Calf Caddy Handy For Bringing In Calves

Calf Caddy Handy For Bringing In Calves DAIRY EQUIPMENT & IDEAS Dairy Equipment & Ideas 20-6-11 "Since we built it three years ago, we've used it to bring in 150 calves from pasture. It makes working calves a one-man job," says Bob Sallee about a handy two-wheel "calf caddy" he built to pull behind his ATV. The Coffeyville, Kan., Limousin rancher built the frame of the cart out of 1 in. sq. tubing, which helped keep weight to less than 75 lbs. Two 10 in. wheels off a lawnmower mount on a 3 1/2-ft. axle. A 2-ft. leaf spring off a car welds to each side of the frame and axle to smooth out bumps when transporting calves over rough terrain. The 2-ft. wide calf cradle consists of two strips of rubber belting 4-in. wide. Two rubber tarp straps hook over the calf's back to hold it in place. The cart has a 6 1/2-ft. removable mast with manual winch for weighing calves in the pasture. A weighing sling, fitted with gar-den hose-covered chains and hooks in each end, has several holes for the hooks in or-der to adjust balance on the weigh bar. Sallee normally uses the cart with his Honda 4-WD ATV to bring in 80 to 90-lb. calves, but says it'll handle calves up to 120 lbs. Out-of-pocket expenses were about $40. For easier calf-catching in pastures, Sallee also made a calf hook patterned after old-style chicken hooks. It consists of a 6-ft. length of 3/8-in. dia. rod with a hook on one end and the other inserted into a pitch-fork handle. "You can reach out 7 ft. or so from the ATV, hook a calf by a rear foot, pull it to you and have it in the cradle on the cart in no time," he says. "It makes catching calves a lot easier and a lot safer, too, since you can stay farther away from the occasional ornery cow." Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Bob Sallee, R.R. 1, Box 296-A, Coffeyville, Kan. 67337 (ph 316 251-3463).

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