Post lockdown price increases

Please note that while we are unable to work on installation and construction projects during lockdown, we can still assist with quotes and planning for your projects so that these can take place as soon as we are permitted to work again.  

If you are planning on purchasing new equipment such as energisers, please get your orders to us as soon as possible.  We are expecting prices of imported goods to increase substantially due to the recent decline in the value of the Rand and would therefore like to get you your equipment at the current prices where possible.  Gallagher power fencing and animal management equipment, Stafix electric fencing products and JVA fence products will be affected.  At this stage,we are not anticipating price increases on locally produced items such as Bonnox and Veldspan mesh, nettingwire, fencing wire or any of the Mittal products such as Y-standards and fencing droppers.  We do however expect there to be delays on somewww.tnhwildlife.com items due to lower / no production over the last month.  While we will only be able to deliver post-lockdown, we are able to fix pricing on confirmed orders.  

We look forward to seeing you all soon.

NEW ADDITION TO GALLAGHER i-SERIES

It’s been a while since we wrote about the release of the I-series range of energisers developed by Gallagher, arguably the best system produced to date for monitoring farm and game reserve fences.  At the time, the largest unit being produced was the M2800i, which with an output of just over 15 Joules is perfect for a camp or paddock set up for game or livestock, but is a bit small for powering the perimeter fences of large farms and wildlife reserves.  The good news is that the “big brother” is now available in Africa.  

Gallagher have launched the M5800i which has all the advantages of the other i-series models, but with a lot more power.  With 58 Joules of stored and 36 Joules of output energy, the M5800i has the equivalent power of the Stafix M36R, which has for a long time been the go to energiser for long fence runs in dry African conditions.

You are going to pay a little bit more for the Gallagher unit, but there is a lot of technology packed in the black and orange box.  If you are running a farm where you need to stay up to date with what is happening on your fences, the extra money will be well spent as you will save a lot of time and money in the long term which would otherwise have been spent checking the fences and searching for faults.  Unfortunately there is a downside to the arrival of the M5800i and that is that Gallagher are no longer producing the MR5000 energiser.  The MR5000 has for many years been an excellent value energiser in the 50 – 60 Joule range and will be missed.  If you would like to purchase any one of these energisers, please get in contact with us.

TNH News update

The last couple of months have been really busy for TNH with lots of interesting and exciting happenings taking place.

Security is becoming a far more important component of our work, with our customer base which is primarily in the rural areas requiring better security.  Fortunately our product offering caters even to high end customers requiring top quality security systems.  

Frazer spent a month in Cabinda Angola commissioning a fibre optic intrusion detection system for an oil pipeline.  This system is excellent as it is extremely accurate in pinpointing the location of the breach, can virtually eliminate nuisance alarms and can be installed over massive distances on fences or underground, depending on the requirement.  It is however a costly system, and while it has not been adopted by the wildlife or game-farming market yet, with the recent escalation in rare game prices and the continued threat of poaching, particularly of rhino, it will not be long before game breeders start using these systems to assist them in protecting their valuable wildlife assets.  

What is however now being be adopted by the wildlife industry is the use of computer software such as Perimeter Patrol to monitor their electric fences.  While this type of system has been used extensively for security applications for small sites such as factories, housing complexes and business parks, recent advances in wireless technology have now made it possible for us to set this up on farms and game reserves.  

Electric fences around these sites can be monitored remotely via an internet connection which allows managers to allocate resources which would otherwise have been used to check the fence to other tasks.  Farmers can also check fences when not on the farm and alarms also alert the user when faults occur on the fence.  We have recently set up Perimeter Patrol at Thaba Tholo to enable them to monitor the electric fence around their rare game breeding camps. 

Serious interest has also been shown by other well-known reserves.  No sooner had Frazer returned from Angola when Theo jetted off to Europe to undergo a month long combat training course.  With the skills learned there added to an already impressive arsenal of counter-poaching techniques, Theo is ideally equipped to take on any anti-poaching challenge.  

August was also show month for TNH, with the Thabazimbi agricultural show once again being an excellent opportunity to catch up with many of our clients from the bushveld region.  We also exhibited at the African Farmers Expo where with the support from the guys from Stafix we were able to make ourselves known to a new group of potential customers.  With delegates from as far afield as Israel and Zambia spending time on the stand, prospects for the future look promising.

Tubby together with the Zambian minister of livestock and agriculture, Wilbur Simusa at the African Farmers Expo

    

Chiefs win Super Rugby

Congratulations to the Chiefs on beating the Brumbies to win the Super Rugby title again this year.  More importantly, well done to Gallagher for supporting a winning team.  The rugby win is not the only cause for celebration in Hamilton this year however as Gallagher is celebrating its 75^th year in business. The company has grown enormously since the 1930’s when Bill Gallagher (senior) began developing systems to make farming easier and is now a successful and well respected company throughout the world.  As part of its 75 year celebrations, Gallagher have great deals and giveaways going on some of their products. The Gallagher MR5000 energiser is one of the most reliable high-power energisers available and is excellent value for money.  It is ideal for wildlife applications and long stock fences and is currently being packaged with a remote and Smartfix meter at no extra charge.  Another great product released by Gallagher earlier this year is the i-Series range of fence energiser systems.  These are excellent for monitoring and controlling fence performance and allow for rapid location of faults, particularly where the fence can be divided into zones. With semi-intensive production of rare game having become so popular in South Africa over the last few years, there are hundreds of wildlife managers and game breeders who can benefit from the features of the i-Series system.  If you are interested in these or any other Gallagher, Stafix, JVA, MEPS or Nemtek electric fence products, please contact TNH and we will endeavour to provide you with the best system for your needs.   

New electric fence regulation to be implemented

ELECTRIC FENCE COMPLIANCE CERTIFICATES

Below is an article published in The Star newspaper on 15/5/2013.  The article discusses very briefly the responsibility of property owners and tenants of properties which have electric fences in terms of the new electrical machinery regulations act.  While this article refers to urban fencing, it is important to note that these regulations also apply to electric fences in rural areas including security, game and agricultural fences.  Owners or tenants of properties who do not comply with these regulations may be liable to a fine or imprisonment or both.  TNH Fencing are registered with the Department of Labour to install electric fences and issue compliance certificates, so please contact us if you need assistance in this regard.

New electric fence regulation to be implemented

May 15 2013 at 02:29pm
By CHARLOTTE CHIPANGURA

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INLSA

A new regulation stipulates that electric fences should be certified before a property can be sold. Picture: Boxer Ngwenya

Johannesburg - Property owners are going to have to be more careful about who they contract to install electric fences so as to comply with a new regulation.

This regulation stipulates that all electric fences be certified and come with an electric fence system certificate of compliance, as reflected in Regulation 12 of the Electric Machinery Regulations of 2011.

This applies only to systems that came into existence after October 1 last year.

However, it also will apply in cases where the system is altered or added to, or where the premises changes ownership after October 1 this year.

Any property transfer after that date, therefore, carries with it the obligation to provide a certificate if there is an electric fence in place.

All properties – including residential, commercial and sectional titles within complexes – must comply.

A number of people have complained about the regulation on social networks, with many saying the it was meant to protect burglars.

“Next they will tell me to remove my burglar proofing because a burglar might get stuck in it and hurt himself… This is total insanity. I’ll remove my fence when they remove the criminals,” said one.

SA Electric Fences Association founder member Etien van der Merwe said the regulation actually protected innocent people within the property. He added that electrical output from fences had always been regulated.

“Energisers are controlled: the electrical machinery regulations stipulate a certain output. Adjusting fences to be more lethal is actually illegal.”

The regulation would ensure installers were held accountable and minimise fly-by-night installers.

Failure to have a compliance certificate could cost one a great deal, said John Graham, the chief executive of House-check Home Inspection Services.

“If you don’t have the certificate, you can’t sell your house, and if somebody gets hurt by a non-compliant fence, you could get sued.”

He said electrical fence installers had to write an examination and be registered with the Department of Labour by October 1 this year.

What makes an electric fence compliant?

* It must be installed by a registered electric fence installer, not a non-specialist company.

* Owner must have a certificate of compliance.

* Output should not be adjusted to make it more lethal.

* Warning signs of a fence visible from driveway and pavement.

* Fence should not overhang a neighbour’s yard or a pavement.

Penalties for non-compliance

* You cannot sell a property without the certificate.

* If someone gets hurt by an electric fence on your property, you could be sued.

* You may have to upgrade to compliance or be forced to remove the fence.

charlotte.chipangura@inl.co.za

The Star

Keran McCaull in South Africa

We would like to thank Tru-Test’s Keran McCaull for taking time out of his busy schedule last week to spend an afternoon with us.  Tru-Test manufacture the Speedrite, Stafix, Pel and Patriot brands of electric fence energisers as well as Hayes fencing tools.  South Africans will be most familiar with the Stafix brand of energisers which was established in 1958.  Over the last few years Stafix have updated their battery energiser range to the X – range which are able to work off both 12 volt DC (battery) and 220V AC electricity.  The range incorporates energisers from 1 to 18 Joules and has proved extremely popular for both wildlife and livestock applications.  Together with the X-range of “unigisers,” Stafix also produce the world’s largest energiser, the Stafix M63R, so really do have energisers for every application.  Despite seeming to have every angle covered, Tru-Test are not resting on their laurels.  Keran gave us a peek into some of what Stafix has lined up for us in the near future so hopefully we will have some exciting news for you before the end of the year. 

STAFIX X18i UNIGIZER

 

The Stafix X18i unigizer is now available in Africa.  This new addition to the X range of energisers which are able to run off either a 12V rechargeable battery or mains power source replaces the discontinued B18 energiser as the most powerful battery energiser available.  It has an output energy of 18 Joules which is slightly more than the 15 Joules of the Stafix X15i and Gallagher MBX 2500.  As with the other energisers in this range, the X18i features a backlit LCD voltage display, which, shows the output voltage, battery voltage and earth voltage.  Probably its greatest advantage over the B18 however is its lower power consumption.  Using a little more than half the power of the B18, together with the microprocessor which adjusts the output energy depending on the battery condition, this energy efficient unit is ideal for solar installations.  The X18i also has a number of settings and pulse speeds which can be selected to further increase its energy efficiency.  Pricing of the X18i is considerably less than that of its predecessors which will no doubt make this the energiser of choice for most agricultural and wildlife applications in Africa.