8 hour haul, any worries?

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hillbilly beef man

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I am looking pretty seriously at a group of replacement heifers that I like. The only problem is that they are 8 hours away. Are their any concerns to hauling that long, or just pack them right and keep moving?
 
hillbilly beef man":4ohjh6w0 said:
I am looking pretty seriously at a group of replacement heifers that I like. The only problem is that they are 8 hours away. Are their any concerns to hauling that long, or just pack them right and keep moving?

I am concerned with anything. We should all keep a wary eye out. 8 hours is not all that bad. Fuel up completely before you load. Keep the drive as smooth as possible. Good footing in the trailer. You should be fine.
 
Denver makes trips like that all the time, I wouldn't worry. I would worry more about truck/trailer problems (flats) more than I would the cattle.
 
On Friday I loaded up a pot load of bred heifers I sold on Superior. They went to Nebraska. The driver said he would be there in 37 hours. He was stopping once to unload, feed, water, and for him to get some sleep. 8 hours would seem like a piece of cake. As long as they aren't too close up it shouldn't be an issue.
 
Management prior to shipping, handling to the truck, and management after unloading are more important than the length of time on that truck. 8 hours isn't bad. I think it's 30 something hours before there's a change in performance or health, I'd have to check.
 
I always worry about my vehicle more than the cattle, I do 4 hours and that's not a problem, I'd do 8 without thinking twice.
I do like to remove their access to salt for a few days and feed them hay so they don't have runny cowpies to smear over each other. Good food and water at the destination.
If it's rainy or really cold an enclosed trailer is certainly a good thing for them.
 
As long as you have a good truck, good trailer, and good tires on it, no worries. Only time to worry is if you do break down. Even then, its just do what you gotta do to get going again.
 
I reccomend carrying two spares for the trailer, and a block you can drive up on.
 
Bigfoot":jk2tv6ls said:
I reccomend carrying two spares for the trailer, and a block you can drive up on.
I already have two, but hope to not need them. I replaced all four tires last fall, so they are still in good shape. Thanks for the replies. The furthest that I have ever hauled is two hours, so I was a little concerned about having the heifers in a trailer that long, but I sounds like I do not have anything to worry about.
 
Well it takes just under 3 hours to get from Knoxville to Nashville and if he's in NE Tennessee that can be as much as 2-3 hours east-northeast of Knoxville.

I can't get from Nashville to South Mississippi in 2-3 hours and I drive mostly highways Mr. Wiseguy.
 
TennesseeTuxedo":1jbg69k0 said:
Well it takes just under 3 hours to get from Knoxville to Nashville and if he's in NE Tennessee that can be as much as 2-3 hours east-northeast of Knoxville.

I can't get from Nashville to South Mississippi in 2-3 hours and I drive mostly highways Mr. Wiseguy.

I put it in map quest and it said 9.5 hours, so you are about right. It takes me 2.5 hours to get to Neyland stadium from my house.
 
No problems at all. Carry 2 spares and make sure your trailer bearings are in good shape. And once your loaded don't stop for anything other than fuel.
 
My hauling partner says keep the drivers door shut, and you'll get there faster.
 

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