Building a crowding alley

[Soapweed]

The Kosmo Kid and I have been working on building a crowding alley.

We are gaining.

Pretty much completed. We plan to put a squeeze chute on the front and try it out tomorrow.

It replaces an old wooden plank alley

That has worked very well

For the past fifty years. I used to help our neighbor work cattle through this alley many years ago. We bought the ranch in 1986,
and saw no need to change the alley system until now, when it finally wore out.

This one has gates at the back, which the old system didn't have. The heavy steel part is 28 feet long plus the four-foot gates,
whcih makes the total alley 32 feet long. This is the same length as the old wooden alley. Hope it works as well as the old one did.

 

[leanin' H]

Looks nice and stout and ought'a crowd many a cow. If ya don't mind me asking, what are the dimensions from top to top and bottom to bottom? And the angle on the dangle? Thanks!

 

[GM88]

Nice job, looks good.

 

[Big Muddy rancher]

Gee Soap are you trying to make H feel bad? :?

You should have at least found an couple of rocks from somewhere to put in your pictures to make H feel at home. :wink:

 

[Soapweed]

Looks nice and stout and ought'a crowd many a cow. If ya don't mind me asking, what are the dimensions from top to top and bottom to bottom? And the angle on the dangle? Thanks!

The posts are ten feet long, with about three feet in the ground. I had planned to use 2" x 6" brace boards at the top, but Kosmo wanted to use 2" x 4" lumber so there would be less chance of bumping his head. :? The top of the pipe is approximately 5' 2". The width at the bottom is about 17" wide. When standing a level straight up and down, at four feet each side is about four and a half inches further out. This would make the alley about 29" wide at four feet high. We'll know more by this time tomorrow if it is going to work. :wink:

 

[leanin' H]

Gee Soap are you trying to make H feel bad? :?

You should have at least found an couple of rocks from somewhere to put in your pictures to make H feel at home. :wink:

Heck, i was so tired i didnt even notice the super easy diggin' til YOU brought it up! :shock: That is just wrong! :x I guess you get that pretty dirt by living right in God's country while i must be a sinner on the outskirts of hell! :shock: :lol:

And BMR, i appreciate you for pointing out what i might have missed without your care and affection! :wink:

 

[Big Muddy rancher]

Gee Soap are you trying to make H feel bad? :?

You should have at least found an couple of rocks from somewhere to put in your pictures to make H feel at home. :wink:

Heck, i was so tired i didnt even notice the super easy diggin' til YOU brought it up! :shock: That is just wrong! :x I guess you get that pretty dirt by living right in God's country while i must be a sinner on the outskirts of hell! :shock: :lol:

And BMR, i appreciate you for pointing out what i might have missed without your care and affection! :wink:

I figured that would have just been a day at the beach for you diggin' those holes.

 

[Silver]

The craftsmanship looks superb Soap, looks like a job well done.
If it were mine I would have engineered a curve into it, but I may have wasted good engineering in the process.

 

[leanin' H]

Looks nice and stout and ought'a crowd many a cow. If ya don't mind me asking, what are the dimensions from top to top and bottom to bottom? And the angle on the dangle? Thanks!

The posts are ten feet long, with about three feet in the ground. I had planned to use 2" x 6" brace boards at the top, but Kosmo wanted to use 2" x 4" lumber so there would be less chance of bumping his head. :? The top of the pipe is approximately 5' 2". The width at the bottom is about 17" wide. When standing a level straight up and down, at four feet each side is about four and a half inches further out. This would make the alley about 29" wide at four feet high. We'll know more by this time tomorrow if it is going to work. :wink:

Thanks! I gotta build an alley sometime this summer when i find a minute and i was curious as to how ya'll did that one. Only two more hours til you can update us on how the test run went! :wink:

 

[North Ridge Ranching]

What would be really nice would be if Sparky would fabricate up a couple more of those nice panels for the sides and send them up north for us. I would be able to take care of the posts. I have to side with Kosmo on the 2x4's as well, seeing as I have had a few good knocks on short cross members before.

 

[Soapweed]

About ready to give it a try

The windmill is watching to see if we do it right.

What some folks wear on the first of June in the Nebraska Sandhills.

Can you believe it?

Now he looks more like a hand.

The new alley seems to work just right.

His kollege eddicashun is koming in handee.

 

[EastWind]

The new system looks great, his T-shirt still looks awful white for checking cows.