Drive-Over Electric Cattle Gate

Drive-Over Electric Cattle Gate FENCING Gates 30-2-18 Drive-through electric gates have been available for years, but have you ever heard of a drive-over electric gate? A Missouri company recently introduced one at the recent National Farm Machinery Show in Louisville, Ky. It lets you get into pens, feedlots, and pastures without climbing off the tractor. The Gap Zapper is a flexible rubber mat that's 4 ft. wide by 14 ft. long. A special compound along the top of it gives the rubber surface the same conductivity as an electric fence, with the same shock value. A regular electric fencer provides the power. When an animal steps on or touches the mat, an electric shock turns it away. Vehicles and equipment can cross with no harm to the mat, and you can walk across the mat if you have on rubber or vinyl-soled shoes. The mat can be easily unhooked from the fence charger, rolled up, and moved to a new location at any time. "It's less expensive than pit-style cattle guards or portable steel cattle guards, and more reliable than drive-through electric gates. A big advantage over drive-through gates is there's no swinging arm to bump or scratch your vehicle," says inventor Herb Beck, Farmington, Mo. The mat can be placed across any fence opening, road, or other gap, says Beck. "It really works well for rotational grazing, because when cattle are moved into new areas of a pasture they already know that the Gap Zapper will deliver a shock if they touch it. The mat comes with two leads at each end, which you can hook up directly to an electric fence if you want. The mat won't reduce the voltage farther on down the fence." According to Beck, animals will first have to be trained so they know the Gap Zapper is there and won't run right through the opening. "You can put a piece of twine or a rope across the opening, from post to post, to provide a visible barrier that animals will investigate. In the process they'll touch the mat and get a shock. After a day or two you can take the visible barrier down." He says rain and snow won't affect the mat's performance. "If the mat is wet or has snow on it, the animals will still get shocked. More than likely they will already be trained and won't even approach the mat whether they can see it or not." Sells for $1,095 and has a 3-year warranty. Discounts available for multiple mats. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Gap Zapper Corp., 2519 Oak Ridge Dr., Farmington, Mo. 63640 (ph 573 756-2050 or 573 897-2943; hbeck@thegapzapper.com; www.thegapzapper.com).

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