6 Best Wire Linkers For Temporary Fencing That Old Farmers Swear By
Explore the top 6 wire linkers for temporary fencing that veteran farmers trust. Our guide covers the most secure, reliable, and reusable options.
There’s nothing worse than seeing your meticulously planned rotational grazing paddock empty because a single wire connection gave way overnight. Your livestock are scattered, your morning is shot, and it all comes down to a weak link. Choosing the right wire linker for your temporary fencing isn’t just about convenience; it’s about reliability, security, and saving yourself a world of headache.
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Why Solid Wire Connections Matter on the Farm
A fence is fundamentally a system of tension and trust. You trust it to keep your animals in and predators out. A weak splice or a poorly tied knot is the first place that system will fail when a deer runs into it or a cow decides to use it as a scratching post. The result is always the same: wasted time and potential chaos.
That break doesn’t just mean a quick repair. It means rounding up escaped animals, potentially from a neighbor’s property. It could mean a protected garden gets decimated by hungry goats or chickens. On a hobby farm, where time is your most precious resource, spending half a day fixing a problem that a 50-cent connector could have prevented is just plain frustrating.
It’s also a mistake to think "temporary" means "unimportant." Whether a fence is up for a day or a season, it has a critical job to do right now. A simple hand-twist might hold for a few hours in calm weather, but it will inevitably loosen, corrode, and fail under strain. A proper linker or strainer maintains consistent tension and conductivity, ensuring the fence does its job from the moment you set it up to the moment you take it down.
Gripple Plus Wire Joiners: The Gold Standard
If you want speed and simplicity, the Gripple is your answer. These ingenious little devices are basically a one-way clutch for wire. You push your wire in from each end, and an internal ceramic roller mechanism grabs it and won’t let go. There are no knots to tie, no tools required for the basic join.
The real magic of the Gripple is in the field. Imagine you’re moving a poultry net and the line snags and snaps. With a Gripple, you can have that line repaired in less than 30 seconds and get back to work. This makes them invaluable for rotational grazing systems where fences are constantly being moved and reconfigured. They are a massive time-saver.
The main tradeoff is cost. Gripples are more expensive per unit than old-fashioned crimps or knots. While they make a special tool to release the wire, it can be fussy to use with a tensioned line. Think of them as the best option for quick, strong repairs on high-tensile or polywire, but maybe not the most economical choice for an entire project with hundreds of splices.
Zareba In-Line Strainers for Cranking Tight
Sometimes, just joining two wires isn’t enough; you need to pull out the sag. This is where an in-line ratchet strainer, like those from Zareba, becomes essential. You thread the wire through a spool, attach a handle, and crank. With each click, the fence gets tighter.
These are the problem-solvers for long runs of temporary fencing, especially with heavier wire for sheep, goats, or cattle. Over a hundred feet, even a small amount of stretch can lead to a droopy, ineffective barrier. Placing one or two of these strainers in the middle of the line allows you to re-tension the entire fence in minutes without having to pull everything from the end posts.
It’s important to know their role, however. They are tensioners first and joiners second. They add bulk and weight to the fence line, so you wouldn’t use one for a simple snap repair if the tension is already good. But for establishing and maintaining the core tautness of a semi-permanent paddock, they are unbeatable. They turn a saggy wire into a proper barrier.
Hayes Permanent Strainer: Old-School Grip
Before there were fancy clickers and one-way grips, there was the simple, brutish effectiveness of the permanent strainer. The Hayes strainer is a classic example of this design. It’s a simple cog-and-clip mechanism that you thread your wire through and tighten with a separate handle or wrench. It’s straightforward, rugged, and built to last a lifetime.
This is the tool you reach for when you need a connection that feels less temporary and more permanent. It offers incredible gripping power and allows for very fine-tuned tension adjustments. Because of its all-metal, simple construction, it can handle sun, ice, and abuse without failing. Many farmers use these at the end of a run to anchor the entire fence line, even if it’s just for a season.
The downside is purely in speed and convenience. Installation is more involved than a Gripple. You need a separate tool to tighten it, and it takes a few minutes to get it right. But if you have a key section of fence that absolutely cannot fail or lose tension—like the line along a driveway or next to a prized vegetable patch—the reliability of a Hayes-style strainer provides peace of mind that modern gadgets can’t always match.
Gallagher Insulators for Hot Wire Fences
When you’re working with electric fencing, the connection point often has to do two jobs: hold the wire and insulate it. This is where high-quality hardware like Gallagher’s corner and end-strain insulators are non-negotiable. They aren’t "linkers" in the sense of splicing a broken wire, but they are critical links in the fence system.
Think about a corner post in a polytape paddock for horses. You need to end one line of tape, change direction, and start another, all while keeping everything tight and electrically isolated from the post. A good corner insulator allows you to do this cleanly and securely. Using the wrong hardware—or worse, just wrapping the wire around a post—will cause shorts that drain the power from your entire fence.
These components are about system integrity. They ensure the electricity goes where it’s supposed to—along the wire—and not into the ground through a wet wooden post. Your fence charger is useless if your connections are leaking voltage. Investing in the right insulators for your ends, corners, and gates is just as important as choosing the right splicer for the middle of the run.
Dare-T-Post Links: Simple and Effective
Not every connection needs to withstand hundreds of pounds of tension. Sometimes you just need to attach a wire to a post, quickly and securely. Dare’s T-Post clips and links are perfect for this specific, common job. They are simple, inexpensive plastic or metal clips designed to fit perfectly onto a standard metal T-post.
Their utility is in their simplicity. You can use them to add a new line of polywire to an existing fence to keep chickens from squeezing through the bottom. They’re also great for quickly sectioning off a larger pasture. You can string a line and have it attached to a dozen posts in just a few minutes.
Of course, their application is limited. They are not for splicing a broken wire mid-span, and they don’t add tension. They are purely for fastening a wire to a post. But having a bag of these in your pocket while setting up a new paddock can dramatically speed up the process. They are a small, cheap part that solves a very frequent problem.
Speedrite Crimp Sleeves for a Solid Bond
For a connection that is as strong, or even stronger, than the wire itself, you need a crimp sleeve. These are small metal tubes (usually copper or aluminum) that you slide over the two ends of the wire you’re joining. You then use a special crimping tool to crush the sleeve, forming a permanent, unbreakable mechanical bond.
This is the solution for a "temporary" fence that you know is going to be in place for the whole season, or even longer. It’s the go-to for repairing a snapped high-tensile wire that’s under serious strain. Once a crimp is properly applied, it will not slip, stretch, or corrode. It’s the most reliable way to join two pieces of metal wire.
The tradeoffs are significant. First, you need the dedicated crimping tool, which can be an investment. Second, the connection is permanent. If you need to adjust or remove it, your only option is to cut the wire and start over. Crimping is also slower than using a Gripple, so it’s best reserved for repairs where absolute strength is more important than speed.
Choosing the Right Linker for Your Fencing
There is no single "best" wire linker. The right choice depends entirely on the job at hand. The farmer who swears by Gripples for his poultry netting might use heavy-duty strainers for his cattle pasture. The key is to match the tool to the task by asking a few simple questions: What kind of wire is it? How much tension does it need? And how permanent does this fix need to be?
A good way to think about it is to build a small, versatile fencing toolkit. Having a few different options on hand means you’re prepared for any situation.
- For pure speed on polywire or high-tensile: Gripple Plus.
- For tightening a long, sagging line: An in-line ratchet strainer.
- For a rock-solid, re-tensionable anchor: A permanent strainer like a Hayes.
- For a permanent splice on metal wire: Crimp sleeves and a crimping tool.
- For electric fence integrity at posts: High-quality corner and end insulators.
Ultimately, the goal is to make your fence reliable with the least amount of effort. A broken fence line can ruin a day, but having the right connector in your pocket can turn that disaster into a minor, five-minute inconvenience. Stock your toolbox wisely, and you’ll spend more time farming and less time chasing escapees.
In the end, a fence is only as strong as its weakest connection. By understanding the strengths of each type of linker, you can ensure your temporary fences are strong, secure, and dependable, letting you focus on the work that really matters.
