the retracted state of the extensible rod 30 the brake band 36 is pulled tight about support shaft 20 to prevent rotation of the support shaft 20 and therewith the spool 22 of payout assembly 16 in the extended state of the extensible rod 30 the brake band 36 is loose about the support shaft 20 which permits the support shaft 20 and therewith the spool 22 of the payout assembly 16 to rotate freely the retracted and extended states of the extensible rod 30 define released and engaged states respectively of the brake mechanism 26 as seen in fig1 and 2 the payout mechanism 16 further includes a dancer arm 46 pivotally secured at a first end 47 via a suitable fastener 48 to the secondary support frame 14 a second end 49 of the dancer arm 46 includes a rotatable guide roller 50 over which the continuous length of twist tie material 25 travels subsequent to passing over a guide pin 51 mounted on an extension arm 52 of the secondary support frame 14 a coiled tension spring 53 is coupled between the secondary support frame 14 and the dancer arm 46 the tension spring 53 acts to bias the dancer arm 46 toward a lowered operating position and.