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Can anyone recommend a good cattle guard design?

W

Whitewing

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 4, 2009
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5,855
Location
Venezuela
That is, direct me to a website that sells a decent one. I'm going to have a few made for the place. Tired of the gate routine. :?
 
You might get some that the Obama administration fired in Wyoming Whitewing. :wink:

Can you get used railroad iron down there? Spiked to 12x12 stringers they work fairly good for lighter traffic like most of what you have. You might build them real cheap if the railways just give them away.
 
If you are using electric fence I posted pictures ( and can find them again if needed ) of the cattle guards I use. Dump trucks go over them on a egular basis and no cows, horses, or dogs will cross.

They do not stand up to my wife and a lawn mower very well though. She mowed over one twice in a week then went about three years and then mowed over it again about three weeks ago! It takes about an hour to get all the wire out of the mower deck!

Very easy to put together and will last a long time. Biggest expense was the tennis balls I use for insulators.
 
Stur-D and a lot of independent shops make good heavy duty cattle guards. Here's a link with a good pic of a Stur-D cattle guard. If you have some oil field pipe, some misc iron and are handy with a welder it shouldn't be hard to make one.

http://www.stur-d.com/Products/CattleGuard/tabid/62/Default.aspx
 
Thanks guys! Drill pipe we've got down here, railroads we don't. Perhaps 3" drill pipe and double T's would do the trick.

Once I've got one made, I'll post some pics.
 
I'd think the whole cattle guard could likely be built of heavy pipe, especially if the pieces could be "mitred"?, is that the right word? Cut out portions of one pipe to make the other fit and leave room for a generous weld job. Channel iron from an old field cultivator might prove useful also. I think using your imagination is the key. :wink:
 
John SD said:
I'd think the whole cattle guard could likely be built of heavy pipe, especially if the pieces could be "mitred"?, is that the right word? Cut out portions of one pipe to make the other fit and leave room for a generous weld job. Channel iron from an old field cultivator might prove useful also. I think using your imagination is the key. :wink:
Click to expand...

Pretty decent design here, and it looks like mostly pipe with some heavy angle iron and boxing to keep it from back filing:

cattle_guard_large.png
 
Whitewing said:
John SD said:
I'd think the whole cattle guard could likely be built of heavy pipe, especially if the pieces could be "mitred"?, is that the right word? Cut out portions of one pipe to make the other fit and leave room for a generous weld job. Channel iron from an old field cultivator might prove useful also. I think using your imagination is the key. :wink:
Click to expand...

Pretty decent design here, and it looks like mostly pipe with some heavy angle iron and boxing to keep it from back filing:

cattle_guard_large.png
Click to expand...

Yes, that's what impressed me about the Stur-D design. Just dig a hole in the road and drop it in and bury it. No concrete or ties needed.

I don't have a clue what the Stur-D cattle guards cost. Local place sells them along with other Stur-D products. I believe the Stur-D and some other cattle guards are made to meet the local county road and other govt agency specs.

The wings on each end are quite adjustable. If you notice, the bottom of each wing mounts to the cattle guard via round swivel brackets that slip inside the round cross pieces of the cattle guard. (5th pipe in from each side)
 
siprecast.com has some nice concrete cattle guards. We have them here on the ranch. They will hold up to truck traffic very well. They tell us that if it's road legal then they are good to go. Another thing is you don't have to dig a deep hole and don't have to clean them out like the pipe or railroad iron type.
 
Whitewing said:
John SD said:
I'd think the whole cattle guard could likely be built of heavy pipe, especially if the pieces could be "mitred"?, is that the right word? Cut out portions of one pipe to make the other fit and leave room for a generous weld job. Channel iron from an old field cultivator might prove useful also. I think using your imagination is the key. :wink:
Click to expand...

Pretty decent design here, and it looks like mostly pipe with some heavy angle iron and boxing to keep it from back filing:

cattle_guard_large.png
Click to expand...

Looks rather light compared to what we see in these parts, but if it's just for light ranch use and you're not walking your D8 over it that design would likely last for years. Up here the heavier built ones have the pipe filled with concrete, and the structure the guards sit on are usually far heavier.
 
I found these pictures of the cattle guards I use - - - cost next to nothing and will handle any load the road will handle.
GuardBalls.jpg


The tennis balls get moved around some with traffic but you can just slide them back.

endupclose.jpg


This is an end - - - I have a treated 2X6 top and bottom of the rubber belt at both ends. Run the wire ( three strands works well ) to the other end and hook up to electris fence.

The cattle come up to eat the "apples" tennis balls and after that they will not cross a rubber belt laid anywhere! I keep dogs, cattle and horses in with these.

Just don't let your wife try to mow them as it causes a mess!

These have been in use for about 5 years with very little maintance and no escapes at all. I had to put in a pipe walk thru gate for the dogs. If I want to move cattle thru there I just un hook one end and slide the belt off to the side and cattle will go willingly as the belt is what they fear!
 
thank-you George, I know that it was Whitewing asking but you have sure
given me a new idea. am going to build one as soon as i find some belting.

the only problem i have with this site is trying to find some of the archived topics, as i am sure that most of my questions have been discussed before

thanks again George and i'm sorry i infringed on Whitewings thread/post
 
If you have any gravel pits or coal mines in your area they will probably give you all the old belting you want as they are probably having to pay to landifll their old belts.

They make great bottoms for dog kennels, flooring in front of horse stalls and flooring for livestock tailers.

I even hang them verticaly with airspace between and they make great lead collectors on the shooting range. If any one wants my design for shooting backstops let me know.
 
George, i would most certainly be interested in your shooting back stops. am currently using an old pallet to staple the targets on, with a round bale behind that. if i'm looking for belting anyway...... :D :D PM me details if you will
 
hope this helps - - - The tennis balls act as insulators and spacers, the belting works as an insulator as well. The only thing these do not hold up to is a wife with a lawn mower! I put 3 wires on the belt and it seems to work for cows, horses, hogs and dogs. After they are used to it you can go to 1 wire and for short periods of time you can just lay a belt on the ground and the will respect it!



I just screwed a 2X6 at each end to hold insulators - - - the wire does not have to be very tight as the space between balls is short.



I tie the end of the belt to the fence post so that I can disconnect and pull the belt out of the way when I grade the driveway. These might work without the tennis balls but I feel the visibility of the balls gets the attention of livestock.

 

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