Wooden Headgate Simple, Quiet

Wooden Headgate Simple Quiet LIVESTOCK Beef Chuck Laughbaum grew up using a wooden headgate and still uses one today He patterned it after one his dad Earl and uncle Howard built in 1950 and used for nearly 40 years “I remember as a boy pulling the rope to shut the headgate on a cow as my dad pushed her down the chute ” says Laughbaum “I would hold the chute shut till my dad could insert a steel pin to lock it ” The headgate is a simple affair of 2 by 4’s that operate on a scissoring action It works well with a chute design that has a swing gate to its side for cattle to exit the chute once freed from the headgate “The headgate has an overall width of 42 in and a height of 70 in ” says Laughbaum “It’s made from rough-cut hardwood 2 by 4’s and 1/2-in bolts It probably wouldn’t cost more than $75 in wood at a sawmill ” The headgate consists of 2 uprights 3 single crossbars and 2 pairs of crossbars It‘s mounted to posts sunk in the ground at the end of the chute Mounting carriage bolts extend through the uprights crossbars and the posts The first crossbar is mounted at the top of the frame and the second is 11 1/2 in lower A pair of crossbars is mounted 14 1/2 in below the second crossbar with a second pair mounted 22 in lower providing room for the animal’s head This pair is 56 in long and extends past the right upright of the headgate to serve as a mount and pivot point for the headgate control bar The final crossbar is mounted 14 1/2 in lower at the bottom of the uprights The sliding bars that close around the animal’s head ride between the two crossbar pairs When open they form a V with their bottom ends bolted to the lowest crossbar on the headgate frame and 14 1/2 in from either upright Laughbaum stresses that the geometry of the sliding bar and the control bar is important When the control bar is vertical the headgate is open When it leans away from the headgate the headgate is closed “Initially the lock pin hole was in wood ” says Laughbaum “My dad added a 4-in wide steel plate when the hole in the wood got worn and loose The plate has 5 holes in it to adjust to different size cattle ” Today Laughbaum uses his headgate for a small herd on his hobby farm “Our veterinarians really like it ” he says “They say it’s quieter than steel headgates and doesn’t spook the cattle ” Laughbaum says his father first saw similar headgates while working on a government ranch in Idaho during WWII Plans are currently available online at http://msucares com/pubs/plans/5778a pdf Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Chuck Laughbaum 2251 Pleasantview Rd Pellston Mich 49769 ph 231 539-8906

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