Squeeze Chute recommendations?

[CattlemanSC]

Ill go ahead and ask for my first piece of advise on here. I can buy a brand new SO4 Preifert for 3740.00. I'm setting up one of our barns for a crowd area and possibly sweep. Money is a factor so I'm wondering if i should spend my money on the chute to last a lifetime or buy the OS-3 premier 90 degree open sweep with 91 head catch? I helped a friend AI before and she just had a simple crowd area with a chute and a wood gate leading to the chute. She did not squeeze the cows just put a pipe through the drop bars to keep them from moving back. I was just curious where you folks would put your money at. I know you get can get buy roping cattle to a ceder post ect. but wanting to set things up right for the long haul.

Barn lean structure is 60' long 15'wide. the alley will be 8' wide leading up to barn. Ill try and upload pics later.

[Supa Dexta]

That chute in a barn will last your life time... So over 20,30,40 years its gonna cost you about ~100 a year.

[coachg]

I bought a SO4 this summer and I don't regret a penny I spent on it ! Ours is outside but going to build a shed over it this spring. I got the palp cage so I have closer to 4,000 in mine. I would get the chute now and wait on the rest for later.

[JMJ Farms]

I've been wanting a S04 myself. And I agree it will last a lifetime if taken care of. However, you still got to pay for it upfront. So I'm still using my old headgate. I say if you can afford it then it's a very good investment.

[greybeard]

Ill go ahead and ask for my first piece of advise on here. I can buy a brand new SO4 Preifert for 3740.00. I'm setting up one of our barns for a crowd area and possibly sweep. Money is a factor so I'm wondering if i should spend my money on the chute to last a lifetime or buy the OS-3 premier 90 degree open sweep with 91 head catch? I helped a friend AI before and she just had a simple crowd area with a chute and a wood gate leading to the chute. She did not squeeze the cows just put a pipe through the drop bars to keep them from moving back. I was just curious where you folks would put your money at. I know you get can get buy roping cattle to a ceder post ect. but wanting to set things up right for the long haul.

Barn lean structure is 60' long 15'wide. the alley will be 8' wide leading up to barn. Ill try and upload pics later.

I have an 0S3 sweep and mdl 91 headgate. It worked "ok" most of the time, but I found the short alleyway lacking, so I doubled it in length. The alley that comes with the 0S3 sweep is stronger than the regular Premier panels, but the regular Premier panels IMO, are too weak and light to be used at any pressure point or for anything other than docile cattle. In a sweep and the alley leading to the headgate they work ok because there isn't much room for the cattle to move, but in a holding pen leading to the sweep, you may want something better. I had a Beefmaster bull pretty much crinkle 2 of those panels at will, and he wasn't all that big of a bull.
You will want to put some posts outside the HG alley and tie that HG down to something too.

[slick4591]

I've been wanting a S04 myself. And I agree it will last a lifetime if taken care of. However, you still got to pay for it upfront. So I'm still using my old headgate. I say if you can afford it then it's a very good investment.

I operated with just a headgate for about three years and my 1800 lb. bull darn near turned it and the panels over on me. Had it anchored but just not good enough for this occasion. Dug deep into my asspocket and bought the SO4 and put it on concrete with anchored posts. If it gets turned over I'll give you all my cattle.

[JMJ Farms]

I've been wanting a S04 myself. And I agree it will last a lifetime if taken care of. However, you still got to pay for it upfront. So I'm still using my old headgate. I say if you can afford it then it's a very good investment.

I operated with just a headgate for about three years and my 1800 lb. bull darn near turned it and the panels over on me. Had it anchored but just not good enough for this occasion. Dug deep into my asspocket and bought the SO4 and put it on concrete with anchored posts. If it gets turned over I'll give you all my cattle.

Haha. Slick, I can see my charolais bull running through the pasture with my headgate and posts still on his head. I'm gonna scrape up enough soon.

[WalnutCrest]

I've been wanting a S04 myself. And I agree it will last a lifetime if taken care of. However, you still got to pay for it upfront. So I'm still using my old headgate. I say if you can afford it then it's a very good investment.

I operated with just a headgate for about three years and my 1800 lb. bull darn near turned it and the panels over on me. Had it anchored but just not good enough for this occasion. Dug deep into my asspocket and bought the SO4 and put it on concrete with anchored posts. If it gets turned over I'll give you all my cattle.

Haha. Slick, I can see my charolais bull running through the pasture with my headgate and posts still on his head. I'm gonna scrape up enough soon.

Wow!

You get a picture of that?

[JMJ Farms]

I operated with just a headgate for about three years and my 1800 lb. bull darn near turned it and the panels over on me. Had it anchored but just not good enough for this occasion. Dug deep into my asspocket and bought the SO4 and put it on concrete with anchored posts. If it gets turned over I'll give you all my cattle.

Haha. Slick, I can see my charolais bull running through the pasture with my headgate and posts still on his head. I'm gonna scrape up enough soon.

Wow!

You get a picture of that?

I should have been more clear walnut. I meant that I could see it (possibly) happening. As in, that's my kinda luck.

[eddie81]

Arrowquip makes good chutes. Their new 86's look pretty nice, too.
https://youtu.be/uVtq6dazqaY

[hillbilly beef man]

Haha. Slick, I can see my charolais bull running through the pasture with my headgate and posts still on his head. I'm gonna scrape up enough soon.

Wow!

You get a picture of that?

I should have been more clear walnut. I meant that I could see it (possibly) happening. As in, that's my kinda luck.

I did see that happen once. I used to help am old man that had his headgate mounted to a couple of 4x4s that weren't in the ground but a couple of feet. We got his bull in it to work him and he was none too happy. He gave lunge and the posts came out of the ground and he was off. Luckily the head gate unlatched halfway across the pasture and it fell off his head. I am not sure how we would have gotten it off otherwise. When i put my headgate in I used a backhoe to sink 6x6s 5 ft in the ground. So far even the rowdiest cow has not budged it.

[FiveOaksFarmGA]

Also have to be careful with the autocatch if they get too excited and hit it hard. It'll bruise the glands in the front of their shoulders. Those glands help them fight stress. Learned that at a cattleman demonstration when one of the calves hit the Priefert auto gate really hard. Like mentioned above they eventually get used to it, especially if you train them by running them through more often than when you are actually working them.

[ThumbHereford]

Priefert SO4 squeeze with auto catch, made my life easier.... high quality and reasonably priced.

[BigBear]

I wanted to see if some of you out there would share your thoughts on brands of squeeze chutes and which ones you would recommend or NOT recommend.

I am in the Pacific Northwest (Oregon) and most of the chutes you can find for sale new or used are either Powder River, Priefert or, to a lesser extent, Big Valley and WW. I have eliminated the WW from consideration because they seem to be so much more expensive compared to the other brands. There are also a few places, including my nearest feed store, now selling Tarter Livestock equipment and I have never heard of this brand. Where I am at we get a lot of rain (about 40 to 60 inches per year) and the chute will be kept outdoors.

I have a small herd of 10 to 12 head of Black Angus and Polled Hereford X Black Angus. I A.I. breed my cows and raise the steers for beef and heifers to either keep or sell as breeding replacements. Hope that information helps with your suggestions.

Luckiamute, I just went through this process myself. I ended up getting a Priefert Rancher SO1 model with the wishbone carriage so I can take it anywhere I want. $3515 with everything at the Ohio Beef Expo. Still waiting for it to get in though.

The head gate is what sold me. Prieferts design is much better than the others I have seen and the ability run multiple size animals through without making an adjustment is pretty sweet. And the head gate has a lifetime warranty. The SO4 is their most popular but was $1000 more and the only difference from the SO1 was the tailgate. If I had more animals I would go to the SO4 but I'm small potatoes so the Rancher should work out good for me. So another vote here for Priefert.

[RanchMan90]

Just bought a new to me priefert model 85 with carriage for $1500. Still works good and has lifetime warranty. Priefert fully refurbishes them for $250.