Farmer designed remote-controlled electric fence gate

If you have dealt with electric fence gates, you know the wire kinks and, if not pulled out of the way, can get caught on something underneath your vehicle. Gary Jongeling and his employee became extremely frustrated with that problem when checking cows multiple times a day.

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"One day I said enough," Jongeling says. "We have got to find a better way around this." Since chain would lay flat on the ground and not kink, it seemed like the obvious solution. He also wanted to avoid getting out of the vehicle to open and close the gate. This was achieved by using a remote-controlled ATV winch. They used solar power to charge the gate and keep the 12-volt winch battery charged.

When setting up the gate, they placed the winch fairlead waist high and attached it to one end of the chain behind the insulator. Extra weight was placed on the hook and chain to help it drop down. "We just lower the winch to drop the gate and raise the winch to close it," Jongeling says. "Our biggest problem now is deciding who gets to run the remote."

Gary Jongeling

Heritage: Jongeling is the third-generation owner of the Watertown, South Dakota, crop and livestock operation that has been in the family for over 100 years. It is a cow-calf to 600-weight program alongside row cropping.

Family: Jongeling and his wife, Cheryl, have two children, Tyler and Darci, who followed in their mother's footsteps to work in the medical field.

Hobbies: He likes helping neighbors, as well as hunting and ice fishing. At 71, Jongeling and his wife still love to go on side-by-side excursions, and recently returned from a back trailing trip in the Black Hills.

Email: thejongelings@gmail.com

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