Mobile Water System

[chaded]

I am thinking about fencing my hayfields and grazing them and at least for a while i will need to use a mobile water system. I thought i would see what you guys use if you use one or what ideas you may have. I have easy access to water close by (on the other side of the road). I will be watering around 15 pairs. I live on my farm and will be moving the cattle frequently. I was thinking maybe IBC totes on a trailer? Any thoughts?

 

[MurraysMutts]

Mine will drink ABOUT half a 10 ft tank a day. 14 pairs and a bull.

All the help I got, Lotta water to haul

 

[chaded]

Mine will drink ABOUT half a 10 ft tank a day. 14 pairs and a bull.

All the help I got, Lotta water to haul

So 500-600 gallons a day? When you say 10' tank im picturing one of those galvanized ones thats a little over 1000 gallons?

 

[MurraysMutts]

So 500-600 gallons a day? When you say 10' tank im picturing one of those galvanized ones thats a little over 1000 gallons?

Yep. That's the kind. Just big enough for nosy calves to kool off...

 

[snoopdog]

300 gallons today, 600 gallons tomorrow, in hot weather. Did this for over 3 months.Same pattern ALL summer.

 

[Brute 23]

How far are the hay fields and how many fields?

A rusted out old cattle trailer with good 6 or 8 lug wheels, maybe a 4 wheel wagon type trailer with a flat deck... some thing cheap... and a 1000g poly tank would be where I would start. Then 1000g troughs in each field.

It sounds real easy to haul water but it sucks. 2000g would last a couple days depending on how hot it is and how big the calves are.

 

[Chevy]

Yep. That's the kind. Just big enough for nosy calves to kool off...

View attachment 5399

Did she think it was a pool?

 

[Chevy]

Dig a well or go buy a ton of heavy duty water hoses. I do like that. than I fill the tank and forget for 3 days. water the entire field. Lmao. Thank God we have moved past that phase. I agree hauling water starts as a small job before you know it you hauling water all darn day full time job. We have a food grade tank 275 gallons something like that it's at the shop... normally see them for sale on Craigslist pretty cheap. I'll tell yall sure get funny looks hauling them tanks around in a CHEVY truck around here. Now if it was a Ford no questions.
Just and until somebody and we still giggle.

 

[farmerjan]

We haul the 275-300 gal tanks on the truck and fill a couple 100 gal water troughs at one place.... Haul a 1000 gal big round tank on a trailer and set the water trough(s) next to the trailer and a hose assembly on the bottom with a float in the tank.... but sometimes the cows will try to play with it.... mostly put 3-5 100 or 150 gal troughs and just run the water to fill them up once a day or every other day according to the heat. Big water tank will last 2-5 days according to temps outside. and number of cows. Don't like to have too big of a trough so they can be dumped if necessary....

All ours are hauled on Fords......

 

[sstterry]

This is available, but a little pricey for me.

Potable Water Trailers (abiattachments.com)

 

[chaded]

How far are the hay fields and how many fields?

A rusted out old cattle trailer with good 6 or 8 lug wheels, maybe a 4 wheel wagon type trailer with a flat deck... some thing cheap... and a 1000g poly tank would be where I would start. Then 1000g troughs in each field.

It sounds real easy to haul water but it sucks. 2000g would last a couple days depending on how hot it is and how big the calves are.

Its one 50 acre field. My farm has a county road that goes through it, the part of my farm with my pasture land is on one side and the part that has the hayfield is on the other side. So water access is across the road.

If i was going to graze it i was thinking more of putting up a perimeter fence and moving them around with poly braid and the water and trough would go with them. They would be there for around 7 months or so and winter on the other side of the road where i dont have to haul water.

 

[Brute 23]

Its one 50 acre field. My farm has a county road that goes through it, the part of my farm with my pasture land is on one side and the part that has the hayfield is on the other side. So water access is across the road.

If i was going to graze it i was thinking more of putting up a perimeter fence and moving them around with poly braid and the water and trough would go with them. They would be there for around 7 months or so and winter on the other side of the road where i dont have to haul water.

Got ya. I guess I'll defer to others then.

My brain does not comprehend being tied to cattle like that. I know its cool to do all that right now but it just sounds miserable to me and I dont see it be worth the hassel. If you are that dedicated to it... more power to you. I like going and doing too much to sign up for some thing like that. I see people here try it all the time and it's like a diet. They start off gung-ho and it a couple months all the wire and portable stuff is on a pile some where.

My opinion is divide it two pastures with a big trough and maybe cistern. Set up right with that many cattle it could go a week at a time with out having to be fooled with.

 

[MurraysMutts]

Is there a way to run several garden hoses to it? Maybe thru a culvert under the road?

If I were rotating them like u say, I'd make an alley to the water that they could get to from all grazing spots. Much much easier than moving the tank too.

Like folks say, it doesnt sound like a big deal til ya get to doing it. Then next thing ya know, you HAVE to do it and it becomes an inconvenience.
Myself, if its what I got, I'd make it happen!

 

[GoWyo]

I ran 1000' of 1" black poly above ground off a hydrant one time for a few months. Have hauled with a pickup tank too. Hauling sucks after the first week.

 

[Brute 23]

1" poly is cheap and you can get pretty decent flow. If I could find a culvert to go under like mentioned above I'd make a run at it until I got caught. That will be the cheapest and most efficient way by far.

 

[tumbleweed2]

Dig a well or go buy a ton of heavy duty water hoses. I do like that. than I fill the tank and forget for 3 days. water the entire field. Lmao. Thank God we have moved past that phase. I agree hauling water starts as a small job before you know it you hauling water all darn day full time job. We have a food grade tank 275 gallons something like that it's at the shop... normally see them for sale on Craigslist pretty cheap. I'll tell yall sure get funny looks hauling them tanks around in a CHEVY truck around here. Now if it was a Ford no questions.
Just and until somebody and we still giggle.

Excellent advice ... this is exactly what I will be doing for my hay field instead of praying for rain ... I'll make my own

 

[Chevy]

Excellent advice ... this is exactly what I will be doing for my hay field instead of praying for rain ... I'll make my own

The industrial big heavy duty hoses work good if you not able to drill a well. They are around $50 but $50 plus how ever many you need. Its less of a pain in the butt to haul water, saves time, diesel/gas, in the long run. You can turn it on fill the tank run do something else come back. I did learn to set an alarm on my phone to remind me to turn it off in case I got distracted...which doesn't take much.

 

[chaded]

Got ya. I guess I'll defer to others then.

My brain does not comprehend being tied to cattle like that. I know its cool to do all that right now but it just sounds miserable to me and I dont see it be worth the hassel. If you are that dedicated to it... more power to you. I like going and doing too much to sign up for some thing like that. I see people here try it all the time and it's like a diet. They start off gung-ho and it a couple months all the wire and portable stuff is on a pile some where.

My opinion is divide it two pastures with a big trough and maybe cistern. Set up right with that many cattle it could go a week at a time with out having to be fooled with.

My options are looking like doing this or buying hay equipment. If i graze and buy hay then i have to manage my grazing pretty well to minimize hay being bought and i just dont think having two 25 acre paddocks well go well with that. The plan in the future if i dont this (not decided) would be to have buried lines. I do have a culvert under the road that i could run a line through also…

Its over 5000 feet from one end to the other so garden hoses arent going to work. LOL. I can have a tap installed for $1700 so i would do that before i drilled a well. Im just looking for a temporary solution because this might have to happen quick..

 

[Named'em Tamed'em]

The industrial big heavy duty hoses work good if you not able to drill a well. They are around $50 but $50 plus how ever many you need. Its less of a pain in the butt to haul water, saves time, diesel/gas, in the long run. You can turn it on fill the tank run do something else come back. I did learn to set an alarm on my phone to remind me to turn it off in case I got distracted...which doesn't take much.

I always use my phone timer! Pizz me off to leave it on.

 

[Brute 23]

My options are looking like doing this or buying hay equipment. If i graze and buy hay then i have to manage my grazing pretty well to minimize hay being bought and i just dont think having two 25 acre paddocks well go well with that. The plan in the future if i dont this (not decided) would be to have buried lines. I do have a culvert under the road that i could run a line through also…

Its over 5000 feet from one end to the other so garden hoses arent going to work. LOL. I can have a tap installed for $1700 so i would do that before i drilled a well. Im just looking for a temporary solution because this might have to happen quick..

From my experience moving water... $1700 is a smoking deal.

Good thing about buying some poly line and going thru the culvert is it will get you rolling now. Once you get a water tap then you could utilize it to cover all the pastures.