Concrete Pad for Squeeze Chute

[Dusty Britches]

I own the Preifert S04 and I am about to place it in my new working pens. I would like to put the squeeze chute on a concrete pad, but I'm not sure of a few things.

First - how would / could I anchor it to the pad?
Second - what dimensions would be recommended? How thick should the pad be?
And third - should I use rebar reinforcement?

Would anyone happen to have any blueprints or design suggestions for this?

 

[bigbull338]

i would not anchor the squeeze chute to the pad.yje cows or bulls will rarely move it with brute strength.besides you may want to move it.scott

 

[flaboy+]

Well finally bigbull and I disagree. :shock: I poured a slab for mine about 4 inches thick with four pieces of rebar running the length and four or five running the width. I did not put anchors in my slab and have big cows hit the catch and move the chute 5-6 inches at a time. Usually the back goes up and over one way or the other. I ended up having to chain mine to the last two posts before the chute and it still moves some. I will anchor mine as soon as I get my load bars in place for the scale. There are several ways to anchor it. J-bolts embedded in the slab is probably the best.

 

[dj]

Why a concrete pad?
1st-bolt,weld, or embed. why not attach to the chute?
2nd-I'd allow at least 1 ft overage from what ever is fastening it to the concrete. Hole,metal stub/tab, or where legs enter concrete. And at least 4" depth.
3rd - rebar, bed spring frames, field wire, pieces of barbwire ;-) anything else your wanting to get rid of. Old spring baby bed mattress's laid in with concrete poured over them works great

 

[dj]

Bigbull + flaboy
didn't see your posts till after I hit submit
Bigbull I agree don't see the need for concrete, manure on concrete is like walking on ice.
flaboy can you bolt it(instead of chain) to your working pen chute and make it alittle more rigid?

 

[Dana Kopp]

One thing I would think about before putting the chute on concrete is the traction. When cows fight and leave the chute are they apt to slip out? I know you could "scrape" the concrete to put in traction but it will fill with manure. Also would it be slick with rain (or urine)? You probably don't have to worry about snow and ice but that could come into play too.

Anchoring it - probably by bolting it into the concrete - either put the bolt sticking up out of the concrete and hoping they dry straight or putting something down for the bolts to lock into.

Dimensions - look at your set-up, as you are working, are you going to be tripping over the edge if you place it out several inches, several feet etc. Are you going to run cattle past it on either side where they may slip or trip on it? I would think it would need to be fairly thick to support a fighting cow or bull thrashing around in the chute so that might be a factor too.

The only ones in concrete I can think of are at our vet's office and they are bolted onto the whole concrete floor in one end of the building.

 

[ALACOWMAN]

My chute is stationary so i built a form around it with 2x4s i used some old bent up T post for reinforcment layed the post on rocks to have them in the middle on of the slab take a old shop broom and pull grooves across concrete before sets up makes good traction.well worth the effort

 

[Conagher]

I poured a pad for mine a few months ago. 8'X14' if I remember correctly. 2x6 frame with rebar cross every foot - probably overkill but it suits me. Prior to pouring the pad, I set 2 3/8" drill stem posts that aligned with the pin attachments on the chute. I also made the posts tall enough to set a roof frame so I could cover the chute. Roughed up the pad with a garden rake - deep - for traction. I wash up everything with a hose afterwards anyway, so not worried about accummulation on the pad. About the only thing I would do different is to make the pad a couple feet wider to give more working room on each side of the chute.

Good Luck!

 

[Dusty Britches]

With this particular chute, I do not readily see where anchor bolts could be used. Does anyone know where bolts could go?

Why a pad? I would like to put scales in sometime. A pad will keep the chute off the dirt and prevent rust. We have clay soil which holds moisture fairly well, until the summer droughts and then everything shifts. That's why there aren't basements in houses around here. All houses in our area are now built on floating slabs to prevent foundation cracks.

I was planning to do something like that by digging out about 8 inches, back filling with 6 inches of sand, and using 2 x 6 to form the slab. Of course, I planned on putting in deep grooves for traction.

One other idea was to put the chute on railroad ties. My thoughts are that they will rot, shift, and cracks in ties invite fire ants.

 

[flaboy+]

I can see where there is some confusion. My squeeze chute has a wooden floor with cross pipes for traction. I can put a cow in it, hook my front end loader to it, lift it up and move the cow wherever I like. This is one reason why I poured a slab. Second reason is to be able to put load bars under it. Third reason is to keep it off of the ground. Fourth reason is my pen gets so wet at times it makes it really nasty to work in. My bottom bracing has flat plates with holes to bolt it to the slab if needed. I just need to tighten the chains I have around my 12 inch lead in poles. If you don't have a fixed bottom, I would think the whole thing would move around more as there is no added weight (cow) to hold it down if she/he hits the front too hard.

 

[J]

Bigbull + flaboy
didn't see your posts till after I hit submit
Bigbull I agree don't see the need for concrete, manure on concrete is like walking on ice.
flaboy can you bolt it(instead of chain) to your working pen chute and make it alittle more rigid?

Yes it does need to be anchored to something, preforably the concrete. You can use anchor bolts drilled into the conc. and if you want to move it just undo the nuts.

My neighbor had a chute with a dirt floor and not attached to anything, and one day he showed up needing a torch. A cow got her hind end stuck in the head gate on her way out, don't ask me how, and turned the chute on it's side. She was flopping around on her side when I got there with the chute still attached to her rear. I helped cut her out and the next day we attached his new chute to the pipe pens.

As far as a slippery floor I would put a rough finish on the concrete. I would even go as far as taking a piece of round stock or pipe and when the conc is not to soft push the pipe into the conc and make 1/2" +/- grooves perpendicular to the path of travel about 4-6" apart. Just make sure there are not any sharp edges to the conc. Knock those off before it gets to hard. These grooves will need to be washed out periodically but with a rough finish and grooves slipping will be limited and as long as the animal doesn't go down, slipping will at least slow them alittle.

Just an opinion, I'll try to post some drawings later.

 

[dun]

AFter working with chutes that were on concrete and those on dirt, it's pretty much a wash unless you're going to put load bars under it. If on concrete it needs to be anchored to the concrete, on dirt, having it secured to the alleyway is about all that is needed. We worked a bunch of big ornery Holsteins, including a lunatic bull and the chute sitting on the dirt didn;t move. But a lot probably depends too on how heavy the chute is. If it's a decent make of chute and big enough for the animals you're trying to work I don;t see any reason to secure it. It may shift a bit if it's muddy or the cement is really smooth but I've never seen one move very much. A stand alone headgate is a different sotry, cement and well anchored is the only way to go.

dun

 

[sidney411]

Tracey

We have a chute that was wheel attachments to move it. We had an old chunk of sidewalk and it fits perfectly on it. You MUST secure the chute someway or the cows can knock it around. We had one knock it off the concrete slab before we attached it with chains to the end of the alley. The concrete only sticks out a few inches around the chute so your not sliping in slick $hit. It also makes it easier to spray the stuff off the chute with a waterhose. If you can slope the slab a tiny bit to facilitate water (pee and poo) drainage, it would be a good idea.

 

[Susie David]

The only advantage, in my opinion, to having a chute on a concrete pad is the ease of cleaning. We have ours on ties set in the earth...bolts go in the holes in the frame. Works at our place besides we have the son-in -law to muck it out when ever necessary. Never had one get out and it never has tipped over, ratteld a bit a few times but still works well...

 

[dj]

Dusty Britches
Get someone to weld on some "tabs" your anchor bolts.

 

[ALACOWMAN]

The only advantage, in my opinion, to having a chute on a concrete pad is the ease of cleaning. We have ours on ties set in the earth...bolts go in the holes in the frame. Works at our place besides we have the son-in -law to muck it out when ever necessary. Never had one get out and it never has tipped over, ratteld a bit a few times but still works well...

there is a few other advantages like cattle constantly pawing and kicking the dirt digging a rut in the bottom slinging dirt when your working them

 

[jt]

well, i guess i will throw in my 2 cents... i have mine on a concrete pad... 4 inches is plenty and i didnt use rebar.. i used reinforcement wire. that is plenty strong enough when you put it in perspective considering the strength of concrete... anyways.. you will have to anchor it... they will move it. mine is homemade and very heavy... but they still moved it. i welded mine to the post of my alley. you could bolt it if desired.. i poured about 3-4 working feet on each side where i will usually stand and didnt pour any concrete in front.. i guess that is optional, but i didnt want em coming out and slipping down etc all the time trying to get out of the chute. when they exit my chute they are on dirt.

good luck

jt

 

[samm]

ours is welded onto the end of the ally/runway and has its own floor out of wood and cross bars for traction, it sets on a thick bed of white rock that is as set up and hard as concrete, aint had no problems so far, has been like that for 3 years now.