Cattle Panels vs Oak board fencing

[J&D Cattle]

I've posted this before but I was able to find a local guy that fabricates his own panels/gates. His 7 bar 10' panels weigh roughly 150lbs so they are heavy. I bought the pin together type but he also makes chain together, they were $61. A big 10' swinging bow gate was only $118. He gave me an extra set of brackets and I welded to my chute so now it all pens together and is rock solid with no driving or setting posts of any kind.

It's heavy as heck to move but can be portable or is strong enough to be used as a permenant system. My cows are gentle, not petting them gentle by any stretch, but not rank.

 

[greybeard]

I've posted this before but I was able to find a local guy that fabricates his own panels/gates. His 7 bar 10' panels weigh roughly 150lbs so they are heavy. I bought the pin together type but he also makes chain together, they were $61. A big 10' swinging bow gate was only $118. He gave me an extra set of brackets and I welded to my chute so now it all pens together and is rock solid with no driving or setting posts of any kind.

It's heavy as heck to move but can be portable or is strong enough to be used as a permenant system. My cows are gentle, not petting them gentle by any stretch, but not rank.

There's a place out in Hamilton Texas that does the same thing. If it hadn't been so far to go, I would have bought his. Between Waco and Abilene. The other thing was, his are all bare steel--no paint or coating of any kind. his 6x10 weighs 120 lbs.

 

[J&D Cattle]

Bare steel here too. I looked at having them painted but that was unreal. Don't remember the figures other than I was certain it wasn't going to happen.

 

[TennesseeTuxedo]

Bare steel here too. I looked at having them painted but that was unreal. Don't remember the figures other than I was certain it wasn't going to happen.

Any reason a fella couldn't paint them himself?

 

[J&D Cattle]

Bare steel here too. I looked at having them painted but that was unreal. Don't remember the figures other than I was certain it wasn't going to happen.

Any reason a fella couldn't paint them himself?

I'd say a guy could. I was hoping an auto shop could knock them out in no time but the supplies were high and I was cheap.

 

[TennesseeTuxedo]

Bare steel here too. I looked at having them painted but that was unreal. Don't remember the figures other than I was certain it wasn't going to happen.

Any reason a fella couldn't paint them himself?

I'd say a guy could. I was hoping an auto shop could knock them out in no time but the supplies were high and I was cheap.

I suffer from a severe stain of cheapness myself.

 

[pricefarm]

Iam pretty handy with a welder what gauge of metal would you want to build a corral panel out of? What size diameter would work best

 

[CountryBoy6214]

14 gauge minimum...even those will bend with the right critter...I have made some that are about 11 gauge...heavier than heck but if you're going to go thru the job of makin them, you might as well make them good...a guy can make them better than about anywhere you can buy..it just takes time and metal ain't cheap either...I've made them out of sucker rod and pipe from the oil fields too...

 

[backhoeboogie]

This is trite, but I was burned out completely in '90. No wood for me.

3 inch tube steel 14 gauge verticals. 3 by 1 1/2 inch rectangle tube for top, middle, and bottom. Weld cattle panel to that frame. Weld scrap tube steel pieced to the bottom to keep it off the ground. Move it with the tractor bucket. Rearrange them any time you get a hankering.

For bottle calves use 1 1/2 inch tube frames. Top and bottom rails only. Cut cattle panel half in two (lengthwise) and weld it onto the frames 8 inches off the ground. Bolt cutters are perfect for cutting it. 36 inches tall when you are done. All the tube steel was free. Surplus crates but I had to cut them apart and build most all of it with 4, 5, 6, and 9 foot short iron. No problem since it was free. Buy the bent up cattle panels at a discount since you are welding them onto tube steel frames. Calves don't get through and these are light panels. Move them to mow with ease. Half drive a t post to tie to.

 

[mudassar1]

I live in northern Wisconsin. I have a friend who started beekeeping this past spring. He had bear problem and lost all three of his hives. On this same land there is an old chicken coop with all the glass windows broken out so there would be air circulating somewhat. He wants to place his hives in the <a href="http://www.ranchsupply.com/1-66-victory-cattle-panel-10.html">cattle panels</a> year around and wanted my opinion. I am new at this so I am looking for suggestions. We have extreme temperatures and a long winter. Anyone heard of indoor beekeeping?

 

[Stocker Steve]

Anyone heard of indoor beekeeping?

Most use a electric fence to slow down the bears.
Some people put hives in a shed or in a basement for the winter, to keep them warmer and to reduce honey used.

 

[Phil in Tupelo]

I found that having a few wire cattle panels (16') and a few loose corral panels in reserve was always a good thing about 10 pm some nights when something tore through a fence and you needed a quick temporay fence. A FEL with a fork and it doesn't really matter that much how heavy the suckers are. When you set the heavy ones up and pin them together, it really seems permenant, for most cows anyway. I never kept high-headed cows and I didn't have the time to mess with them.