was always getting run over.��� Or
pushed behind a gate, or kicked, or
getting something pinched, or any
other number of injuries that go
with working cattle.
The new system, in place for
three years, utilizes hydraulicallycontrolled Turret gates and Moly
chutes to move cattle through two
side-by-side tubs. The hydraulic
gates move the cattle through the
entire system, from the time they
leave the truck, without hands-on
attention from the herdsmen.
The gates are operated by a panel of levers in a crow���s nest situated between the two tubs.
���It doesn���t take any less guys,
but they���re not right down in
there,��� says Thramer. He designed
the system to include features that
can make it convertible to manual
operation when needed.
Aside from providing a safer
working environment for the
herdsmen, the mechanical ����
Above: Alleyways coming out of the chutes
are controlled by hydraulic gates. Cattle can
be sorted in several different pens as they
leave the working facility.
Inset: A hydraulic wheel powers the
gates back and forth.
Circle No. 105 on Reply
FEED���LOT April/May 2013
7