Water Tanks Travel Light, Set Up Fast

Water Tanks Travel Light Set Up Fast LIVESTOCK Beef Mobile water tanks from Tomcat Mfg are designed to move easily and set up fast The tough lightweight tanks mount on their own trailers complete with durable float systems and optional solar-powered pumps “We consult with people on rotational grazing and everyone we talked to said water was their biggest issue ” says Austin Swaney Tomcat Mfg “We thought why not move the water around and break up the paddocks by what’s good for the land not in order to have water access?” The company had been and still does design in-ground geothermal heated tanks However like water holes cattle congregated around the tanks and trampled the grass “Go to any waterhole and the grass is trampled down for 30 yds around ” says Swaney “A mobile tank can be moved regularly to keep that from happening ” Tomcat offers 250 and 500-gal capacity Keyhole waterers Both have 18-in high telescoping 1 by 1-in steel frames with high puncture strength vinyl liners The smaller model measures 4 by 6 ft and the larger tank 4 by 12 ft They are adaptable to any water source and can be equipped with a solar pump to draw water from up to a quarter mile away “They can be towed into place with a 4-wheeler ” says Swaney “At the site just flip the tank off its trailer and telescope the frame out to its full length If you can dead lift 50 lbs you can move it into place ” The 250-gal waterer is priced at $1 499 The 500-gal one is priced at $1 899 The solar-powered pump option adds $2 500 to the base prices Swaney notes that the 18-in height allows calves and sheep easy access to water The larger Missouri 1 000-gal capacity waterer has 24-in high sides and is 6 by 12 ft long It is available with either a rugged vinyl liner or a hard poly tank The tank’s frame is integrated into its trailer Towed to the watering site the front corners of the tank frame are unpinned from the front of the trailer frame This allows the tank to settle to the ground and the tongue rises up into the air Connect the float to the water lines and the tank is ready for use The Missouri’s base price is $4 600 Adding a higher rail to keep out taller livestock raises the price to $5 000 Adding a guard railing and solar panel with pump brings the price to $8 500 The vinyl liners are the same as firefighters use for their portable tanks Swaney notes that the liners and hard poly tanks come with a stepped warranty It includes a no-cost replacement the first year gradually increasing by 25 percent increments to the full manufacturer’s price in year five “We will customize the height of the top rail to the customer’s livestock ” says Swaney “We make the tanks low as we found that calves often can’t reach the water in most big stock tanks ” Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Tomcat Mfg Gillette Wyo

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