Feed Trough Designs

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I went to pick up a couple feed troughs (bunks). Just the cheap galvanized ones with the black plastic...... $180 each for 10'! :shock:

We have quite a few of them and I have gotten some good years out of them but one cow can wreck one also.

$100... maybe $120 was my max on those.

Does any one have some good designs for wooden troughs?

I haven't priced lumber yet but for $200 I would think you could build a nice wooden trough.
 
Pretty easy and cheap to build bunks from plastic 55 gal barrels. Cut them in half lengthwise with sawzall then bolt the half barrels together end to end. Can use 2x4's screwed alongside groups of barrel sections to keep them straight inline.
 
RanchMan90":1no9arfz said:
Concrete are cheaper than that. Should be around $120.
For the destructive players, I agree concrete is the only way to go.
 
Concrete , if you don't need portable is the way to go. We need to move ours, so got some nice steel ones from wheeler metals for 147 I believe .
 
I bought some of the black plastic and galvanized tubing ones close to 10 years ago and modified them. They're still in nearly perfect shape. When I got them I removed the tub, then turned the frame upside down on a pair of saw horses. I stretched 16" flashing tin across the bottom ribs (so that it will be between them and the pan), wrapped it around the two end ones a little more than half way, and secured it with several good sized sheet metal screws. I then put the pan back in place, and added more screws; two or three times as many as there had been originally. Then finished by drilling a few holes through the pan and tin to drain rain water.

I use them to feed my mature cows, and routinely see one with her front feet up in the trough, but the tin keeps them from ruining it.
 
There are some places I could use concrete like in the pens but I do like being abled to tie on to them and drag them to keep one are from getting too messed up.

snoopdog":104t5hz7 said:
Concrete , if you don't need portable is the way to go. We need to move ours, so got some nice steel ones from wheeler metals for 147 I believe .

Those metal bobcat troughs are nice. They show a store in Laredo.

https://wheelermetals.com/store/product ... eed-trough
 
I just use the hay spikes like pallet forks and lift and move them
 
The black plastic culvert pipe 18 to 24" that's double walled and smooth on the inside. Split with a sawzall. We built a wood frame and made end caps outta empty tubs.
From now on no lumber. It just gets broken off.
They have pretty good weight , and are indestructible. 250.00for a 20 footer will make 40 ' of bunk.
I can get a week freed up I'll post a picture.... :bang:
 
Check out GoBobs pipe they sell a couple different kinds. I like the ones they call '' forever pipe feed bunks'' I just bought some pipe and built mine kind of like theirs I can drag them with a pu or tractor and they will last forever, or at least till I am dead and gone and probably for the next generation.
 
callmefence":2n8z4nkm said:
The black plastic culvert pipe 18 to 24" that's double walled and smooth on the inside. Split with a sawzall. We built a wood frame and made end caps outta empty tubs.
From now on no lumber. It just gets broken off.
They have pretty good weight , and are indestructible. 250.00for a 20 footer will make 40 ' of bunk.
I can get a week freed up I'll post a picture.... :bang:

That's a good idea. I know where there is some they will probably give me.
 
Thanks guys. There are a lot of good options on here. :tiphat:

Only down side I can see to the metal troughs is I keep loose salt in them and from time to time will feed salt feed. That probably won't work out well long term. Any one doing that now with the metal ones? How long is it taking to eat them up?

I have been wanting to build some smaller 4' troughs just for mineral and salt. That may be the thing to do and use the metal ones for cubes and other stuff.
 
Brute 23":kzts2xrn said:
Thanks guys. There are a lot of good options on here. :tiphat:

Only down side I can see to the metal troughs is I keep loose salt in them and from time to time will feed salt feed. That probably won't work out well long term. Any one doing that now with the metal ones? How long is it taking to eat them up?

I have been wanting to build some smaller 4' troughs just for mineral and salt. That may be the thing to do and use the metal ones for cubes and other stuff.
Brute...Some of the higher-end metal bunk feeders are using a Powder Coat finish instead of typical spray paint. This makes the feeders last a long time without worry of corrosion when using products like mineral and salt.
 
Brute 23":1fe57fda said:
Thanks guys. There are a lot of good options on here. :tiphat:

Only down side I can see to the metal troughs is I keep loose salt in them and from time to time will feed salt feed. That probably won't work out well long term. Any one doing that now with the metal ones? How long is it taking to eat them up?

I have been wanting to build some smaller 4' troughs just for mineral and salt. That may be the thing to do and use the metal ones for cubes and other stuff.
for range meal ,has a lot of salt in it, and mineral I use a feeder like this one




for cubes and any other feed I use the pipe feeders , the pipe feeders are 3/8 wall pipe it would take a long time for salt to eat them out, I would think. I have a feeder made out of an earth mover tire with a 1/4 '' plate bolted over the hole that is probably 25 or 30 years old that has had a lot of salt in it and it has not ate through yet.
 
Brute 23":2q6xo65p said:
Only down side I can see to the metal troughs is I keep loose salt in them and from time to time will feed salt feed. That probably won't work out well long term. Any one doing that now with the metal ones? How long is it taking to eat them up?

I really like the salt and mineral feeders that sit on the ground with the rubber flap. Nothing to rust except the bolt at top, and it's easy to replace. Similar to this: https://www.ruralking.com/mf3-miner...b2xM3pRwNKVh-VwCgQl5NwFNf_W6u9TIaAvvEEALw_wcB
 
Rafter S":2kjv6op7 said:
Brute 23":2kjv6op7 said:
Only down side I can see to the metal troughs is I keep loose salt in them and from time to time will feed salt feed. That probably won't work out well long term. Any one doing that now with the metal ones? How long is it taking to eat them up?

I really like the salt and mineral feeders that sit on the ground with the rubber flap. Nothing to rust except the bolt at top, and it's easy to replace. Similar to this: https://www.ruralking.com/mf3-miner...b2xM3pRwNKVh-VwCgQl5NwFNf_W6u9TIaAvvEEALw_wcB

We have one of those, need more. They work great.
 

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