LCP
Well-known member
I'm wanting to put a couple cattle guards on my driveway. I'd like to build them myself with some left over well pipe from a corral project. Any advice?
Building a cattle guard
- Thread starter LCP
- Start date
High Plains
Well-known member
Build 'em stout enough to hold up. Also, if you can, build it in such a way that you can pick it up with a loader bucket and chain and remove it for cleaning out the dirt that will eventually build up. They're not much good when they fill up with dirt. Also consider the width of the loader bucket you might use to clean it out when you're deciding on your dimensions. If the loader bucket won't fit then you can't clean it out.
I've never built one myself, but I have picked up on those tidbits that I've seen gone wrong.
HP
I've never built one myself, but I have picked up on those tidbits that I've seen gone wrong.
HP
Pipe sounds better than the metal ones that are an inverted u shape with the sharp edges on the bottom as some commercial ones.
I still shudder at the horror of a rather wild work horse my Grandpa Calhoon had which got a foot caught and nearly cut it off trying to get himself out of the gate 60some years ago! And I didn't even see the horse, but hearing the shot which put the critter out of his misery was enough to give my then 7 year old self nightmares for a long time!
Great points on making them easy to remove for cleaning, too. Putting an alternative gate alongside for extra heavy or wide equipment, or for putting livestock through is a good practice, too, in many cases.
mrj
I still shudder at the horror of a rather wild work horse my Grandpa Calhoon had which got a foot caught and nearly cut it off trying to get himself out of the gate 60some years ago! And I didn't even see the horse, but hearing the shot which put the critter out of his misery was enough to give my then 7 year old self nightmares for a long time!
Great points on making them easy to remove for cleaning, too. Putting an alternative gate alongside for extra heavy or wide equipment, or for putting livestock through is a good practice, too, in many cases.
mrj
Big Muddy rancher
Well-known member
Check out this link
http://www.magnumfabricating.com/texasgates.html
http://www.magnumfabricating.com/texasgates.html
leanin' H
Well-known member
I have a friend who works for the Union Pacific railroad. He has got me old used rail and they make a durable and heavy duty cattle guard. But once in place they are there to stay! :wink: We pour a concrete box inbed steel into the top and then weld the rail to the steel. So as to not need to clean it, we have built these only where rain runoff won't silt it in. High area's and then mound and slope the road away from the Guard. A quick funny story....... Our old retired Congressman told the story of debating the Ag bill in Congress. A liberal, Eastern Congresswoman went on a tirade about why Congress was paying money to "Guard cattle through-out public lands in the west"! She was complaining about cattle-guards! 
After it was explained to her she felt a bit silly! :wink:
After it was explained to her she felt a bit silly! :wink:If you use hot fence I make my own and they work great - - - just keep your wife and lawn mower away!
I posted pictures about a year ago that you could search for. Mine just don't work in snow. But that is a reasonable limit for me in this area.
If you would like more info send me a PM and I will reply. These work for cattle, horses, and dogs both wild and pets. They don't seem to slow down grandchildren though.
I posted pictures about a year ago that you could search for. Mine just don't work in snow. But that is a reasonable limit for me in this area.
If you would like more info send me a PM and I will reply. These work for cattle, horses, and dogs both wild and pets. They don't seem to slow down grandchildren though.
They are all built of pipe around here. I would like to see a some pictures of a "bump gate" if anyone has one. I heard about these on a road trip with a firend from Oklahoma and they seem like a great idea. Open with the bumper of the truck, drive through and they self close.
Anyone have any of these on their operation?
Anyone have any of these on their operation?
LCP
Well-known member
High plains - funny you mention cleaning them out. Growing up, dad seemed to pick the hottest day of the summer and send me down with a shovel...it was a a charachter building experience I guess! I don't know what my least favorite job was as a kid, cleaning out the cattle guard or cleaning out water tanks! At least the cattle guard didn't need to get cleaned out but once every year or two.
George - I actually read that post. I did a search on past threads before posting this new one. Sounds like a good idea, but we get quite a little snow here in SD and the pastures this separates get used for wintering and calving.
The place I am putting it is where water flows anyhow. I debated between putting a culvert in or just shaving the road bed down and putting rock in so the water just went over the road, but then I had the idea to put a cattle guard there and have it serve two purposes. In a perfect world, it will keep itself cleaned out. We'll see.
George - I actually read that post. I did a search on past threads before posting this new one. Sounds like a good idea, but we get quite a little snow here in SD and the pastures this separates get used for wintering and calving.
The place I am putting it is where water flows anyhow. I debated between putting a culvert in or just shaving the road bed down and putting rock in so the water just went over the road, but then I had the idea to put a cattle guard there and have it serve two purposes. In a perfect world, it will keep itself cleaned out. We'll see.
per
Well-known member
I have, as does a neighbor, a cattle guard bridge. Come to think of it they are self cleaning. :shock: So are the ones on the county road. They only take a phone call. If you walk across it often, put an expanded metal 6 or 8 inch wide walk way on it. Keeps you from slipping when it is icy.