how wide should a loading chute be?

[callmefence]

Fence,

That's why I don't buy trailers with batwing doors. I don't have a separate working chute, and besides, I don't want cattle turning around and coming back at me when I'm trying to load them.

Agreed. I was just making a point. A fellow may not always be loading out in his trailer.
I prefer a single swing with a slide in it. It's what on my 24' trailer.
I've got a 16 with batwings and as you know there's lots of batwings around. As far as them turning back. I put a gate in about 8 ' behind the trailer entrance. Cutout and run up what will fit in one cut. Once their in that last catch they can turn till their dizzy. I can reach em with the hot shot and once one goes they all go.

I'm not saying my pens are just like that. I've got the most cobbled together rig of leftovers you have ever seen. (Think mechanics car). But when I build for a customer. I try to make it where it will work in any situation.

 

[Texasmark]

I've helped people load cattle where they had to go through the squeeze chute. I hate it with a purple passion. If you can it's much better to have your squeeze chute opening back into your working pen, and a separate, open top chute to load from. Safer too.

I bought a homemade one like that once. Had just as you said on one side and an access chute, drop down, half height on the other. Drop gate behind so that you could either lock the animal in the chute and block the rump for shots or what have you, or leaving the access chute closed, open the gate enough for the animal to pull it's head out, chain intact across the brisket so you don't get any "bolts" out; it backs up slightly and exits out the side gate....very handy. Or if loading out the side just leave the run gate open, open the side into the trailer and let them have at it.

I did make a ramp once out of about 10 bags of Sacrete right at where the trailer backed up; another chute with no head gate....used for loading only. Reason was my trailer was homemade and too high off the ground. When I got a new WW I didn't need to use it any longer.

 

[Texasmark]

I've helped people load cattle.............

This and other things like chase a horse around a lot in an attempt to get it in a trailer. Had a neighbor that didn't think things out before he did them and would call me over to help him do this and that, most simple chores but more livestock situations than I cared for.

One day I just told him that if I wanted to chase a horse or some cows around a lot, I'd have one and a lot (not corral); but I don't (have a horse nor a lot) and don't want to help you chase yours! It took awhile, but he doesn't call me any more.

 

[Logar]

Make it no wider than the door on the trailer.

A few inches less is not a bad thing.

We have some big cows and everything is 34 inches - I want their sides rubbing as they go up that chute.

 

[cjhames]

Keep alley narrow, sell your truck while it's still running, and don't go to vegas while your heart broke------Just don't ask me how I know.

Truer words were never said!

 

[Travlr]

I used to build them 22 inches wide and changed to 24 when I went to larger cows. It is amazing how a four foot wide cow can get through a 2 foot opening.

 

[tex452]

My loading chutes are wider than my working chutes.
Loading chutes are about 6' wide and they work good, faster than a narrow chute, plus I might run across a good deal on some longhorn's and it's no problem loading them.
My working chutes are around 28".

 

[Dave]

My loading chute is just slightly wider than my trailer. It is curved coming down the alley and bends going into the trailer. There is several gates blocking the cows from backing up.

 

[Brute 23]

I have two working facilities that have to be built this year. I have dreams at night about a working chute like go bob makes that adjusts the width with a drill. I'm also trying to incorporate a 5' alley to load out of. I've been having pretty good luck loading big bulls and even my heifers that way. It the right scenario it can be easier and definitely open up more options to load cattle in less than ideal places.

 

[Dave]

Pictures of my loading alley. The first picture is from a 30x30. The red gate goes to the loading alley. The second picture is from standing just inside the gate. What the cattle will see when headed toward the trailer. The last picture is from the corner toward the trailer. The gate behind the trailer swings to the left. The trailer door swings to the right. The combination can pinch a cow into the trailer. I very rarely load a single animal. The vast majority of the time it is a trailer load and this system works very well. I have considered adding another gate at about the corner but haven't done it yet. So far there hasn't been the need for it. Obviously if I were loading the trailer would be further to the left and back more. It is a convenient place to park the trailer out of the way. It doesn't always get parked in the loading position when I am just parking it.

 

[wbvs58]

Seems like there is 2 scenerios here, some the width of trailers for groups to walk on and the other more like an extension of the alley where they go single file. We don't use trailers much here, we put them on the back of trucks mostly so everyone has a loading ramp and they load single file. I just narrowed down my ramp at home here as it was too wide (what previous owner had) many would turn around. I narrowed it down to 800mm (31.5") which is the width our livestock transporters association recommends and have recently loaded a few groups of weaned calves plus a couple of heavy mature cows and I am very happy with it, nothing turned around and they loaded well. It is a bit wider than the working race but worked very well.

Ken

 

[tex452]

Seems like there is 2 scenerios here, some the width of trailers for groups to walk on and the other more like an extension of the alley where they go single file. We don't use trailers much here, we put them on the back of trucks mostly so everyone has a loading ramp and they load single file. I just narrowed down my ramp at home here as it was too wide (what previous owner had) many would turn around. I narrowed it down to 800mm (31.5") which is the width our livestock transporters association recommends and have recently loaded a few groups of weaned calves plus a couple of heavy mature cows and I am very happy with it, nothing turned around and they loaded well. It is a bit wider than the working race but worked very well.

Ken

How big are your trucks?
How many head can you put on them?

 

[wbvs58]

How big are your trucks?
How many head can you put on them?

My truck is an Isuzu FSR, 20' tray, legally will take 5 tonne of cattle after the crate is on the back. Most people around here will hire someone to move them, rates are very reasonable. The main reason we don't use trailers is that we don't use the big pickups for farm use, mostly the 4 cylinder diesel utes and Toyota Landcruisers. Our fuel is a lot more expensive and our roads a lot rougher.
Trucks vary from my size up to double deck B-doubles and road trains.

Ken

 

[hurleyjd]

My load out alley is five foot wide with butterfly gates on it. Trailer has a swing gate and slide. Try to back up as close as posible the buterfly gates on the alley makes it a little easier if you are not lined up as needed. I always have the gates open when I line the trailer up and can chain the gates to the trailer. In the alley about six foot back from the front of the chute I have a gate that I can close behind the cattle. Works well for me but maybe not for every one.

 

[SmokinM]

My truck is an Isuzu FSR, 20' tray, legally will take 5 tonne of cattle after the crate is on the back. Most people around here will hire someone to move them, rates are very reasonable. The main reason we don't use trailers is that we don't use the big pickups for farm use, mostly the 4 cylinder diesel utes and Toyota Landcruisers. Our fuel is a lot more expensive and our roads a lot rougher.
Trucks vary from my size up to double deck B-doubles and road trains.

Ken

Those road trains are awesome. I like watching Outback Truckers. Pretty wild what some of those boys will pull.

 

[SmokinM]

Pictures of my loading alley. The first picture is from a 30x30. The red gate goes to the loading alley. The second picture is from standing just inside the gate. What the cattle will see when headed toward the trailer. The last picture is from the corner toward the trailer. The gate behind the trailer swings to the left. The trailer door swings to the right. The combination can pinch a cow into the trailer. I very rarely load a single animal. The vast majority of the time it is a trailer load and this system works very well. I have considered adding another gate at about the corner but haven't done it yet. So far there hasn't been the need for it. Obviously if I were loading the trailer would be further to the left and back more. It is a convenient place to park the trailer out of the way. It doesn't always get parked in the loading position when I am just parking it.

View attachment 16152View attachment 16153View attachment 16154

Very similar to how I am planning to build my load out area. Doing something similar with my redneck panel set up now. I have never been a fan of loading thru a chute espescially large groups. Nice setup.

 

[bird dog]

The best way to make your load out alley work better is to fill in enough dirt to where the animals do not have to step up or jump to get in the trailer.
Mine is set up similar to Daves but on a smaller scale. They turn a corner to enter the load out area and never break stride because it is a gentle slope to the same level of the floor of the trailer. It really works well with small calves.

 

[tex452]

My load out alley is five foot wide with butterfly gates on it. Trailer has a swing gate and slide. Try to back up as close as posible the buterfly gates on the alley makes it a little easier if you are not lined up as needed. I always have the gates open when I line the trailer up and can chain the gates to the trailer. In the alley about six foot back from the front of the chute I have a gate that I can close behind the cattle. Works well for me but maybe not for every one.

My gates are single and can open to the inside.
I can back the trailer up to the chute with it full of cattle the swing gate to the inside, it works good.

 

[Dave]

The best way to make your load out alley work better is to fill in enough dirt to where the animals do not have to step up or jump to get in the trailer.
Mine is set up similar to Daves but on a smaller scale. They turn a corner to enter the load out area and never break stride because it is a gentle slope to the same level of the floor of the trailer. It really works well with small calves.

I dug out some of the dirt where the trailer sits and put it into the alley. The result is that it is only a couple inches up into the trailer. When I built it the opposite was true. The ground inside the alley was considerable lower and it was a big step up. Loading small calves was terrible. I just dug out to where the trailer wheels sat. So now when when I back in the wheels hit the end of the dug out I know I am back the right distance.
I also put a round red reflector on the post on my left side. During the day I can see which post I am backing up to. After dark it really helps to get the trailer where I want it.

 

[hurleyjd]

Have you ever tried to load a Jersey or a brimmer and they laid down and sulled up. No way to get them up. They just lay there until they want to get up. I never back up to unload in the pens just drive into the larger catch pen and unload. Most of the time I am moving to another pasture or the vet and they are put back in the place the came from. I have not bought anything but bulls. I have not bought any cows in the last 25 years just raise all of them,.