April 08: Handy Devices
Ingenious ideas sent in by farmers, large landowners, and people who love living in the country.
Illustrations: Ralph A. Mark Jr. |
 |
|
 |
Gate Chain Magic Trick
How do you keep track of keys for a locked farm gate when you have multiple
users? John Carl Fobian of West Branch, Iowa, has an idea. Have each gate user
supply his own padlock and key, but use several lengths of chain that interlock.
That way, each lock will serve as a link in the overall chain. If an owner loses
his key, the other owners are not inconvenienced because they can still work
their own locks and open the gate. |
 |
Grease Gun Holster
To store a grease gun on the shop wall, Rick Billingsley of Bois D'Arc, Mo.,
makes a holster from PVC pipe. He cuts a suitably sized notch from a pipe and
screws it to the wall. A grease gun slides into the C-shape and stays put. |
 |
Ant-proof Dog Bowl
When you feed your dogs outdoors, you also often feed a whole colony of ants.
To keep his dog's food ant-free, Keith King of Carrolton, Ga., built a short
stand to hold a food bowl off the ground. He bolted together an old truck axle
and inverted brake drum, then drove the axle 6 inches into the ground. To keep
ants and other critters from crawling up the axle, over the brake drum and into
the dog bowl, he coated a section of axle with wheel bearing grease, which ants
find to be an impenetrable barrier. |
 |
Double-wide Gate
Most of the time a 12-foot gate is wide enough, but when you have a wide load,
you might want a 24-foot-wide gate. Earl Morris of Farmville, Va., made a
24-foot-wide opening (give or take a few inches) in a fence and hung 12-foot
gates on either side of it. In the middle, he set a post in a buried PVC pipe.
When he needs an extra-wide opening, he merely pulls out the center post. |
Don't forget to check out our past collection of Handy Devices!