Tractor supply squeeze chute

[damengineer]

Bought a TSC headgate a year ago to install on old WW squeeze chute. I had a cow lose a calf and had to graft another one on her quick, so traded the headgate in to the TSC store for a complete squeeze chute. After running my 20 head herd through this chute for 4 or 5 times, this has to be the worst excuse for a chute I have ever operated in 50 years. It will not squeeze an animal from 600 to 1200 lbs. I think it is because it squeezes from both sides and there is not enough leverage. The auto catch gate might as well be called auto escape. It has to be set just right for anything less than 1000lbs to latch it. I have lost more calves and cows through this gate than I care to count. I complained to TSC and was called by a manager and that was it..... I contacted a rep from Behlen who makes the chute and he was to call me the next week and that is where that ended. We had to freeze brand 6 calves yesterday evening. We lost one through the headgate due to the calf not running fast enough and her shoulders not wide enough to hit the bars and latch it. It hs to have help to latch the bars, and the lever is placed such that the calf is spooked because yo are standing in front of it. For a total cost of $2400 you would think it would halfway operate. I can't afford to go out and buy a Priefert, without getting some money out of this pile of junk. If I sell it locally I make a new enemy.

 

[dun]

Find a farm auction somewhere and sell it there

 

[Bigfoot]

They are complete and total junk. I stood by one, at the local TSC, and decided they were not for me. I'm also no fan of saloon door head gates.

 

[CaddoFarms]

Thanks for posting....Im close to buying one, wont bother researching that one. Sorry that happened

 

[branguscowgirl]

I agree with BF. Not a very quality product. Sometimes you are better off with a used "quality" chute that you can buy privately for a more reasonable cost. They are few and far between, but might be worth looking for. I have been using an old Powder River chute that I had bought used for the past 10 years or so! Never lets me down. It just all depends on how fancy that you want it, and what you want to pay.

 

[bird dog]

CaddoFarms you are close enough to Mt. Pleasant to go to the Priefert factory. They usually have some seconds for a decent price. Usually not much wrong with them besides a paint issue or a bent bar where the forklift banged it.
You can call and they will tell you what they got. Most equipment at TSC is of low quality.

 

[damengineer]

The tractor supply chute I have is made by Behlen. Tartar may have made them a few years earlier, as there are some folks who swear by their TSC chute but then they say they have had them for 10 years or more. I have been looking at Priefert and Powder River. I don't like the swinging tailgate on the Powder river, but that is probably an older model. Does Powder River have the saloon Doors or the parallel bars? There is a farm consignment sale about 20 miles away in March... I may try to get it there and hope I can put in a minimum price. I cannot afford to just throw away $2000, cattle prices are going down...

 

[kjonesel]

I agree with your evaluation of the the chute from TSC but my question is how does a cattleman cost flow a chute? I have bought an old one with the self catching head gate. Though its not perfect I have cleaned and lubricated it made alterations where I felt necessary and am able to get by with it. A lot of my problems were solved by learning how to set it. With the style of chute it is the settings are made by pulling pins. It is a slow process but with only 70 animals I felt it is all I can afford.With falling cattle prices the "extra" money from the cattle will much smaller than in years past so getting a new chute is out of the question for me.

 

[TennesseeTuxedo]

70 cows would be a pretty good sized operation.

 

[slick4591]

Thanks for posting....Im close to buying one, wont bother researching that one. Sorry that happened

I got my SO4 over at Northeast Texas Farmers Co-op in Greenville. (They were the lowest price of anyone around back then.) I wasn't a member then, but they told me to sign up for $25 and they would discount it $75, so that's what I did.

 

[CaddoFarms]

Thanks Slick I will actually be at the greenville co op this week. I will check them out. I need to sign up for the membership anyway cause ill be getting fertilizer there.

I got my SO4 over at Northeast Texas Farmers Co-op in Greenville. (They were the lowest price of anyone around back then.) I wasn't a member then, but they told me to sign up for $25 and they would discount it $75, so that's what I did.[/quote]

I appreciate that idea, I will for sure give them a call. That is plenty close to me I like the idea of a dented one.

CaddoFarms you are close enough to Mt. Pleasant to go to the Priefert factory. They usually have some seconds for a decent price. Usually not much wrong with them besides a paint issue or a bent bar where the forklift banged it.
You can call and they will tell you what they got. Most equipment at TSC is of low quality.

 

[Caustic Burno]

Bought a TSC headgate a year ago to install on old WW squeeze chute. I had a cow lose a calf and had to graft another one on her quick, so traded the headgate in to the TSC store for a complete squeeze chute. After running my 20 head herd through this chute for 4 or 5 times, this has to be the worst excuse for a chute I have ever operated in 50 years. It will not squeeze an animal from 600 to 1200 lbs. I think it is because it squeezes from both sides and there is not enough leverage. The auto catch gate might as well be called auto escape. It has to be set just right for anything less than 1000lbs to latch it. I have lost more calves and cows through this gate than I care to count. I complained to TSC and was called by a manager and that was it..... I contacted a rep from Behlen who makes the chute and he was to call me the next week and that is where that ended. We had to freeze brand 6 calves yesterday evening. We lost one through the headgate due to the calf not running fast enough and her shoulders not wide enough to hit the bars and latch it. It hs to have help to latch the bars, and the lever is placed such that the calf is spooked because yo are standing in front of it. For a total cost of $2400 you would think it would halfway operate. I can't afford to go out and buy a Priefert, without getting some money out of this pile of junk. If I sell it locally I make a new enemy.

Behlen makes some good stuff I have one that is over twenty years old and my neighbor bought a heck of a setup a couple years ago. Very heavy duty.
He didn't get at TSC a high volume low cost operation for the weekender IMO.
I am not sure TSC really specs anything out for real work.

 

[M-5]

I used all kinds , I think alot of times its folks think a yugo should perform like a Ferrari. It's all relative to what you pay for it. Expectations of the best but not willing to spend money needed to get the best.

 

[Caustic Burno]

I used all kinds , I think alot of times its folks think a yugo should perform like a Ferrari. It's all relative to what you pay for it. Expectations of the best but not willing to spend money needed to get the best.

I agree, I don't even shop TSC after looking at there stuff here.
They are designed to be high volume by the truckload as most stores today.

 

[kjonesel]

I checked on the brand of my chute and it is a Filson. Now I know it is at least 30 years old as I bought it 10 years ago this year and it was old then. I looked at the TSC County Line brand of theirs and it is the same chute with just a few handle covers added. Mine has a wheel and hitch kit on it and I paid $800 for it then. I have done a few minor improvements on it to make it function better. The main thing I did was using a silicone based lubricant on all the mechanisms to reduce friction, that made the biggest difference. Another thing I did was to bolt horse mats on the floor, this kept the animals from falling down while pushing foward. They now have metal sides on them but mine had 2 x 12 boards which I drilled a 2" hole through every 8" so that I could put a 1 1/2" piece of heavy wall pipe through to keep them pushed forward when working on their head. I am also going to make me a nose piece like we had on our old Smedley brand chute when I was growing up on my Dad's dairy.
On the buying of a used chute I have been looking to upgrade for about 5 years and have been watching the auctions and classifieds but the good chutes hold their value so well they bring just about new price. I have found that when I finally do upgrade that the best place I have found to get a "bargain" is to go to a farm show and buy the display. Most dealers love to sell their items after the show rather than take them back.

 

[M-5]

Like I said before I have used ts chutes low end tarter as well a high end chutes. Never used a hydraulic one. They all do what they are supposed to do. you just can't expect a cheap chute to have a feather to tickle your butthole. The operator needs to know the limitations of the equipment and how to operate it in a efffeciant manner. There is nothing wrong with cheap chutes as long as you are willing to work with it and adapt to its functions.

 

[M-5]

6 of one 1/2 dozen of the other . I've not owned either but has worked several hundred head thru each. What one does better the other lacks some. The county line I ran IMO head catch worked smoother but the tarter squeeze is better. Keep in mind I've never ran a scissor type but a couple times and grew up running the saloon door. It's pretty simple if you have a knack for it. Also you really don't have to squeeze cows if it's set right . calves tend to do better if you tighten them up some. This is just my observations and my experience. Keep a cow in the chute for routine vac, worm, tags etc shouldn't be a long drawn out process. If your catching her then setting the squeeze then adjusting its a waste of movement and time. Any cow that's used to a head catch will stand still once caught . perform the task and let her go. For a guy that works 50 head or so twice a yr. The cheaper ones will be fine and you will get good service from it. Just work within its cabilitity and it will work. I will most likely buy one this yr cause I could cut down on some steps I do now with the calves . my cowsvare fine with just the head gate but calves take longer and a squeeze would expidite it. Southern states sells an entry level chute cheaper than TS if you have on nearby.

 

[damengineer]

The County Line and the Tarter are 2 different chutes. Tarter used to be the TSC chute. I have greased the pivot points on this chute and it still drags. The squeeze just does not have enough leverage to squeeze a cow and also it will not put a squeeze on a 500 lb calf. I have tried to squeeze a calf just after I drop the tailgate in order to slow it down enough I can grab the lever on the saloon door to help it close and catch the calf. the squeeze will not slow the calf down, and when I get around to pull the headgate lever to catch it, It jumps backward in the chute because I am now in front of its line of sight. I ain't no newcomer to this cattle handling. I have worked the cattle since I was pushing them to the chute back in 1965, until I was promoted to operating the chute. I cut my teeth on an old WW Guillotine style chute with a side exit. The worst trouble with a side exit is the exit is on the side we brand on. It is just inconvenient. The problem with working within the capability of this chute is we have not found what that is............

 

[wbenchfarms]

Not sure if you have fixed your problems yet, but thought I'd put in my .02. Behlen makes chutes for TSC in the west, Tarter in the east. The company I work for handles Priefert, Behlen, Sioux Steel and HerdPro. We stopped carrying that small Behlen chute (MX-V). I personally didn't like to sell it to anyone because I know they won't be happy with it. It's only rated for 1000 lb animal. This isn't a sales pitch but if you're still looking for a chute give Straight A's Ranch Supply a call at 330-868-3772 and ask for Shawn. I can see if I cant help you out or at least get you some help with Behlen if you plan on keeping that chute. We're also on the web at www.ranchcity.com. I know from experience, nothing worse than equipment that won't get the job done.

 

[Ol' 243]

Dang near everything I buy at TSC I bring home and start welding on it to beef it up enough to hold up to heavy use.