School Bus Cattle Transport

School bus cattle transport LIVESTOCK Handling 12-3-6 An old school bus with a burned-out motor converted into a "top of the line" cattle hauler on the Lawrence and Terill Adamik farm near Arnes, Manitoba. "We bought it to haul cattle from one pasture to another. When the motor failed, we got the idea of converting it to a trailer to eliminate the labor required to maintain a motor, transmission and rear end," says Lawrence Adamik. "We cut the cab off directly behind the side door, leaving 4 ft. of frame extending out front. We made a gooseneck out of used 4 by 6-in. box iron and used a heavy pipe and plate for the swivel hookup. It simply drops onto a hitch pin mounted on the deck of our 1-ton truck. "We closed the front of the bus off with a steel pipe frame, lined with plywood inside and corrugated steel on the outside and put steel grating over the windows. Animals are loaded through the rear door, which was removed. A pair of sliding steel grates cover the rear opening in transport. A ramp, made out of scrap iron and planking, slides up under the rear door between the frame and the floor. The floor is covered with plywood to prevent slippage. A partition, made of tubing and covered with plywood, is used to keep cattle close to the front when you're only hauling a few head. Keeping the cattle towards the front improves traction." Total cost for the miscellaneous parts, and including $150 for the used bus, was $460. Contact FARM SHOW Followup, Lawrence Adamik, Box 42, Ames, Manitoba, R0C 0C0 Canada (ph 204 642-7679).

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