Sustainable battens and outriggers

This batten is recyclable and features wool fibre in the ingredient list. With an injection moulding and thermoforming business, Darren Ross was looking for an opportunity to manufacture a product to replace traditional wooden fencing battens.

This led him to come up with the Styx Solutions Easy Batten system. These can be installed on new fence lines or as a quick and easy way to replace damaged or missing battens.

The battens are costeffective alternative to traditional wooden fencing products, typically costing around $4 each, dropping to $3 for quantity.

They also remove the need for labour intensive, often back-breaking, work and are easily inserted down through the wires with a simple push and click installation, without the need for tools or staples.

Unlike traditional wooden battens, the Styx battens offer a number of benefits including lighter weight on the fence, no leaching of toxic chemicals, no need for insulators on powered fences and greater resistance to impacts. The system also allows wires to be re-tensioned without the battens being removed – as well as offering durability in high wind or coastal areas and full recyclability.

Once installed there is no ‘batten slip’ – even with the absence of fasteners. This ends the traditional solution of using expensive barbed wire to cure the problem, instead relying on a patented wire location slot and clip mechanism.

Designed for use with 2.5mm diameter wire, Easy Battens carry a 2-year limited warranty. They are supplied in 5-7 wire, 6-8 wire or 3-9 wire pre-set configurations.

Styx Solutions has recently launched its latest innovation, the Styx Batten SE – a collaboration with Shear Edge, an innovative Kiwi company unlocking the power of wool.

The highly engineered matrix of wool fibres embedded in the Batten SE provides added strength and durability, increased impact, tear and tensile strength – ensuring the product can stand the test of time in the rugged farm environment. The wool fibre matrix also improves the sustainability profile of the Batten SE, replacing virgin plastic with natural, renewable, strong wool fibres.

Complementing the batten system, Styx Outriggers can be attached to either side of the Easy Batten without tools. Installation is done by simply inserting the outrigger into a mounting receptacle, located at four positions on the batten and twisting 90 degrees to lock into place.

The outriggers can also be screwed or stapled to wooden posts or railings. They can also be used with the company’s insulator base plate to run equi-wire simultaneously.

Available in 175, 300 and 400mm lengths, its unique design feature stops 40mm tape from spiralling in the wind. Meanwhile, the 300mm and 400mm outriggers have additional wire locators along their length for pest control and additional animal security.

The units can also be used vertically to increase the height of a fence- particularly useful to prevent horses cribbing (chewing posts).

Manufactured entirely from a high-quality UV stabilised automotive polymer, the units will not wear through like traditional metal pigtail outriggers. This removes the problem of electrical shorts, while also offering flexibility to allow a return to the original position if hit by an animal, unlike metal outriggers that bend out of shape.

www.styxsolutions.com