BUDGET CATTLE CHUTE AND HEADGATE

Here's a budget Cattle Chute and headgate. I've had this for several years, but I'm just now fixing it up to be used. The chute is homemade by a friend that I bought it from. The headgate is an old style headgate that was on it when I bought it.

Have you ever used an old headgate like this?
If so, I would value your opinion on whether it's safe and whether it would be good enough for a very small group of cows.

Thanks for your comments... take care,
alan

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[dione.c.]

Hello from Northern Australia! Here in Aussie we call that whole thing a cattle crush and what you call the headgate we call a head bail. I'd be anchoring it down with massive bolts down into a thick concrete pad. I've seen beasts panic while in a crush and they can topple the chute/ crush over while they're in it if it isn't secured down. Your beasts seem a lot calmer than the ones I'm use to dealing with but large prey animals are unpredictable and have a lot of force behind them. I hope this helps.

[seller]

I would add one thing. My cows try to pull back once we’ve got their head in the lock. I have a pipe I lay across and behind them (I can adjust since their length varies) Once their head is locked I place the pipe behind them and they stop pulling against the lock.

[namzat]

Had one on our squeeze chute for 15yrs. It worked well for us never had issues

[TheGoatShowMan]

Looking at that design I have to say I like it. Makes me wonder why they ever changed it.

[TexFarmer]

I think what you've got there will work fine for your operation. When running cattle you really have to keep an eye on your input costs. That $850 is about the same value of a good yearling steer. Question to ask yourself is, would you be willing to trade a good yearling steer for a new head gate? Given what you showed here, I'd stick with the old one for a long time.

[murrayhayter]

I’m thinking of welding up my own crush and then buying a knew head clamp. Love this video very helpful

[malcolmconnor]

don't know anything about this, but still find it interesting
thanks for posting

[OgMandin]

Helped cattle farmers when they were de-horning and inoculating calves with old style chutes. Always worked perfectly. You might use your chute this year. Over the winter you could get some measurements/templates off a new style headgate and fabricate it for under $100, IF NEED BE. Won't have the 'automatic function, ' No big deal. Trickiest job would be forming the vertical pipes. Could slice the backsides of turns enough to bend and re-weld the pipe. .

[MrSanteeclaus]

I don’t know how many head a year you will run thru it. It’ll work however releasing cattle seems awkward. Looks like it is a two person operation. Definitely better than trying to hold one behind a gate or panel. Or roping one to a tree.
I have used the Pfier (sorry for spelling) type and the catch bar will ring your clock on occasion. I don’t think any brand of them are perfect. I do like a manual type over a hydraulic type. I think the cattle are less stressed from the noise. Yours needs a few more street sign post added in ;)

[alexnetherton]

might not be the most current technology or the best, but if you can make it work, it sure works economically

[garyparrish]

Saying, you might add some cross pieces on the floor of the chute they can pull against, and stay upright. When they have to fight for footing and their head is caught, you will have them laying down in the chute, especially with no squeeze. And with that style of head catch, you will have some choke out.

[sherischneider]

You can get a used self catch Filson head gate around here fairly cheap. Clean and lube it up and make it easy to adjust the pre catch by adding a lynchpin and you have a winner. Be sure to add traction bars to the floor so the livestock don't slip.
PS; A little extra spent on safety is money well spent.

[ryanmcfarland]

I have a small chute similar to yours with a similar headgate and when you swing it open cattle can get their head caught it the gate and they freak out and it gets bad quick. My advice is to invest in a good quality headgate like the one you pictured and it will be well worth the money and will last for many years to come with no danger of you or the animal getting hurt

[garyparrish]

Priefert locking mechanism is very easily copied. I built one for a calving barn, with a crowd gate, and a short alley leading into it. Had a rope and pulleys set up where I could pull it shut from the back of the crowd gate. There were no choke points, even if she went down. I could hit the lever locking the mechanism, and they were free to walk out the front or back up.

[garyparrish]

If I can help another, it's all good! I do enjoy your videos!

[hlphipps]

That wood will be slick as ice causing cattle to slip and fall down. Heavy wire panel nailed in there well would help

[garyparrish]

Actually....it was quite different from Priefert. Simply spaced a a welded piece of pipe and one with a pipe bolted on the bottom, but able to slide on the top, Had a piece of rebar across the top that ran through a locking mechanism similar to prieferts....but simpler. Hope this is plain as mud? The lock is very simple. I think the present owners would allow me to take pictures?

[Colbyhgreen]

Hey TP2, I've been watching you since the muscadine wine videos. Great channel. I've learned a lot from you. I've got my papaw's head gate that's similar. It's at least 40 years old. He bought our farm in the 80s; it was old then. But he kept it in good working order. Now I have it and am doing the same. It isn't fancy. It's not pretty, even though I've repainted it. But it works. It gets the job done. That's what matters. You may have already, but I'd like to see more videos of you using this headgate.

[delbertconner]

You'd be better off with the Preifert headgate. This setup can be quite dangerous, if the latch on the neck bar fails, that handle can fly up and hit someone in the head. I have seen the gate latch fail and then you have a cow with her head still caught flailing around. That can be quite a rodeo.

[garyparrish]

No, It's not safe. But you might be able to run a few head through and get by. None are totally safe, and there is no totally safe ways of handling critters that size. But there is better. I have a Priefert chute that a powder river type squeeze has been added on, which I like much better than the step on type squeeze Priefert has. The head catch is still Priefert, which is good but still not optimal. There are so darn many that are better now, just take a look around. My head catch works good enough for me, and doubt I'd change it, unless I had more than a hundred head to work through/ That swing away catch looks like a recipe for someone getting slammed! Plus it looks like a choker? I like a bottom they can brace and pull back on, after they are caught. That wood will be slick, and they might tend to fight it for footing.