Hauling cattle 400 miles

[birdog]

I'm buying 7 head of heavy 7 weight heifers and have too haul them 400 miles home. I've got a 16' x 6' trailer. My concern is will they be too crowded for such a long haul in this heat. Oklahoma to Texas.

 

[Bigfoot]

They'll be fine. Drop the hammer and come on in.

 

[chaded]

That trailer should be plenty.

 

[Chevy]

It will be fine. Just be sure to get them out let them walk, get some water and food at the rest stops. Bahahahahaha!! Seriously I'd be certain more about making sure they had some water. I'd haul them at night or to get in Texas early morning to beat the heat.

 

[simme]

Could always haul them at night. Cooler and less traffic. Overfed show cattle are often hauled at night in the summer. Especially if they are bred.

 

[coachg]

Late or early, make sure your floor is in good shape .

 

[MurraysMutts]

Is there a stockyards on the way back?
Can always stop halfway and water em...

But theyll be fine really.
The cooler hours of the day would definitely be the ticket!

 

[BC]

Get a little wind on them, they will ride

 

[simme]

Late or early, make sure your floor is in good shape .

And tires. On cars and trucks, people look at tread depth. Unless you are hauling a lot, that is no good for trailers. That long trip with a load will rain on your parade when a tire blows out and you are trying to change it in hot weather with a live load. The second tire that blows is hard to overcome if you only had one spare. Especially on a weekend.
When you see cracks, replace the tires. They will be older than you remember. May be ok to take the risk locally, but not on a long trip. Load, speed and hours on the road will give you a tough lesson on trailer tires. If you have fenders over the tires, you can throw those in the bed of the truck and try to beat them back into shape when you get back home. If you lose one tire, you need to replace them all.

 

[Brute 23]

I'm not a fan of hauling at night. If you have trouble it's hard to get help out. Plus, driving roads I'm not familiar with at night with livestock is not fun.

I like to load up at the slightest bit of light in the am and get on the road.

 

[cattleman99]

Would it be more economical to hire it. Sometimes you can find someone without a backhaul and get it for close to your own cost.