well-used, grease-stained tool bucket filled with the specific parts you need is the sign of a farmer who’s ready for anything. It’s a collection built from experience, and it’s the most reliable kit of all.
A broken fence is an inevitable part of life with animals, but it doesn’t have to be a crisis. By investing in a few key tools and building a kit that matches your needs, you can turn a potential disaster into a minor, ten-minute task. Preparedness is what separates a stressful scramble from a calm, confident fix.
