which brand of chute is better?

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lmj

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Hi, We are looking into buying a squeeze chute. We are looking at 2 different ones, one is made by Big
Valley and the other is Powder River. Both are about the same price. They both are self catch. Just wondered if one is better than the other or does it matter. We have a manual head gate right now. But we are worried one of us or one of our cows is going to get hurt. Any comments are appreciated. Thank you, and Have a HAPPY NEW YEAR.
 
Powder River equipment is generally good. Don't know anything about Big Valley. Beware of self-catch chutes. The animals aren't always aware that they are supposed to catch themselves. Be prepared to put some back through a second, or third, time.
 
dyates":3jiiw8gh said:
Be prepared to put some back through a second, or third, time.

It took me a while to learn how to assist the self catch. It is not bad unless I am working them alone. If I ever get around to welding a reciever onto the top, I would be able to slide a cheater into it to help it swing into the latched position.

Personally, I would opt for a manual any day unless you go with the hydraulic powered self catch unit.
 
Personally I've never had a need for anything more than a headgate and seldom really use the catch mechanism. Just put them in the chute up to the headgate and put a post behind them. Cattle seem to remain more calm and we can breed, palpate, dry treat, give injections like this.
 
most mfgs now make "economy" models of chutes to appeal to the budget of the part timer/hobbyist. be sure that you are comparing models of comparable quality, not just the brand.

the real powder river chutes that are made for real cattlemen - - NOT the chinese gyp joint variety that they make for george strait to sell at tractor supply - - are functional chutes that will be with you for a long time.

it's hard to tell someone which chute is best for them because most chutes have a different "fit" for different people. some people have to worry about bumping their heads, while others are more concerned about foot levers in the way.

also, different people have different requirements for durability, width and length of a chute depending on how often they are working bulls, whether or not they are palpating cows, how large their cows are, etc.

there are also personal preference involved. for example, i prefer a chute with split kick panels. some people don't care and only want the cheapest thing they can get.

my suggestion is that you find someone that has a chute of each type that you like and try them out first. you don't even have to actually catch cattle, but at least go through the motions.
 
I would wait till the beef expo and buy a pearson,but the others are ok if you buy the better ones.
 
I have a Powder River chute and a Big Valley sweep tub. Personally I think Powder River makes better quality, but either is better than a rope and a fence post. I didn't like the only Big Valley chute I ever saw. But then I don't care for the features on the economy Powder River chute either. No matter which brand you choose, you can find people who swear by them and people who swear at them.
 
As said above I don't think there is one chute which is "better" for everyone.

Although it is not one of the two you list and you don't say much about your operation, I would suggest you look at a For-Most before you make a final decision.

I have a For-most 125 because of the low cost, however if doing it again I would spend a few more dollars and go with 150 which has a couple more features but stil a low cost, functional simple to operate unit for the small to medium size herd.

Here is the For-most 150 chute: http://www.for-most.com/model150.html

The Formost A-25 automatic headgate seems to work very well on any animals say 285 lb on up through a large bull. It has a simple flip adjustment to catch calves or larger animals and is a simple mechanism. Works from either side, been in use for many years. A simple squeeze and side doors for castration or whatever so you or the vet don't need to stand behind the animal. I would strongly suggest on any chute that you get the palp cage also.

Here is the A-25 automatic headgate: http://www.for-most.com/modela-25.html

If you put an A-25 headgate on a 150 chute I think you will be happy with the setup as I have. It is sturdy and fairly economical also.
 
Just got a Preifert-don't know the model but it is the upper quality one-it works great-also got the palpation chute with it. Can be worked with one person if needed, but we usually have 2 people there when we work cattle.
 
mischief":i3r71eoj said:
Just got a Preifert-don't know the model but it is the upper quality one-it works great-also got the palpation chute with it. Can be worked with one person if needed, but we usually have 2 people there when we work cattle.
I prefer the scissor type of headgate myself instead of the swinging type
 
lmj":u9q01cso said:
Hi, We are looking into buying a squeeze chute. We are looking at 2 different ones, one is made by Big
Valley and the other is Powder River. Both are about the same price. They both are self catch. Just wondered if one is better than the other or does it matter. We have a manual head gate right now. But we are worried one of us or one of our cows is going to get hurt. Any comments are appreciated. Thank you, and Have a HAPPY NEW YEAR.
Powder River and Big Valley are ok but they open in a V manual catch of course (wouldnt buy a self catch, I have seen cows get caught in them). For -Most makes the best overall chute manual catch plus palp cage --- rtail costs run in the 6k+ range but well worth it-- but if you just have a few cows I think you could get by with pretty much anything
T
 
dun":2q0e276z said:
I prefer the scissor type of headgate myself instead of the swinging type

Hydraulic for power too. It is fun to watch the old man vet do it. One hand on the levers and the other backwards to his assistant waiting on the next needle. He turns but he never moves his feet. She's loading and marking the clip board. They are a heck of a team. She's left handed and he's right. He's mumbling and she knows every word he speaks. Best to just stay out of their way and keep you trap shut.
 
4CTophand":3huiam5r said:
For -Most makes the best overall chute manual catch plus palp cage --- rtail costs run in the 6k+ range but well worth it-- but if you just have a few cows I think you could get by with pretty much anything

I don't know where you get the "6k" price! I put in the whole system - tub, alley section, scale, chute with palp cage and auto headgate for well under that.

The For-Most chute I have with palp cage and auto headgate I think would be somewhere in the $1500 range alone - not anywhere near "6k". You may be thinking of one of the high end models with trailer, hydraulics or something else.

If someone is interested I would give For-Most a call and get their correct prices or a local dealer. My dealer delivered the unit and helped me set it up.

One thing about an auto headgate vs a manual - if you are ever going to work the cattle alone it seems to me you really need the auto headgate. One of the things I like about the For-Most is there are no cables or chains.

The only criticism I have of it so far is that the auto catch doesn't work well on calves under about 275 lb or so, even at the tighter setting. The light calves just aren't wide enough to trip it always. There is probably no way to make one auto headgate that can catch the very light calves and the large animals equally well.

I am going to hold the first working/shots/castration/ear tags on ones missed at birth/etc until they hit about 300 lb unless I have someone with me to help close the headgate manually which can be easily done.
 
I bought the WW Squeeze chute for it's durability and functional aspects as I do a lot of the cow work myself. The self-catching option is great when you don't have any help around!! The price was right too.

I got the Beefmaster Standard: http://www.wwmanufacturing.com/chutes.html as it was a bit bigger.

The Priefert I was also considering is the:

http://www.priefert.com/products/CATTLE ... EZE/S0191/

Don't know anything about the For-most but here is there chute site:

http://www.for-most.com/squeezechutes.html
 
I have ran several thousand head thru a manual ww and if you miss one it is your fault :lol:
IMO if going with a manual chute the W-W would be at the top

I haven't had anything but hydraulic for last 5 or 6 yrs
would hate to go back to a manual
I'll sell ya my hydraulic chute
wife found a new one she likes better :banana:
 
Angus Cowman":7s3kglsk said:
I'll sell ya my hydraulic chute
wife found a new one she likes better :banana:

I sure like the looks of those Moly chutes.

Father in law has a Tox-o-wic auto gate, same as the For Most A25. It's the nicest swinging auto gate that I've ever used but he had an angus bull go apeshit in it last year and tweaked it a bit. We've got a FM 450 chute and the whatever the heaviest manual gate they had (30T ??). My only complaints are the chain for the squeeze is noisy and it could be a bit wider inside, but other than that it's nice.
 
cfpinz":34i8v0ez said:
Angus Cowman":34i8v0ez said:
I'll sell ya my hydraulic chute
wife found a new one she likes better :banana:

I sure like the looks of those Moly chutes.

Father in law has a Tox-o-wic auto gate, same as the For Most A25. It's the nicest swinging auto gate that I've ever used but he had an angus bull go apeshit in it last year and tweaked it a bit. We've got a FM 450 chute and the whatever the heaviest manual gate they had (30T ??). My only complaints are the chain for the squeeze is noisy and it could be a bit wider inside, but other than that it's nice.
can't remmember the name of the one she wants but it is the nicest chute and the easy operating that I have worked around it is made in canada and it is really nice
I told her if she could sell my old chute she could buy the new one I think the cost was 10-11K for the one we wanted
 
We went back to look at the Big Valley and it had sold. So we are going to get the Powder River. We have 12 head of angus right now, So we are still growing. And Learning as we are growing. We put in a corral with a homemade chute with a manual head gate. And now that we have used it a few times, We have found we need to change some of the layout. So we figure we would up grade to a Squeeze Chute and Self Catch head gate at the same time. Thanks for all your comment's. Have a Safe and Happy New Year.
 
SRBeef":aqjf48ap said:
4CTophand":aqjf48ap said:
For -Most makes the best overall chute manual catch plus palp cage --- rtail costs run in the 6k+ range but well worth it-- but if you just have a few cows I think you could get by with pretty much anything

I don't know where you get the "6k" price! I put in the whole system - tub, alley section, scale, chute with palp cage and auto headgate for well under that.

The For-Most chute I have with palp cage and auto headgate I think would be somewhere in the $1500 range alone - not anywhere near "6k". You may be thinking of one of the high end models with trailer, hydraulics or something else.

If someone is interested I would give For-Most a call and get their correct prices or a local dealer. My dealer delivered the unit and helped me set it up.

One thing about an auto headgate vs a manual - if you are ever going to work the cattle alone it seems to me you really need the auto headgate. One of the things I like about the For-Most is there are no cables or chains.

The only criticism I have of it so far is that the auto catch doesn't work well on calves under about 275 lb or so, even at the tighter setting. The light calves just aren't wide enough to trip it always. There is probably no way to make one auto headgate that can catch the very light calves and the large animals equally well.

I am going to hold the first working/shots/castration/ear tags on ones missed at birth/etc until they hit about 300 lb unless I have someone with me to help close the headgate manually which can be easily done.
that was palp cage/load bar scales/ extra length chute working chutes 180's and 45's
 

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