a friend of mine was telling me of a story he ran across last weekend while visiting the inlaws. he helped his father in law load a old big mean charlois bull and a cull heifer calf. the trip was about 15 minutes to the sale barn. when they pulled up to unload the guy unloading asked if he could help him. he said yes he was selling the bull and heifer. after the sale attendant told him there was nothing in the trailer and the back gate was open they turned around to find a skinned up bull, but ok and the heifer wasn't located. just a reminder to make sure the trailer is locked
funny story
- Thread starter plbcattle
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fellersbarnoneranch
Well-known member
Sorry, not funny--I have "trailer-mares" I guess I am compulsive about that, but I usually check everyting 4 times or so. Hope there's never "that one time I was in a hurry" coming. :shock:
D.R. Cattle
Well-known member
Sounds a bit more like a nightmare rather than funny.
sidney411
Well-known member
There was a guy that lost the whole back section of cows on the highway not far from our house. It caused several wrecked cars and 1 fatality. There was a huge lawsuit around that one. It is a serious thing, someone could have been injured or worse; killed. We have a chain and clip or padlock around the back gates when we haul cows in the back. It is too much of a liability to not be careful.
eric
Well-known member
I'm like you fellers, a PITA to anyone with me, but I always have to walk around the trailer and check every door and then the hookup at least twice before I pull out, and if we ever stop on the way, it gets another couple of check overs again! Guess it's the OCD coming out in me. Or maybe to me it would be just like having dollar bills flying out the back if anything ever happened!
I'll admit I'm just plain paranoid.
A neighbor loaded a bunch of bred cows with the help of an "experienced" neighbor. They only had about 20 miles to go andwhen the got there one of the cows had one hind foot ground off. The idiot, i.e. experienced neighbor, had figured she'ld pull her foot in when they started moving so he just fastened the safety chain and didn't latch the gate. Had to shoot her. Strange thing, the idoit and my neighbor aren't friends anymore.
dun
A neighbor loaded a bunch of bred cows with the help of an "experienced" neighbor. They only had about 20 miles to go andwhen the got there one of the cows had one hind foot ground off. The idiot, i.e. experienced neighbor, had figured she'ld pull her foot in when they started moving so he just fastened the safety chain and didn't latch the gate. Had to shoot her. Strange thing, the idoit and my neighbor aren't friends anymore.
dun
CKC1586
Well-known member
Good idea to lock the doors too if you will be travelling and making stops where you need to leave your rig. I heard of an incident where folks were traveling and stopped to eat at a restaurant and some kids had thought they were being funny by letting the cattle out of the trailer in the parking lot. NOT a funny prank.
Arnold Ziffle
Well-known member
A little different, but on the topic of "idiots" --- I can't believe how many idiot a$$holes I see on the highway pulling trailers without working lights, often at dusk or even in the dark of night. Not just guys hauling cattle, but every sort of Tom, Dick & Harry pulling a 16 foot lowboy. I think the cops should hammer those idiots real hard any time they see them on the roads.
fellersbarnoneranch
Well-known member
And on occasion--loosen the lugs. (must have made them mad before, i guess)dun":1v8az5xn said:
cornstalk
Well-known member
Not sure what part of the county most of these horror storie are occuring in,......but it's amazingly scary!
I've never heard of such "pranks", taking place here in South Dakota thank good-ness. Fortunately nearly everyone in these parts respects others and there property.
Maybe you all need to start placing "Insured by Smith and Wesson" bumper stickers on your rigs........
I've never heard of such "pranks", taking place here in South Dakota thank good-ness. Fortunately nearly everyone in these parts respects others and there property.
Maybe you all need to start placing "Insured by Smith and Wesson" bumper stickers on your rigs........
Workinonit Farm
Well-known member
My "mentor" friend tells me I worry too much...so be it. I have a pin, bar and a chain I put around the rear gates of the trailer. I check and re-check. I don't want to take a chance at losing one to the road.
OP
OP
plbcattle
Well-known member
I almost hate to tell this story on myself but here goes. we were loading some cattle after a sale in Oklahoma. we were trying to seperate a baby calf for tht trip to keep her safe from the other 5 cows and other babies. after going in and out of the side gate several times I walked out through the back of the trailer to run the others in. all went well. until I looked up to see cows walking around in the parking lot that wxited the side gate I forgot to shut. a couple of horses and about 2 minutes all was well and loaded. Just thought I would share that little brain lapse with you
TheBullLady
Well-known member
Ok... I'll admit that I accidentally left the gate unlatched once.. 
but I was incredibly LUCKY, in that it was a young calf I was hauling to A & M, and she didn't pay any attention to the open door! I figured it out within a few miles, but since then, I check and recheck ALWAYS
but I was incredibly LUCKY, in that it was a young calf I was hauling to A & M, and she didn't pay any attention to the open door! I figured it out within a few miles, but since then, I check and recheck ALWAYSMedic24
Well-known member
As a part time animal control agent, I was once called to a scene where two horses were loaded into a trailer, and during the trip, the rotted floor fell through, the horses had their feet ground off as they rode, the owner said he had heard the screams but thought they were just 'carrying on' back there.
Needles to say, as I was putting these poor horses out of their misery, I was sorely tempted to make up an additional needle for the ignorant owner...............I was upset for at least a week over that. He has since gotten several more horses, and I dread the next call. Some folks just dont need to be anywhere near animals.
Needles to say, as I was putting these poor horses out of their misery, I was sorely tempted to make up an additional needle for the ignorant owner...............I was upset for at least a week over that. He has since gotten several more horses, and I dread the next call. Some folks just dont need to be anywhere near animals.
The person that designed the tailgates on the "Gooseneck" brand trailers must of had a bad experience too. Talk about a combination of latches to get one the last latch open! But I like it.
jt
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TheBullLady":2bepag7m said:Ok... I'll admit that I accidentally left the gate unlatched once..
me too.. got side tracked and didnt get the back latch secured with the pin... just latched... it came open about 50 yards later, and the cow jumped out the back of the trailer... good part was... i was still in my pasture... wheww
called my self all kinds of dumb names ... lol, but i am more conscience of that now.
jt
Glad to see I'm not losing my mind.... I do the check, re-check, and check one last time thing too. I always feel bad when I am checking the gate latches at the vet clinic and he tells me "i got' em", I just say alright and keep checking. Then before I leave the lot to get on the road, I jump out one last time before the trip.
I once messed up like that - forgot to latch the back door with a horse in the trailer, but it turned out OK. We weren't going far, and the divider/panel was closed with the horse in the front of the trailer, so he couldn't go out. However, we've been a lot more careful since then.
I also know a fellow who was hauling a load of springers to a sale, and he'd gone maybe a half-mile down the road when one of the floorboards in the trailer gave way, and one of the heifers' hind feet fell through. Someone driving past noticed it and stopped him right away and they were able to save the heifer. She's probably 6 or 7 years old now, slightly lame, but not too bad. He hadn't been going very fast and she hadn't been like that long, otherwise it would have turned out differently.
One more story. My riding instructor once had a promising young horse that she loaded in her two-horse trailer (straight load, small trailer), and tied him up front. She was going down the highway when the back door flew open, the horse's hind feet fell out, but because he was tied he couldn't fall all the way out...makes my stomach turn over thinking about it. Of course she realized right away what happened, but they ended up having to put the horse down because he was so badly injured. The problem was that the horse was leaning on the door the main latch gave out, and she didn't have a second safety latch.
After we heard about that we had a second bolt-and-pin safety latch welded onto our trailer door.
I also know a fellow who was hauling a load of springers to a sale, and he'd gone maybe a half-mile down the road when one of the floorboards in the trailer gave way, and one of the heifers' hind feet fell through. Someone driving past noticed it and stopped him right away and they were able to save the heifer. She's probably 6 or 7 years old now, slightly lame, but not too bad. He hadn't been going very fast and she hadn't been like that long, otherwise it would have turned out differently.
One more story. My riding instructor once had a promising young horse that she loaded in her two-horse trailer (straight load, small trailer), and tied him up front. She was going down the highway when the back door flew open, the horse's hind feet fell out, but because he was tied he couldn't fall all the way out...makes my stomach turn over thinking about it. Of course she realized right away what happened, but they ended up having to put the horse down because he was so badly injured. The problem was that the horse was leaning on the door the main latch gave out, and she didn't have a second safety latch.
After we heard about that we had a second bolt-and-pin safety latch welded onto our trailer door.
