Bryan Batt: Installing an Under Gate Cable

With roots in farming and shepherding, Bryan Batt has built B.B. Contract Fencing into a reliable local business serving the Canterbury region.

Following in his family’s footsteps – his father and uncle were also fencers – Bryan understands the trade like an old pro. He is also a successful bull rider, taking out the open title at the Mid Northern Rodeo last January.

He takes us through a unique fencing tip: installing an undergate cable using a trencher.

After working for fencing contractors for several years, then starting B.B. Contract Fencing in 2021, Bryan now enjoys the variety of fencing in Canterbury, particularly developing equine properties with arenas and roundyards. He has travelled as far south as Gore to get the work done. “I found that I enjoyed putting up post and rail and how nice it looks. There is more craftsmanship to it to make it look good,” he said.

Typically, a digger is used to install an undergate cable. Bryan has a solution that saves time and money: using a trencher to dig up the ground in a single pass. This technique means no extra trips, less machinery, and cleaner job sites. "Before I had the trencher, I'd have to come back to a job to do what we’re doing here today. Now I have the ability just to do it and carry on, making the job a lot more efficient,” he said. “A lot of times with diggers, you end up digging quite a big trench for such a little cable where this keeps everything nice and tidy.”

Bryan takes pride in being a fencer. “It’s just rewarding work. It’s nice to be able to drive away from a place after doing all the fencing, and look back and see happy clients and it all looking good.”