Wooden squeeze chutes

[Central Fl Cracker]

Is their anybody using one and if so post pictures. I priced a few steel (Priefert) ones and thought they were quite pricey for someone that might only be only running 10 cattle to start.

 

[Mahoney Pursley Ranch]

Brings to mind a question I have. Would yall prefer wooden floors and sides or steel in your squeeze chutes?

 

[Mahoney Pursley Ranch]

I agree on steel for the sides but wouldn't wood florrs be less slippery for the cattle? And easily replaced.

 

[backhoeboogie]

Is their anybody using one and if so post pictures. I priced a few steel (Priefert) ones and thought they were quite pricey for someone that might only be only running 10 cattle to start.

I built mine. Cheaper, better. Use 3 inch tube steel, 5 foot panels. You will need channel for a guilotine gate. The only thing Priefert is the head gate and it was second hand but never used. Picked it up reasonable out of the paper.

My corrals, chutes, - everything, is portable. I can pick it all up with the front bucket, load it on the flat bed and relocate. It all pins together. I used 2 inch tube steel and pipe to pin the panels together.

 

[Central Fl Cracker]

No I dont have any made of wood. However I have found that ww brand is good and its fairly cheap compared to priefert and stuff.

Ya got a web site for ww brand?

 

[Texan]

Would yall prefer wooden floors and sides or steel in your squeeze chutes?

Steel rusts and wood rots, so I guess there isn't any perfect material. I've replaced the floor of mine with expanded metal, with cleats welded across that. Good drainage, good traction and easy to wash out.

For the sides, I've never found any that I really like. They need to be heavy enough to withstand kicks, but light enough to handle easily when it's time to take them off. Try to stay away from something that hinges and folds down to the ground. If you're having to help a calf suck and they have to stand on the panel, it makes it harder for them.

I would really like to have them that open up in thirds, or at least in two pieces, instead of having to remove the whole panel. I usually only need to get to the back---udder, nuts, etc. The front opening for foot problems would be nice, as would the middle for collecting bulls.

Seems like the only ones I've ever had come all the way off. Sometimes I like to use the squeeze without catching a head---some cattle just handle better that way with less fighting. In that case, if the kick panel has to come all the way off just for me to work at the back, a cow or bull can get their head through it at the front.

Bottom line is, you'll never find the perfect one. Or at least, I never have. Look at a lot of 'em and try out as many as you can before spending your money.

 

[backhoeboogie]

[
For the sides, I've never found any that I really like. They need to be heavy enough to withstand kicks, but light enough to handle easily when it's time to take them off. Try to stay away from something that hinges and folds down to the ground.

Hinge it to where it folds up. Weld or bolt a chain to it, fold it up and chain it off. You can castrate, let calves nurse, do whatever you want and not have a panel underfoot.

TTCLM; buy a crackerbox welder and start burning rods. If you don't know how to weld, turn the heat up a little. Get a mentor to show you. The little cracker box will pay for itself in not time.

 

[Mahoney Pursley Ranch]

Great advice Texan as usual. Thank you!

 

[tom4018]

No I dont have any made of wood. However I have found that ww brand is good and its fairly cheap compared to priefert and stuff.

Ya got a web site for ww brand?

http://www.wwmanufacturing.com


About the same price as a Priefert.

 

[Bama]

This is the one I use. M1-v with split tailgate and manual headgate. Total coast is something like $3,400. They also have a silencer modle which is something like 800 - 900 more and a cheaqper model X I think.

http://www.behlencountry.com/asp/catalo ... 20Handling

 

[Central Fl Cracker]

Since I am going to start out slow with probably 10 or 15 bred heifers, will I really need a squeeze chute right off the bat. Not trying to be cheap :lol: but Iron Pants will have a menapause moment with me if I spend $ 3800 on a squeeze chute before I hardly get started. Also Caustic has put out a video on how to pet your cattle and turn them into pets so they should let me do just about anything to them i want. :lol: :lol:

 

[DavisBeefmasters]

:stop: Ask "Iron Pants" how much her sweetie :heart: (aka "you") is worth if you have an issue that needs to be tended... I wouldn't want to wrestle an animal if I can afford to buy a squeeze... PARTICULARLY when you're just starting out and don't have the technique...

...we learned this one the hard way when we started 3 years ago, it's worth it to have the equipment to save yourself some injury... as well as the safety/stress to the animal.

 

[Central Fl Cracker]

I did offer to buy her a new couch but she said I had to up the anny. If I sold all the shoes she owns I could buy one of those silencer models. :lol: :lol:

 

[Bama]

Buy the headgate now. Put it on sturdy post at the end of your alley chute. This will work for most everthing you will need. If you get several head or decide its just to risky not squeezing them you can buy the squeeze later and take the headgate off the post and mount it to the squeeze. Just get the same brands and they will mount up .

 

[Central Fl Cracker]

Is a head gate a lot cheaper than a squeeze chute?

 

[Bama]

The headgate goes with the squeeze chute. When you buy a squeeze you can buy the headgate seperate. The squeeze has a couple of options for the differant types of headgates and tail gates. The tailgate are normally one of two choices. Drop down and split. the drop down is cheap as it is only some bars that drop down behind the animal. The split is normally solid medal panel that works on a sizzor action. The choice of headgates are normally in the neighborhood of about 4 or fiveas a choice. Auto ( which I don't like, but some love them) and differant types of manual with or without neck extenders. Go to


http://www.behlencountry.com/asp/catalo ... 20Handling

It will explain it all.

 

[djwalker]

You could buy a head gate alone instead of the whole squeeze chute. That way you can still lock the cattle down to do whatever you want, but also save quite a bit of money, especially with only about 10-15 cows.

 

[backhoeboogie]

Is a head gate a lot cheaper than a squeeze chute?

Build it cracker ! You can get a better item if you custom build it. The only thing to buy is the head gate itself.

If you can't weld, hire a welder to weld it out for you. If you are really getting into the business, buy yourself a cracker box for less than $200 and start burning rods. Heck get an old used cracker box for $50.

For $1900, I have a corral out of tube steel that I can move anywhere. They are 20 foot panels 5 feet tall with eyes to lift with the bucket. I have a Preifert head gate I bought second hand that hand never been used. I have my own squeeze chute that I like better than anything I have seen. I have cut gates, loading chute, holding pens. There is virtually nothing I can't do with this equipment. I even have safety gates. Gates are hinged with one inch round rod inside of 1 inch pipe and you can swing on them if you want.

For now, you don't need anything elaborate. All you really need is an alley, pen, cut gate and chute with a head gate on the end. If you build it all portable, you can take it up to paint it and there is no "cleaning it out." If you need it elsewhere, load it up with a tractor bucket and un pin it as you go. It will all fit on a flat bed.

Buy yourself a cracker box welder and start practicing. It is not hard to do.

I was in a barn last year that a guy ran tube steel rails completely around. He could hang any kind of configuration you could imagine in that barn and it all clipped to the rails. He built it all himself and it was very impressive.

Look around at some of the items at a farm supply. The portable panels are too light and too small. Then price the steel and 5 foot tall, 4 inch mesh wire panels that you can weld to tube steel.

It is your nickels that you are spending.