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ATV Mounted Calf Weigh Scale
"There wasn't anything on the market that would do the job," says Iowa farmer Bob Lucas, of Worthington who came up with his own ATV-mounted calf weigh scale that lets him weigh the calf right in the pasture and also do other calving chores at the same time.
Lucas mounted the scale, which handles up to 100 lbs.,
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ATV mounted calf weigh scale ATV'S ATV'S 15-5-7 "There wasn't anything on the market that would do the job," says Iowa farmer Bob Lucas, of Worthington who came up with his own ATV-mounted calf weigh scale that lets him weigh the calf right in the pasture and also do other calving chores at the same time.
Lucas mounted the scale, which handles up to 100 lbs., behind his Honda 250 4-wheeler. The scale mounts on the end of a steel boom made from 2-in. sq. tubing that attaches to the ATV with three bolts. The boom is about 4 ft. high and extends 2 1/2 ft. behind the ATV. The calf is held by a pair of chains on each end of a 2 ft. length of 2-in. sq. tubing that hooks to the bottom of the scale.
"It eliminates the need to haul newborn calves back home to weigh them," says Lucas. "I can also do ear tagging, implanting, and give scours pills and vaccination shots to calves at the same time. If the cow has a problem and I want her home I can drive the ATV with the calf hanging behind and the cow will follow me home. The only thing I'd change would be to cover each chain with a rubber hose so the calf is more comfort-able," says Lucas.
Lucas welded a 3 in. long, 2 in. wide, 1/ 2-in. thick steel plate flat against the bottom of the boom's mast, then drilled a hole through it to bolt it to the ATV drawbar. A clamp and two bolts secure the booms to the ATV rack. The weigh scale hooks to an I-bolt. To weigh a calf, Lucas unhooks the calf holder from the scale, wraps the chains around the calf's belly, and rehooks it.
When he's done weighing, Lucas leaves the scale on and wraps the chains around the ATV rack to keep them from flop-ping. To dismount the boom he simply removes the three bolts that secure it to the ATV. A short drawbar welded to the back side of boom's mast lets Lucas pull a two-wheel trailer with the scale in place.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Robert Lucas, 6249 Rt. 136, Worthing-ton, Iowa 52078 (ph 319 855-5315).
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