Rub'rgate Rubber Gate Handle

Opening a gate on a live fence should never put your hand in the current. This handle puts a pliable rubber case and a semi-rigid, non-conductive vinyl inner tube between your hand and the wire. The grip is firm, and the flanges leave plenty of room for your hand when you're working the gate in a hurry.

The enclosed spring stretches 3 1/2 inches to keep the wire taut, so the line stays tight after every trip. The heavy stamped steel plated safety hook takes the daily hook-and-unhook work. For a pasture gate or a paddock division that gets opened twice a day, that's the difference between a gate you dread and a gate you don't think about.

Highlights

• Rubber outer case over a non-conductive vinyl inner tube
• Generous flanges leave room for your hand
• Enclosed spring stretches 3 1/2 inches to hold wire taut
• Heavy stamped steel plated safety hook
• Firm grip for opening and closing by hand

Why choose a rubber gate handle

A gate handle is the one piece of an electric fence you touch on every trip. Plain metal and bare wire can carry the charge right to your hand. A rubber case and a non-conductive inner tube add a layer of insulation between you and the current, which is the whole reason to pick an insulated handle over a bare one.

Tension is the other job. A spring that keeps wire taut as the gate opens and closes stops the line from drooping into grass and brush, and a slack line is where a fence loses its charge. It also keeps the gate hooking up cleanly instead of fighting you every time you latch it.

It suits pasture gates, paddock divisions and any electric line that gets opened by hand. A ranch that works cattle through a gate every day, a homestead with a goat pen or a horse owner opening a paddock at feeding time all have the same need: a handle they can grab without thinking. The flanges give a wet or gloved hand room to work, which matters most in cold weather.

At a glance

How to use it

Set the handle up and check it the way you would any gate hardware on a live fence:

1. Attach the spring and hook as the gate hardware is set up, and check that the spring holds tension before you close the gate.
2. Open and close the gate by the rubber grip, keeping your fingers around the flanges rather than on the metal.
3. Clean the spring and the hook so they move freely each time the gate opens.
4. Check the hook and spring at the start of grazing season, before a loose wire can short out the line.

Good to know

• Keep the spring and hook clean so they move freely when you open and close the gate.
• Carry a spare handle in the truck, so a broken gate doesn't leave a fence down.
• Pair it with a good energizer, insulators and line wire to round out the gate and the fence around it.
• Replace the handle once the hook bends or the rubber case cracks. Those are the parts that keep you insulated.

About Dare

Dare has been making electric fencing since 1946, when Robert M. Wilson founded the company in Battle Creek, Michigan. Dare makes most of its products itself and sells them nationally and internationally to wholesalers, co-ops and dealers.

Pick up a spare before the next gate needs restringing.