A wire-spinner @ £125 is invaluable, you really
should put up at least the main wire during the first growing season, to stop the canes
blowing around in strong wind. Red oxide coated steel.
Winegrowers Supplies
- Trellising
Special vineyard trellis wire - 'Quadruple life' - aluminium/zinc galvanised steel:
galvanised with an alloy of aluminium + zinc. Tests on the corrosion behaviour have
demonstrated that this wire has four times the life of normal zinc-galvanised wire (DIN 1548 thick-zinc-coated).
2.0mm is used for all wires of a Guyot trellis. It is very easy to handle and bend.
2.0mm diameter: £49.50 per 1000
metre / 25 kilo roll; slightly lower price for larger quantities.
2.2mm diameter (825 metres / 25 kilo roll) and 2.5mm diameter (650
metres / 25 kilo roll) are also
available (not stocked) for GDC trellis.
A wire-spinner @ £125 is invaluable, you really
should put up at least the main wire during the first growing season, to stop the canes
blowing around in strong wind. Red oxide coated steel.
Wire straining devices:-
Spannfix: galvanised, 36p each.
Key for turning Spannfix, red oxide, £7
some secondhand Spannfix in good condition @ 24p each
Alloy-GS: for very short rows, use with a 13mm spanner, new @ £1.50 each
some secondhand @ 50p each
Chains: for moveable (double) wires, 7-links, galvanised steel, 26p each
some secondhand @ 16p each
Chain nails: large square nails, for wood end posts with moveable (double) wires,
aluminium-zinc
galvanised, 55 mm long x 4.2 mm square: £4.80 per kilo (approx 130 per kilo)
2.5 kilo bucket @ £10.00
Hook-nails: for intermediate wood posts with moveable (double) wires,
aluminium-zinc
galvanised, 55 mm long x 3.4 mm square: £5.40 per kilo (approx 160 per kilo)
5 kilo bucket @ £22.50
Vine support poles:-
Galvanised steel, 6mm diameter, 1.2 metres tall @ 36 Euros per 100; 1.4 metres tall @ 40 Euros per 100; 1.5
metres tall @ 45 Euros per 100; plus cost of delivery from Germany.
These should last indefinitely, whereas bamboos
break off at soil level after a couple of years. It's very worthwhile
supporting the vine stocks even when they are 20 years old.
Long-lasting plastic clips, for securing a 6mm diameter steel vine-pole to a trellis wire, @ £18 per 500
Vineyard posts:-
It's not easy to find kiln-dried then tanalised softwood posts.
Most larger vineyards are now using galvanised steel posts.
Apart from their long lifespan (40+ years) they have a major advantage in
that 'eyelets' are built-in to the sides for wires to run through, so you do not need to hammer
in hook-nails, as you do into wood posts; this saves a lot of man-hours.
Diagonal galvanised-steel ground-anchors can be attached to the end posts, or
if you prefer to use large (4 to 5 inch diameter, 8 or preferably 9 foot long) kiln-dried and
tanalised wood posts for the row ends, you can use a 'lintel' system: the first
intermediate post spaced only one vine away, with a wood D-shaped
'lintel' half-round post nailed across the top between this and the end post. A
strong diagonal wire (or 3 plaited wires) loops around the top of the post and
then down to loop around the bottom of the end-post.
Voest - 'Leova' galvanised steel posts:-
Proven to be the strongest steel post, and the easiest to insert into the
ground; especially with a Vibrator attachment added to the Pusher; they have to
be pushed down (eg. with a JCB) rather than banged down.
There are two types, hot-dipped (fire) galvanised and
band galvanised (about 12% cheaper; I don't sell these as the lifespan is much
shorter), the following prices are for hot-dipped galvanised:-
Intermediate posts (maximum 6.0 metres between posts; 700mm recommended below ground):-
50x40mm S-Plus, with external built-in hooks for the wires:-
2.5 metres tall, 5.40 Euros each + cost of delivery from Germany, reduced price for large quantities.
These posts can be used on concave slopes with the addition of special black plastic clips
on the side hooks, to stop the wires lifting out; @ 50 Euros per 1000; at least 6 clips will be needed for each post.
or
50x40mm I-plus, with internal built-in hooks for the wires:-
2.5 metres tall, 5.40 Euros each + cost of delivery from Germany.
End posts:-
Typ 90 60x60mm, 2.75 metres tall, with built-in hooks for the wires, 9.6 kilos each,
12.90 Euros each
+ plus cost of delivery from Germany.
Kettenbügel: square wire braces (60mm @ 37.50 Euros per 100) that wrap around the
end posts, for hooking the chains on to.
There is a hole near the top of the end post for attaching the wire for the end-post anchor:-
Ground-anchors for end posts:-
Galvanised steel,
850mm long, 150mm diameter
plate, 14mm thick rod, 1.45 kilos each,
3.87 Euros each
+ cost of delivery from Germany.
1000mm long, 150mm diameter
plate, 14mm thick rod, 1.65 kilos each,
4.12 Euros each + cost of delivery from Germany.
Fenox, for very stony ground, 600mm (0.75 kilos) 4.64 Euros each plus
+ of
delivery from Germany.
A special set of driving tools is
needed:-
The ground plate, Euro 19.95
The driving tool necessary for expanding the
wires, Euro 23.85
The
shorter bolt for driving the anchor into the ground, Euro 23.85
Fenox 1000mm long with special eyes (1.6 kilos) 22.00 Euros
each + cost of delivery from Germany.
The ground plate, Euro 21.95
The driving tool necessary for expanding the wires, Euro 26.23
The shorter bolt for driving the anchor into the ground, Euro 26.23
The tools for the 600mm anchors are not suitable for the 1000mm anchors.
Gripples:-
Medium gripple-plus (for 2.0 to 3.25mm wire), the best value is to buy a Set of 250 with the
Torq-tensioning tool @ 220 Euros.
Medium gripple-plus are 88 Euros per 100 pack; so you get a free Torq-tool if you buy a 250 set.
For end-post bracing (to ground anchors): the GPAK3 anchor-fast kit (80 ropes + gripples) @ 220 Euros.
Prices shown are exclusive of Vat.
Delivery (by carrier or post) will usually need to be charged at cost.