Cowboys Used To Rely On It — The Simple Yet Powerful Tool That's Useful In The Garden

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Some of the old-school tools cowboys once used can still be found in gardens today, such as gloves, twine, and large troughs. One in particular, though, can be quite useful for your gardening tasks. At a glance, they look simple, yet they're very versatile. We're talking about fencing pliers.

Fencing pliers date back to the late 19th century, and the introduction of barbed wire, which was cheap and quickly became hugely popular. Miles of it soon stretched across previously open country. The wire needed to be cut, twisted, and stapled into place, but the last thing a cowboy wanted to do was load down his saddle bags with a whole bunch of different tools. The invention of fencing pliers made all that unnecessary, combining all those functions in one device.

Today's fencing pliers haven't changed much from those used by cowboys well over a hundred years ago. The 10-inch Bates Multi-Plier Fence Tool, available from Amazon for around $16, is one example. Steel alloy construction makes such tools solid and durable; plastic grips make them comfortable to use.

A pair of fencing pliers may not make it onto most lists of essential gardening tools, but maybe they should. Their design tells you a lot about their flexibility. For one, hardened slots on each side of the central pivot cut wire, while the area behind these is serrated for gripping. The top is contoured for twisting or splicing wire of various diameters, and the curved head ends in a spike capable of digging out old staples. The front of the head makes a decent hammer. Meanwhile, long handles give plenty of leverage so you don't need excessive strength for any of these operations.

Fencing pliers are indispensable if you're removing old wire fencing, of course, or securing chicken wire to wooden posts. They can also help you cut and shape metal trellises. If you have netting that's sagging, the pliers are ideal for pulling and pinning it back into shape. Further, they can cut and twist plastic-coated garden wire for supporting climbing plants and vegetables. With a pair of these pliers, you can do something as basic as hammering in a nail, or put together gabions to make an amazing stone retaining wall for your yard.

Back in the day, cowboys had to string mile upon mile of barbed wire to fence in cattle. Your garden may be on a way smaller scale, but you can use the same simple but powerful tool to make your life easier. The fact that good ones cost under 20 bucks is a nice bonus, too.