2010 - Volume #34, Issue #6, Page #16
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"LadderGuard" Scares Pigs Away
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Invented by hog producer Tom Rahm, the LadderGuard gives a small electric shock to pigs that get too close. The unit consists of a pair of thin metal cables spaced 3/4 in. apart and attached to a 1/2-in. dia. pvc pipe, which mounts below the ladder's bottom step and goes all the way around the ladder. All the pipes are flattened at the corners with holes drilled into them where the cables go through them. The cables are connected to a battery-powered fencer that uses two D batteries. A pair of 12-in. leads with alligator clamps attaches to the cable.
Any hogs that get too close receive an electric shock.
"The shock isn't enough to make pigs squeal, but they will back off," says Rahm. "From then on, they're all really cautious about touching it. Even if you don't need to step on the ladder to do your work, you can keep the ladder where it is without being there and hogs won't approach it."
Rahm says he got the idea from listening to maintenance people who were concerned about pigs that would touch their ladders. He says the system is safe for the user. "A worker would need to touch both wires to get shocked, and even then it's not much more than the shock you get from rubbing your feet on carpet. The shock isn't strong enough to go through boots or clothing."
He says the batteries will last at least 3 months running continuously.
Two models are available. One is sized for 3 to 4-ft. tall ladders and sells for $186 plus S&H. The other is for 6-ft. ladders and sells fro $198 plus S&H.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Moore Automation, Inc., 411 Main St. E., Trimont, Minn. 56176 (ph 877 767-6897).
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