Posted by KEH on June 15, 2011 at 15:58:34 from (67.231.167.114):
Homemade, that is. I have been selling cows and while waiting in line to unload I look over the homemade trailers, since that is what I use.
Quite a few are over built, but that's better than made too weak. One strong one is all steel, including some heavy expanded steel flooring. The axle is made from the cut of ends of a 3/4 ton floating axle, as i recall 12 feet long. Not very likely to over load it, only criticism I have is it has no springs. Looks like that would be hard on the cows. Quite a few trailers have no springs.
Some people over build by having 2 axles on a short trailer, like one 10 foot trailer has 2 mobile home axles under it. Probably pulls good.
Some trailers are made light by using the woven wire made from 1/4 inch or so steel rods and intended for corral fencing. That's fine, but they extend it to the bottom of the trailer and cows can get feet caught in the openings and it's obvious some have done it. They will extend the side high enough by welding additional steel bars at the top. Regarding height, I built my trailers to have sides 6 1/2 feet high. I don't think it has to be that high to keep the cows in, but I am 6 Feet 1 inch tall and the trailer has cross bars at the top for support and I want to be able to walk under them. If my height wasn't an issue or there were no cross supports, I think 6 feet would be enough. I had one cow try to jump out of a 6 1/2 foot trailer, she was loaded from a barn and got a running start down a long hallway. She did not come near getting out.
A lot of trailers have wood or part wood sides. One trailer was made almost completely of wood, including a oak 4 x 4 for the tongue. The load of cows was making the tongue flex as they shifted.
Back gates and the means of fastening themare interesting. There are about as many latching systems as there are trailers. Some have a chain bolted together which make for an uncomfortable delay when there is a nervous cow on the other side of the gate. There are 3 basic types of gates. 1. A single hinged gate. 2. Double hinged gates. 3. A sliding gate.
The sliding gate's advantage is in loading cows, once you get the cow run on the trailer, slide the gate shut. Unloading at the stockyard dosen't really matter as to the type of gate.
The first trailer I built merely copied commercial trailers, with a swinging center gate and auromatic lock. Rear 2 gates have the 2 pins at the bottom and icenter sliding pin. The second trailer I built recently was designed to be as light as possible so I could pull it with my small truck. Following my first rule of trailer building, I made it of material I had on hand, free, except for buying a drop center axle. Reason for the project was that they closed a nearby sale barn and not I have to make a 50 mile trip. Gas get expensive for a F350 Ford with a 360 engine. I made the trailer 5 x 10, offset the axle to the back so I would have weight on the tongue, and included 2 swinging gates to keep the cows in the front 8 feet of the trailer when possible. Sliding gate in the back. I put solid sheet metal at the bottom of the sides to keep the cows feet out of mischief. White oak floor with the board cross ways in hopes the cracks would keep the cows from sliding around. Didn't work and had to fasten the woven wire panel in the bottom.
Goat trailers are usually very different. Since it's unlikely to have a very heavy load of goats, the trailers are light. Since goats jump, the trailers usually have a top on them. One guy used a plastic bed liner upside down for the top on his trailer. A lot of goats are hauled in a cage in the back of a truck. Some are commercial and some made from dog pen wire fastened together by various means, including plastec ties. A lot of the cages, commercial or not, don't have a bottom and I've never understood the reason for that. They just use the truck bed for the bottom.
Some goat trailers are made by getting a light commercial TSC trailer and putting sides on it.
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