6 Best Come Along Tools For Fixing Broken Fences Old Farmers Swear By
Fix fences like a pro. This guide covers the 6 best come along tools trusted by seasoned farmers for their power and reliability in tensioning wire.
There’s nothing that ruins a morning faster than seeing a section of your fence line sagging, or worse, snapped clean through from a fallen limb. Livestock getting out is a real possibility, and predators getting in is an even bigger worry. The difference between a quick, permanent fix and a frustrating, temporary patch often comes down to one simple, indispensable tool: a good fence stretcher, or as the old-timers call it, a come along.
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Why a Good Fence Stretcher is Essential
A fence is more than just wire and posts; it’s a system under tension. That tension is what gives it the strength to turn an animal and withstand the elements. Without it, you just have a suggestion of a barrier. A quality fence stretcher is the only tool that allows you to safely and effectively apply the hundreds of pounds of force needed to get that wire banjo-string tight.
Trying to tension a fence by hand is a fool’s errand, and using a tractor or truck is downright dangerous. A wire snapping under that much uncontrolled force becomes a lethal whip. A proper come along tool uses a ratchet mechanism, allowing you to apply force incrementally and, more importantly, release it just as slowly. It turns a dangerous, two-person job into a safe, manageable task for one.
This isn’t just about building new fences, either. Most of your time will be spent on repairs—splicing a break, tightening a sagging section, or replacing a rotten post. A reliable puller makes these constant maintenance jobs quick and solid. You do the job right once, and you don’t have to worry about it again next week.
Maasdam Pow’R-Pull: The Classic Farmer’s Choice
Walk into any seasoned farmer’s barn, and you’ll likely find a well-worn Maasdam puller hanging on the wall. This tool is the gold standard for a reason: it’s simple, tough as nails, and it just works. It’s not overloaded with features, focusing instead on doing its one job exceptionally well for decades.
The beauty of the Maasdam is in its heavy-gauge steel construction and its reliable double-locking pawl system. It gives you a very secure, positive engagement with each click of the handle. One of its best features is the "notch-at-a-time" letdown, which gives you precise control when releasing tension, preventing the dangerous "snap-back" you can get with cheaper tools. A 1-ton or 2-ton model is more than enough for almost any woven or barbed wire fence job.
This isn’t the cheapest puller on the market, nor is it the one with the highest rated capacity. But what you’re paying for is peace of mind and longevity. The Maasdam is a tool you buy once and use for a lifetime; it’s a testament to the idea that a simple, robust design often outlasts more complicated, modern alternatives.
TEKTON 5547 4-Ton: Power and Value Combined
Sometimes you need more muscle, whether you’re dealing with high-tensile wire or trying to persuade a stubborn corner post back into place. The TEKTON 4-Ton Power Puller delivers that extra grunt without demanding a premium price. It has become a go-to for hobby farmers who need a versatile tool that can handle fencing and other pulling tasks around the property.
The standout feature is its 4-ton (8,000-pound) pulling capacity. This is frankly overkill for standard barbed wire, but that extra strength provides a huge margin of safety and makes it useful for things like pulling shrubs or tensioning a small zip line for the kids. It’s a multi-purpose tool, which is always a bonus when you have limited space and budget.
The tradeoff for this power-to-price ratio is in the finer details. The finish might not be as durable as a premium brand, and the action might not feel quite as smooth. However, for a tool that gets the job done reliably and offers serious pulling power for a fair price, the TEKTON is incredibly hard to beat. It’s the workhorse of the budget-friendly world.
More Power Puller: The Ultimate Heavy-Duty Option
If you believe in the "buy once, cry once" philosophy, then the More Power Puller is your tool. This is the top-of-the-line option, engineered for people who depend on their equipment daily and can’t afford a failure. It’s less of a fence stretcher and more of a precision-made piece of recovery and pulling equipment.
What sets it apart is the impeccable build quality and materials. Instead of a steel cable that can fray and kink, many models use AmSteel-Blue synthetic rope, which is stronger than steel by weight, lighter, and far safer if it ever breaks. The components are meticulously crafted, often in the USA, resulting in a smooth, reliable action that you can feel in your hands.
This level of quality comes at a significant cost, and it’s certainly not for everyone. If you only mend a fence once or twice a year, this is overkill. But if you’re running miles of high-tensile fencing, constantly pulling equipment out of the mud, or simply want the absolute best and safest tool you can buy, the More Power Puller is a worthwhile investment that will likely outlast you.
Dutton-Lainson DL1602A for Precision Pulling
Raw power isn’t always the answer. When you’re trying to line up a gate perfectly or get just the right tension on a section of woven wire without warping it, control is far more important. The Dutton-Lainson (DL) puller excels at this kind of precise, deliberate work.
The magic is in its ratchet wheel design. Unlike the long levers of other pullers, the DL often uses a more compact system with a reversible ratchet. This allows for very fine, controlled adjustments, both when tightening and loosening. You can feel exactly how much tension you’re adding, which is critical for more delicate jobs.
This isn’t the tool for pulling a truck out of a ditch; it’s a fencer’s scalpel. Its lower capacity (typically around 1,200 pounds) is more than sufficient for wire, and its focus on control makes it ideal for tasks where over-tightening could damage the fence or the posts. If you value precision over brute force, the DL is an excellent, often overlooked, choice.
Speeco Fence Stretcher: Designed for Barbed Wire
Working with barbed wire is a unique kind of misery, and using the wrong tool only makes it worse. A standard hook on a come along can slip, and trying to wrap the wire around it is a recipe for torn gloves and deep scratches. The Speeco Fence Stretcher is purpose-built to solve this exact problem.
The key feature is the specialized grabber head. Instead of a simple hook, it has a cam-style clamp designed to grip the wire securely without needing to be wrapped. You simply slide the wire in, and the harder you pull, the tighter it grips. This makes attaching and detaching the tool from the wire incredibly fast and much safer.
While other pullers can be used with a separate wire grabber attachment, having it integrated into one tool is a game-changer for anyone running a lot of barbed wire. It’s a specialized piece of equipment, but if that’s the primary type of fence you’re working with, this tool will save you an immense amount of time, effort, and frustration. It turns a dreaded task into a straightforward one.
Neiko 02256A: A Reliable and Affordable Puller
For the hobby farmer who needs a solid tool for occasional use, the Neiko 02256A hits the sweet spot between affordability and function. It’s a no-frills puller that provides enough power and safety features to handle common farm repairs without requiring a big financial commitment. It’s the perfect tool to have hanging in the shed for when that tree branch inevitably takes out a section of fence.
With a 2-ton capacity and dual-gear power, it has plenty of strength for standard fencing tasks. It includes the essential safety features, like a ratchet mechanism and drop-forged hooks with safety latches. It does everything you need a basic puller to do, and it does it at a price that makes it accessible to just about everyone.
You’re not getting the lifetime durability of a Maasdam or the precision of a More Power Puller. But you are getting a capable tool that is more than adequate for patching up a pasture fence or pulling a sagging gate back into alignment. For the price, it’s a fantastic value and a great starting point for anyone building their collection of essential farm tools.
Safely Operating Your New Fence Pulling Tool
No matter which tool you choose, remember that you are dealing with a tremendous amount of stored energy. A wire under tension is a serious hazard, and treating your fence stretcher with respect is non-negotiable. A moment of carelessness can lead to a severe injury.
Before you even start, put on the right gear. Thick leather gloves and safety glasses are mandatory. A snapped wire or a slipped hook can send metal flying faster than you can blink. Always follow these basic rules:
- Inspect your gear. Check the cable for any kinks or frays before each use. A damaged cable is a weak cable.
- Get a solid anchor. Make sure the post, tree, or vehicle you’re pulling from is absolutely immovable. A weak anchor point will fail before the wire is tight.
- Stay out of the line of fire. Never stand directly in line with the cable while you are pulling. If something breaks, you want to be off to the side.
- Release tension slowly. Use the ratchet mechanism to back off the tension one click at a time. A controlled release is a safe release.
The most important safety tool you have is patience. Rushing a fence repair is how accidents happen. Take your time, think through each step, and double-check your connections. A well-repaired fence is a great reward, but getting it done without a trip to the emergency room is the real victory.
Choosing the right come along is about matching the tool to your specific needs and budget. Whether it’s a legendary Maasdam for lifetime reliability or a purpose-built Speeco for barbed wire, the right puller transforms a frustrating chore into a satisfying, one-person job. A tight, strong fence is the backbone of a well-run farm, and this is the tool that makes it possible.
