2-LIFE® and 4-LIFE® Wire

Smarter farming is all about thinking ahead and getting the best performance from your soil, stock and farm resources. As most successful rural practitioners will tell you, short term gains will usually come at a cost further down the track. That's why farmers, with an eye on the future, will be taking more than a passing glance at 2-Life and 4-Life wire range from Spec Trellising.

In simple terms - it lasts longer and costs less.

The superior longer life characteristics of this new range come from a zinc and aluminum coating that delivers markedly greater protection than can be achieved with zinc/galvanized. This makes it last 2 to 4 times longer than its galvanized predecessor.

To best understand how the new technology works lets first compare it to galvanized wire which has a 100% zinc coating on the steel wire which protects the steel wire in two ways.

Firstly it provides a protective barrier over the steel because it corrodes much more slowly than the bare steel. It does corrode though, eventually forming white oxide on the surface. .
Secondly, but most importantly, zinc also provides protection even if the coating is damaged. As you know unprotected steel will form red oxide shortly after contact with water or moist air. With a zinc coating, when a scrape or cut in the wire exposes the steel, the zinc surrounding that bare steel will protect that damaged area. The zinc corrodes in place of the nearby bare steel. This is because zinc is more reactive than steel, so the elements that cause corrosion attack the zinc first.

Zinc aluminum alloy technology used for 2 and 4 Life Wire, gives users the best of both worlds. Aluminum that quickly forms a protective oxide to slow corrosion, and zinc that protects the bare steel if it gets damaged. Blended together they give you a coating that offers outstanding long term resistance to corrosion out in New Zealand's extreme condition.

2 - Life high tensile wire (coating weight : 130 grams per square meter)

2 life Wire has a 130 gram Zinc/Aluminum coating with delivers twice the life of galvanized wire. It is suitable for inland mild corrosive environments where there is a light marine, thermal or copper/sulphur influence.

4 - Life high tensile wire (coating weight : 260 grams per square meter)

4 life, which has a heavier 260 gram Zinc/Aluminum coat-weight, provides 4 times the life of galvanized wire. Manufactured for marine coastal and other high corrosion areas, it is especially suitable for thermal/industrial areas as well the horticulture /viticulture industries where copper/sulphur rich sprays are used.

The following table compares the performance of the 4-Life coating compared to class 3 galvanized coating:

Environment	Rust on heavily galvanized wire	Rust on 4-LIFE Wire
Agricultural	8 to 10 years	More than 40 years
City	5 to 10 years	More than 18 years
Industrial	1 to 3 years	3 to 8 years

Zinc-aluminum fencing wires are coated utilizing 95% zinc / 5% aluminum alloy coating. The new zinc-aluminum alloy retains the renowned protection of hot-dip galvanized coatings (excellent barrier coating, metallurgically bonded to the steel and providing very effective cathodic protection to any exposed steel). The small aluminum addition however, enhances the anticorrosion performance of the coating by making it more weather resilient. The dull, grey oxide layer formed on zinc-aluminum is more durable than the soft, white layer formed on pure zinc. This oxide layer itself acts as a barrier, retarding corrosion of the zinc-aluminum alloy.

The practical and economic advantages:

A four times longer life than that of heavily galvanized thanks to the zinc plus aluminium 4-LIFE® coating.
An anti-corrosion coating thickness greater than that heavily galvanized.
A smooth durable surface.
Perfect adherence and concentricity of the zinc plus aluminium coating.
A tensile strength greater than that of heavily galvanized wire.
A breaking strength greater than that of heavily galvanized wire.
Reduced elongation.
More useful metres per roll for an identical weight.
Guided rolls, easy to use.
Substantial economy per hectare installed, in association with absolutely reliable quality.
A product which respects the environment because there are no heavy metals in its composition.

2-life Coating weight : 130 grams per square meter
4-life Coating weight : 260 grams per square meter

Class 3 Galvanized H/T wire

Class 3 galvanized wire has been used by farmers for years because of its value, and anti-corrosion properties.

The outer, sacrificial layer of zinc contains cathode-anode protection (aka "Galvanic healing"), providing a protective barrier that corrodes much more slowly than the steel core. During this process, white oxide is formed which itself acts as a barrier, slowing corrosion.

Over time, the oxides wash away. In addition, when the wire gets scratched or nicked, the outer layer of zinc reacts much more quickly to moisture than steel and the elements that cause corrosion will always attack the zinc first.

To ensure tangle-free unwinding, all galvanized wire coils are layer-wound. All galvanized wire coils are made in USA for absolute high quality. Tensile strength is a minimum 200,000 psi.

Made in USA. Thread wound coils for easy pay-out.

Gauges:	12 1/2 gauge - 4000' per coil (104 lbs.)
	14 gauge - 5860' per soil (100 lbs.)

Polyester Wire
Why Choose A Plastic Wire?

Mechanical quality that is higher than traditional wires. Save time in placing and lifting the wire:

6 times lighter than metal
Permanent tension: no need for retensioning
Quicker lifting and joining
Safer to use than steel wire
Cushion the machine's vibrations

Vineyard respect:

Less hurting than metal
Cushion the machine's vibrations
Strong expalling
Safety in manipulation

Polyester wire vs. Polyammide wire

Due to the inherent characteristics of the material, Polyammide wire is no longer used for agricultural purposes in Europe. Polyammide wire's elongation is high compared to Polyester wire, thereby requiring retensioning after removing the load (ie grapes) from the wire. After harvest, growers using polyammide wire for trellis wires, must spend vaulable time retensioning trellis wires. Polyester wire is more elastic with less elongation, eliminating the need to retension the wire. The main uses for polyammide wire in Europe are fishtape, fishing line, and carpet for sprayer drying machines (leather dying).

How To Place It

The principle:

Pre-stretching at 1% - quick and easy, thanks to the special tensioner

The technique:

1. Fastening around the first pole	2. Pull the wire with the tensioner



3. Tie a knot on the second stake	4. Place the second wire and repeat point 2 and 3



How To Join





Lifting and Joining

1. After the pruning, set the lifting wire below the carrying wire



2. First lifting



3. Second Lifting