2018 Golf Outing!

Join Modern Fence Technologies and K & R Manufacturing for the best golf outing of the season...

When the customer wants you to “sharpen your pencil”...

When the customer wants you to “sharpen your pencil”, remind him, 

 You can buy gate hardware at a lower price than MFT's, if you look hard enough.

 But you can't buy hardware that costs less to use.

97% in stock, shipped the same or next day. 

100% lifetime warranty.   

Are the Old Ways Always the Best Ways?

  It was once settled science that the Black Plague was spread by "bad air".  It was also once "settled science" that the best way to set a post for vinyl fence was to dig a hole and pour concrete.  While that may still be the best way for some applications, there are new methods, recognized by ASTM, that can save both time and money, and result in a longer lasting, better performing fence.

  Driven pipe presents a much smaller profile to frost heave, resulting in a much more stable fence, while offering maximum strength from day one of installation.  Using Modern Fence Technologies Heavy Duty Post Stiffeners can save you time, (install the fence same day as posts), money, (no more digging and paying for concrete), and can offer your customer a better product, setting you apart in an increasingly competitive market.  We can even show you how to hang gates from vinyl posts set on steel pipe!

  We offer everything you need to drive pipe for vinyl fence posts, from compressors and post drivers, to post stiffeners and brackets.  

Call today and ask your MFT service rep about driven pipe installation for vinyl fence!

Why Do Car Seats Have An Expiration Date?

Why does plastic take so long to break down in a landfill?  Because it is protected from the sun's harmful UV rays by a layer of dirt and other trash.  Car seats spend a lot of time in the sun.  The plastic loses impact strength and rigidity over time and exposure to sunlight.

The same goes for plastic gate hardware.  It's temporary.  If it wasn't, you wouldn't see the largest plastic gate hardware manufacturers introducing stainless steel products.

At MFT we have made stainless steel gate hardware from the very beginning.  We experimented with plastics and quickly came to the conclusion that unless your gate is going to spend its entire life indoors, stainless steel was the only way to go.  If you're not offering your customers the very best in stainless steel gate hardware, consider the stronger, longer lasting, and lower cost option of Modern Fence Technologies gate hardware.  Made proudly in the United States of America!

Is Your Motorcycle Helmet Expired?

Did you know that motorcycle helmets typically have an expiration date?  Why is that?  Simple.  Because they are made from materials that degrade every moment they are in the sun.  Ultraviolet light destroys plastic and fiberglass.  So why hang your gate on plastic hinges?

Use American made stainless steel hinges from Modern Fence Technologies to be sure your gate will last!

Rising Costs in the Fence Industry...

Have you noticed prices going up at your local fence supply house?  I just talked with a wholesaler who has experienced 2-4% increases WEEKLY for the last two months, and anticipates this trend will continue through June!

That means that, on average, with 3% per week increases, an item that cost you $10 on February 1, 2018, will cost you $16.78 on June 1, 2018.  Contrast that with MFT pricing, where many of our prices have gone down over the past six years.

Talk of tariffs and trade war have driven up the cost of imported goods, even before the tariffs take effect.

Modern Fence Technologies proudy makes our products in the United States of America, and we use American sourced materials to make them.  Our prices have been stable for years, and we plan to keep it that way, by making the best quality hardware and building on a proven, sustainable business model.

Call your MFT sales rep today!

Frequently Asked Questions...

Q:  Why do so many brands of hinges look similar? 

A:  Most are based the same model.  

MFT Fence has introduced dozens of innovative new designs in the past twenty years. Companies from all over the globe now offer their versions. 

Q:  What makes MFT hardware unique?

Originality, Quality, Attention to Detail, Customer Service, Stability, and it's made in America, with American made materials.

Call your MFT Fence rep today, and see the difference!

Confessions of a Cold Caller...

As a business owner, your time is valuable, and always in demand. One way to guarantee that you have fewer distractions is to have whoever answers your phone “filter” calls. The number of “I'll let him know you called”, and “give me your number and if he's interested he'll call you back” responses I get is staggering. I know when I hear this that the chances of you ever hearing about the truly unique products I can offer to differentiate you from your competition in quality and value are next to zero.

Here's what you didn't learn. I offer American made products designed and built here by professionals with decades in your industry. The products you are using are almost certainly imported, inferior copies of products we introduced to the industry.

Contrary to opinion, the cost of using our product is usually lower than that of using our competitor's, and the margins are higher. But you won't know that because you've trained the person who answers the phone to take a name and number, with no compelling reason for you to call back. So you never talk to me.

Instead, I find the one guy in your market who is really into quality. He sells top notch products at prices that make him profitable, and at the same time, attractive to the kind of customers who don't mind paying for good quality work, and who pay on time. I work with that guy, helping him to grow his business, ultimately, at the cost of your business. 

Have at it.

What's Wrong With This Picture?

At first glance it looks like many other well made vinyl enclosures, however, the installer did two things that will likely result in greater need for repair over the life of the gates.  First, the installer chose what looks to be an imported hinge set.  These are made to look like a copyrighted American made hinge, but they are not.
Second, the hinges are installed incorrectly.  This is a common error.  Look at the picture and notice how close together the hinges are spaced.  Look at all the room above the top hinge and below the bottom hinge.  This placement makes the entire gate system weaker than it ought to be.  This is especially critical when using inferior imported hinges.
To make your gate system as strong and stable as it can be, always move the hinges as far apart as they can be.  Think of the forces on the gate as a triangle.  The distance between hinges is the base of that triangle, and the center of the leading edge of the gate is the apex.  Gravity pulls down at the apex.  The broader the base of the triangle is, the better it can resist that gravity.  Applying this extra force to a hinge that is poorly made to begin with is a recipe for call backs and dissatisfied customers.
It may take a little more effort to do it right if you're too short to place the top hinge without a ladder, or don't want to get down low to apply the bottom hinge, but in the end, it's always worth doing a job right.

Hinge Mounted Springs...And Why They're a Bad Idea

Hinge mounted springs are in the least effective place to close a gate. They have no leverage. Even hydraulic closers are more effective when the pulling arm is at a distance from the hinge.

Just like when you were a kid on the teeter-totter at recess, where a skinny kid could lift a fat kid, as long as he was far enough away from the pivot, so a small spring, crammed up against the pivot, will struggle to move a gate.

Yes, we still sell hinges with springs for customers who demand them, but we are offering a smarter, more effective way now. It offers positive latching, every time, with an even power curve that doesn't get weaker as the gate closes. Designed for safety, durability, and minimal maintenance, our new gate closing option should be on your gate.

E-Clips Eclipse

https://youtu.be/6X9HG8qNBSc

(Click to see total E-Clips Eclipse)

  We take every component of our American made hinges very seriously. These are designed to work specifically with our hinges, cut and polished in our shop in East Troy Wisconsin, and available only on Modern Fence Technologies hinges. Some hinge models are designed for easy reversal, requiring no tools to remove and replace the e-clip to reverse the clevis pin direction. Others are equipped with a security screw to prevent tampering. All are 100% American stainless steel.

New Product Idea? We Can Help!

We get it.  When you're in the middle of creating a new product the small details, while very important to the success of your idea, can bury you.  At Modern Fence Technologies and K&R Manufacturing, we strive to take that load off of you while offering  interactive concept development.  This, along with our quick prototyping and job costing skills ensure that the “devil in the details” doesn't get in the way.

While we're known for metal fabrication in steel and stainless steel, we also specialize in plastics and injection molding, and with our network of domestic suppliers, we offer full support from concept to production run. We believe in America and in the American entrepreneurial spirit.  That's how Modern Fence Technologies and K&R Manufacturing were built and will continue to grow.

  In addition to our full line of fence and gate hardware and tools, (many with patents or copyrights), we offer OEM support to several major fence manufacturers, as well as offering design and production of components and products to businesses across the U.S.  It's time to make your idea a reality.  Call us. We want to be part of your American success story.

We're Golfing Again!

We're golfing again!  We're looking for all the guys in northern Illinois and Wisconsin to come out and enjoy a day of fun, food, and golf. 

If you haven't heard before now from your supplier or directly from one of the many ways we're promoting this event, this is your notice to call Alison at 888-456-6786 and reserve your spot.  

All fence professionals are invited to the event on Thursday, September 21^st.

Lunch at Modern Fence Technologies, and golf at Alpine Valley Resort, north of Lake Geneva, followed by dinner at the resort.

By the Numbers...

By the Numbers...

So, gates are what, like 10-15% of your total revenue stream? And gate problems account for maybe 60%-70% of your call backs?

What is the number one failure in a gate system? There are a few things that can go wrong, and any one or a combination of these things can destroy the profit margin on any job. The gate sags. Is the gate itself is the problem, or is it the hinges, or even the post that is failing?

A well made gate will not sag.  To make sure it doesn't sag, or to make sure it doesn't twist and flop around, you just need to remember one rule of thumb. Never lay your bracing down below 45º when measured off the bottom rail. Other articles discuss why this works and how but for our purposes here, it just does.

The best made hinge will not support a gate too heavy for its rating. You need to know how much load a gate puts on the hinge system, not just how much the gate weighs. Load takes into account the stresses caused by the ratio of the width of the panel against the distance between the hinges. A hinge properly sized for the job will support the gate for the lifetime of the fence, and will allow for adjustment to account for the natural movement of the ground.

A post must both be rigid enough to support the load of the gate, and anchored properly in the earth. As seasons pass, changing water content and potentially ice will cause the earth around a post to shift. Sometimes we see the post rise or sink due to “frost heave”. This can be mitigated with proper post setting techniques, again, a subject for another post.

An adjustable hinge will allow for “fine tuning” when the unavoidable small movements occur.  A bolt-on hinge will allow for simple replacement in the field if replacement is needed, without cutting, welding, and paint issues.

Now you know more about why we do what we do at Modern Fence Technologies.

The best post cap available anywhere...guaranteed

  

A post cap is perhaps the lowest priced component on your fence, yet it can have the greatest impact on the good looks and longevity of your investment. Doesn't it make sense to use high quality, American made caps to prolong the life of your investment?

 Modern Fence Technologies vinyl post caps, for the life of your fence.

We've Been Ready for the Unicorn Backlash All Along...

We've been ready for the unicorn backlash all along...

An ice cream parlor in Los Angeles is offering an antidote to rainbows and unicorns to answer Starbuck's. They thought it would be original to offer their product in pure, rich black.

News flash! 

 Modern Fence Technologies has been offering up the very best American made gate hardware in black for literally decades! And for the less adventurous vanilla crowd, we also offer our stainless steel hardware in white.

Call your MFT rep today for the best in American made gate hardware!

Unicorns and Rainbows and Insane Profits on Fads!

Apparently the coolest thing in the world right now is unicorns. In honor of our friends at Starbuck's, we too are launching a unicorn(ish) hinge. 

(Yeah, I know, that's not a horn, it's an ear, and even if it was a horn, there's two of them, so this would technically be a “Bicorn”, which is even cooler, 'cuz if one horn is good, two's gotta be better, right?)

Like Starbuck's our goal is to entice our customers, who usually buy our other stuff, (just not as much of it as we'd like, to be honest), to buy our groovy horse head hinges, because, hey, they're groovy. And kinda unicorny.

Also like our friendly coffee purveyors of lefty-left coast fame, we intend to offer them at a “Special Price”*, for a “Limited Time”**. We'll even customize them with up to three colors of temporary glitter for an additional $10/set.

Call Modern Fence Technologies quick, while supplies last! (Our staff will  be happy to show you all the REAL savings to be had using genuine American made hardware and caps)

* “Special Price” = 20% over list  (Because it's cool, and special!)
** “Limited Time” = Until we run out of them, or Mark and Marge find out we're doing this, whichever comes first!

New Word For Today...

“Chinesium”

I heard a new word while watching a YouTube tear down review of a power tool, (the channel is AvE, if you want to check it out, he's informative and entertaining). The reviewer was referring to the low quality material used in a critical part in the tool he was dismantling as 

“Chinesium”.

Of course, I knew right away what he meant from the context of the comment, but I wanted to know what the rest of the world, (at least the English speaking world) thinks “Chinesium” means.

  So I did what every proper scholar does. I Googled it. The Urban Dictionary catches, what I believe to be, the true essence of everything Chinesium is, and what you can't get from Modern Fence Technologies.

Chinesium

An element not found on the periodic table. A crappy metal or plastic substance made in China in the manufacture of ALL Chinese exports.

The only stuff under the Christmas tree this year is Chinesium crap.

Sadly, much Chinesium is shipped into the U.S. specifically because American consumers think they can game the system by paying less for a product, while expecting it to perform and last like something made well and priced accordingly.

Our landfills swell, and our bank accounts shrink, as we buy replacement after replacement...

A Tale of Two Dumpster Gates

A Tale of Two Dumpster Gates

The photos below are of enclosures at two restaurants in neighboring towns about 10-15 miles from MFT world headquarters. They both went in approximately 5 years ago, within about a year of each other. To be honest, I don't remember which was first. I know the contractor who built one of the sets of gates, because we sold him the hardware he used. The other contractor had the good sense to leave his name off the gates.

Here is a list of all the components of a Modern Fence Technologies stainless steel hinge that are not stainless steel:

Engineered material bearing.

 That's it, all other parts are 100% stainless steel.

Here is a list of all the components of a Modern Fence Technologies mild steel hinge that are not stainless steel:

Gate bracket, post bracket, engineered material bearing.

 All other parts are 100% stainless steel.

Buy American. Get what you pay for. Never pay for it again with our lifetime replacement guarantee.