by Jill J. Dunkel

Several companies debuted new products at the 2003 NCBA Convention, and livestock equipment manufacturers were no different. Many of the new products are designed to make life easier for the cattleman and safer for the livestock. Here's a short run-down of what's new...

Neck Extenders
With the tighter injection site zone increasing in popularity, many chute manufacturers are finding ways to make the neck area even more accessible than before. Several have designed neck extenders or head gate extensions to make administering vaccines and implants even easier.

For Most introduces their new manual head sweep. It prevents cattle from throwing their head around when restrained in the head gate. Is designed to bolt to any For-Most model 30 or 30T manual headgate. It sells for under $200 and can be shipped via UPS.

Linn Enterprises has also developed a device to make vaccinations and implanting easier. Their manual neck extender mounts to the front of the head gate on the LEI manual chute. It allows the operator to gently extend the animal's head. The LEI neck extender can be purchased on a new chute or can be easily added to an existing chute. It comes complete with assembly instructions and can be shipped UPS.

Another type of neck extender was developed by Cummings Sales. Their hydraulic rotary headgate extension opens up the neck area for injections when the extension rotates forward. With the extension, the neck is available from both the front and the side.

Chutes & Alleys
Filson Livestock Equipment has developed an open sweep and open alley. The open design allows for more portability. the sweep pen door latches every 18 inches. It can be changed from a left hand to a right hand sweep easily. The alley comes in eight foot straight sections, which are sheeted 24 inches from the bottom of each panel.

Moly Manufacturing introduces its Hydraflow hydraulic Animal Advance. It is designed to eliminate the hot-shot, adjusting vertically so livestock flow through the alley, but can't back up. It provides a quiet, gentle nudge that can be repeated as the livestock progress through the alley.

Big Valley's new MX chute offers superior value in an economically priced chute. It features a double side floor adjustment, single side exit and the ability to accept any Big Valley headgate.

Bowman Livestock Equipment had developed a hydraulic adjustable bottom as an option on their chutes. A cylinder on each side pushes the bottom of the squeeze in or out, so it doesn't have to be adjusted manually. A side palpation door is also now available by request. These features are custom built into a chute.

Blattner B Bar D Livestock Equipment's Double Alley helps cattle feed into an alley easier due to the six foot opening. Cattle also move through more naturally because another animal is beside them.

Adjustable Head Gates
Another popular addition to the chute market is an adjustable scissor gate.

WW Livestock now offers an adjustable hydraulic scissor head gate as an option on their chutes. The headgate opens up wider at the bottom to make it easier for cattle to get in and out. Producers should specify this option when they order a chute.

Trojan's floating gate also allows larger animals to get in and out of the chute with ease. The floating gate allows the operator to control the width at the bottom of the scissor opening. The bottom of the gate will open to the fullest width of the side of the chute. It can be adjusted to prevent choking at the bottom of the head gate. Floating gates can be retro-fitted on existing chute or ordered on a new chute.

For more information on these products, please contact the manufacturer. ©