Crush Gate

fawlty towers

Hi All - Looking for advise on the best type of crush gate to install - standard, semi automatic or automatic?

Who would be the best maunfacturers etc.

Thanks

alps

We put in a tepari gate 15 years ago, and it was the best value for money item we have put on the farm. It will catch any animal from calf to bull, without any stress or excitement whatsoever...i certainly would never do without one

Snowfire

Condon engineering did this semi auto one for me. Adjustable width gates.
€280 + vat

Snowfire

Can't post pic, but it's very good quality

Lady Haywire

This is probably the closest I can find to ours though ours has the handles on the opposite side as our crush goes anticlockwise (very very similar headgate if not exact same)
Have got the adjusting down to a T now after a few years with it, used for all stock & dehorning. Only thing I find is that if a cow is leaning back on the gate, it can be hard to open, often find me swinging out of it with both hands

whelan2

Snowfire wrote: »

Condon engineering did this semi auto one for me. Adjustable width gates.
€280 + vat

Same here.

Grueller

Cashels semi auto one here and they are worth exactly scrap value of the steel. Worst yoke ever to darken the gate of the place.

larthehar

Bought a morris headgate, best yoke i ever brought around the place.. made am extension bar so i can close from behind the animal.. adjustable in and out.. 1100 inc Vat.. worth every penny as is bolus a lot..

Mooooo

How are those gates mentioned when an animal goes down while locked in?

patsy_mccabe

larthehar wrote: »

Bought a morris headgate, best yoke i ever brought around the place.. made am extension bar so i can close from behind the animal.. adjustable in and out.. 1100 inc Vat.. worth every penny as is bolus a lot..

Is this the Morris one you're on about? I like the idea of the curved gate swinging at the front.

http://www.teemoreengineering.com/crushes-handling/morris-one-piece.php

visatorro

Lady Haywire wrote: »

This is probably the closest I can find to ours though ours has the handles on the opposite side as our crush goes anticlockwise (very very similar headgate if not exact same)
Have got the adjusting down to a T now after a few years with it, used for all stock & dehorning. Only thing I find is that if a cow is leaning back on the gate, it can be hard to open, often find me swinging out of it with both hands

Iv this gate at crush at the yard, where 99% of work is done. Far better than semi auto gate if your handling animals imo.

Iv never worked the one that alps posted but would imagine is a good piece of kit.

DaDerv

Lady Haywire wrote: »

This is probably the closest I can find to ours though ours has the handles on the opposite side as our crush goes anticlockwise (very very similar headgate if not exact same)
Have got the adjusting down to a T now after a few years with it, used for all stock & dehorning. Only thing I find is that if a cow is leaning back on the gate, it can be hard to open, often find me swinging out of it with both hands

Have the same gate at home and consider it a disaster. Neighbour also got one around the same time and we both have the same problems.
- Impossible to open at times as mentioned.
- If an animal doesn't walk out and you've to go behind them and it closes so it requires 2 people or an attempt at tying it.
- At one stage a wild bullock went through the front and nearly killed my auld fella. Been wary ever since.
- Have to run up behind cows and shove the bars to lock them in place unless they hit it with extreme force.

Honestly for the money involved and for the amount for work you will do with a crush gate i would stay well well clear of this design. I had a calving gate installed last year by Bo Steel and would much rather do work using that. Much better design, easier to use and safer, which is priority.

whelan2

Mooooo wrote: »

How are those gates mentioned when an animal goes down while locked in?

Had a cow go down and a heifer. Dont remember either being a disaster

Lady Haywire

DaDerv wrote: »

Have the same gate at home and consider it a disaster. Neighbour also got one around the same time and we both have the same problems.
- Impossible to open at times as mentioned.
- If an animal doesn't walk out and you've to go behind them and it closes so it requires 2 people or an attempt at tying it.
- At one stage a wild bullock went through the front and nearly killed my auld fella. Been wary ever since.
- Have to run up behind cows and shove the bars to lock them in place unless they hit it with extreme force.

Honestly for the money involved and for the amount for work you will do with a crush gate i would stay well well clear of this design. I had a calving gate installed last year by Bo Steel and would much rather do work using that. Much better design, easier to use and safer, which is priority.

We have a gate directly to the left of it so can tie ours open, actually just have a loop left on the gate full time & the handle slots into it and holds it open.
There's some part on it that needs to be tightened if it's not locking out without extreme force, our AI man readjusted ours so I'm no help with what part needs to be screwed in!

Only had 1 animal go down in ours (henceforth known as Hymac Head) and that was quite an issue. My whole weight & dad's strength was on the bar and not moving an inch. Had to get a rope & both of us pulled sharp at once to get it to snap open.

Timmaay

http://www.nugentengineering.com/products/beef-head-locking-gate/

Picked up one of theses a month ago, paid 530e all in. Was tempted by the universal gate (their next step up), but couldn't see the 300e premium being worth it. Got a headscoop with it also, makes dosing cows more bearable than with the old basic headlock that wouldn't lock when the cows pushed up etc, and trying to grab their noses etc. Only other item that I'd like for cow handling now is a parallel batch crush for the full parlour row ha.

visatorro

Anti backing bar is a great job aswell.

I have one side of the gate open fully, set the other depending on what your catching. Use backing to to follow beast then as soon as gate is shut I reach over them and pull the other side of the gate tight to they're neck. Because your reaching from behind the animal they can't see you adjusting the gate and can't move back because of anti backing bar. I find this works well for me. Here alone mostly.
Bought a headscoop but for various reasons it won't line up properly and I don't use it.

greysides

I favour this type. Just make sure both sides are adjustable in width.

whelan2

greysides wrote: »

I favour this type. Just make sure both sides are adjustable in width.

Thats the exact same as the condon one we have here delighted with it as it replaced a ball of ****

Attie

greysides wrote: »

I favour this type. Just make sure both sides are adjustable in width.

Have one of those a long time find it great if a little hard to get stock to walk forward when you release the gate sometimes need a jag of needle to make them push gate open.
one thing forgot to mention was while working with a cousin his gate was curved on the bottom as outlined on the picture a fit bullock caught his leg and broke it total loss went to the bin.
 On my gate these are straight to the ground.

Cattlepen

I second the tepari. They are the rolls royce of gates

White Clover

greysides wrote: »

I favour this type. Just make sure both sides are adjustable in width.

Have that gate here. Works well.

croot

Attie wrote: »

Have one of those a long time find it great if a little hard to get stock to walk forward when you release the gate sometimes need a jag of needle to make them push gate open.

I’ve the same type of gate and the same problem. I have to let them back out of it and open the side gate.

larthehar

patsy_mccabe wrote: »

Is this the Morris one you're on about? I like the idea of the curved gate swinging at the front.

http://www.teemoreengineering.com/crushes-handling/morris-one-piece.php

That's the one, opens in and out from the side rather than swinging forwards/backwards.. no heads getting stuck, horns on bought in stock not an issue.. the front cage has a slam lock catch so awful handy.. i usually fill the chute with the cage closed and gate open, then just open and close the gate for each animal in the chute.. if i have someone to run them in, leave the cage open and let them out one at a time and catxh as they go.. really fast job.. no affiliation btw just a happy customer!

Bass Reeves

DaDerv wrote: »

Have the same gate at home and consider it a disaster. Neighbour also got one around the same time and we both have the same problems.
- Impossible to open at times as mentioned.
- If an animal doesn't walk out and you've to go behind them and it closes so it requires 2 people or an attempt at tying it.
- At one stage a wild bullock went through the front and nearly killed my auld fella. Been wary ever since.
- Have to run up behind cows and shove the bars to lock them in place unless they hit it with extreme force.

Honestly for the money involved and for the amount for work you will do with a crush gate i would stay well well clear of this design. I had a calving gate installed last year by Bo Steel and would much rather do work using that. Much better design, easier to use and safer, which is priority.

I have two of them. You have to keep them greased One works perfectly and stays open much prefer them to the semi auto gate I have on an portable crush. What I dislike about it is that when it is open you have to move a leaver to close it dodgy if a bullock is coming fast. I think thereof is an adjustment on the auto gate to stiffen he open/close function.

Putting a bar behind the animal before you release them allows you to let them back but the are still near enough the gate to go out when you open it.

whelan2

After going to put a ring in a bull. Have done alot of them over the years. Five times we put the bull down the crush and 5times he walloped the gate open. Hoof care man coming later to ring him. It's a semi automatic gate.

MfMan

Cattlepen wrote: »

I second the tepari. They are the rolls royce of gates

Would the TAMS grant cover or be available for an all-singing-dancing mobile crush like the Te Pari?

MF290

We'd two gibney headgates. Absolute disaster, very soft design. One was replaced by a better gibney one and the other swapped for a nugent one like lady h's we had on an old pen.

patsy_mccabe

Morris crush gate. Looks a bit flimsy. Would heavy bulls make mush of it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHkonnsdEQ8

whelan2

Hoof care crate is the business. Bull unable to move. Great job. Belly band on and work away.

valtra2

patsy_mccabe wrote: »

Morris crush gate. Looks a bit flimsy. Would heavy bulls make mush of it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHkonnsdEQ8

That is what I was thinking too. Or a 850kg suckler cow that don't like crushes

Lady Haywire

patsy_mccabe wrote: »

Morris crush gate. Looks a bit flimsy. Would heavy bulls make mush of it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHkonnsdEQ8

You'd want good reflex's for some of the wilder ones! Have seen some that'd pass out Frankel when they spot an escape route.

Muckit

I think the Morris are grand for dairy stock. Nice design in some ways but no such thing as too strong when it comes to any kind of beef cattle.

The Rabbi

I have a nugent universal gate here.Can use it for dehorning young calves.Dairy cows do not push against the gate to close it.Was thinking of putting morris type gate/cage in front to get the cows head forward of the yoke.

patsy_mccabe

Morris cattle crush gate on this video from 2.25mins;

anthony500_1

Is tams still open for new applications, when I log into agfood it says access denied

Floki

patsy_mccabe wrote: »

Morris cattle crush gate on this video from 2.25mins;

I was wondering where the cage gate was and wondering how they were operating it without it until he mentioned it was gone for repairs.

That'll be my next crush gate here.

Have a semi automatic one here and you get a odd cute one who won't stick their head out and then you have to get a bucket of meal and then you have to watch the bracing bar on the top that its set right and not bent or it won't close evenly or worse an animal could push through the gate. (Only happened the once till I copped that it was the bar at fault).

tanko

With that morris gate, is there not a danger that an animal could put its head between the bars either side of where its supposed to go. If its head got stuck in there it would be fun getting it out.

patsy_mccabe

tanko wrote: »

With that morris gate, is there not a danger that an animal could put its head between the bars either side of where its supposed to go. If its head got stuck in there it would be fun getting it out.

I was thinking the same. I suppose the only time that opening would be there, is when the gate is closed. There should always be an animal in the gate then. It should be open at all other times. That gate not meant to be used as just a stopping gate.
On all other gates those openings are sheeted.

Green&Red

anthony500_1 wrote: »

Is tams still open for new applications, when I log into agfood it says access denied

Closed since the first week in October I think

Zr105

We’ve the nugent universal gate here rather than the fully auto gate. It will stay open after an animal if you want to let out a crush full, easy to adjust and has put up a very good fight against some strong sucklers. Was advised to pay the extra for the universal as a neighbour had bought the other one and ended up having to get the universal as the first didn’t stand up to the sucklers. Rarely a job to open it just keep a hand on the lever and wait for them to flinch momentarily and you’ll get it open.

The one thing I did do was weld a second handle onto the locking bar that shuts the animal in, it means that you can let an animal back into the race if you need to, I saw it on the iae version of the gate in kildalton and found it handy. Find it pretty handy when weighing as we let them up on the scales then once we have the weight open the gate in and catch them, find that if they are caught in the head gate they spend there time pushing or pulling against it which messes up the weight reading,

Bitten & Hisses

Timmaay wrote: »

http://www.nugentengineering.com/products/beef-head-locking-gate/

Picked up one of theses a month ago, paid 530e all in. Was tempted by the universal gate (their next step up), but couldn't see the 300e premium being worth it. Got a headscoop with it also, makes dosing cows more bearable than with the old basic headlock that wouldn't lock when the cows pushed up etc, and trying to grab their noses etc. Only other item that I'd like for cow handling now is a parallel batch crush for the full parlour row ha.

Are those prices including VAT?
How much extra for the headscoop?