My hurricane fence blew down during hurricane Wilma. That's the second year in a row. It probably has something to do with the plastic slats that my girlfriend filled up the fencing with. All of the poles snapped off just above the concrete, just like last year. Last year I was able to borrow a fence puller, which is what I call the thing that hooks to a comealong and puts tension on the fencing so you can bolt it to the poles. This year I couldn't get hold of the guy who lent it to me last year, so I went to Home Depot, where they sell them for $19.95.
I looked at the puller, and figured I could build one in less than an hour. I bought two packs of hooks, and a piece of flat bar. I knew I had some pipes at home that were about the right size. Sure enough, it was the easiest project I ever did. Chop saw + grinder + mig = fence puller. The key was buying the hooks, instead of trying to bend them out of rod. Here's a picture:
Dave