"Calf Sling" Weighing Belt

"Calf Sling" Weighing Belt LIVESTOCK Beef 28-3-33 "My new calf sling weighing belt takes much of the work out of weighing newborn calves. It can also be used just to transport calves without weighing them," says Reg Gibbs, Billings, Montana. The Fastweigh belt can be used to weigh calves up to 130 lbs. It consists of a 36-in. long, 14-in. wide vinyl-coated canvas that's attached at both ends to triangle-shaped metal frames equipped with handholds. An adjuster bar, which bolts onto the rear bumper of any truck or pickup, is used to support the scale and can be adjusted in height depending on the animal's size and weight. To weigh the calf, the operator places the canvas under the animal's belly, then uses both frames to lift the calf off the ground and hook it onto the scale. "It eliminates the need to tie the calf's legs and wrestle him off the ground and onto a scale. It also keeps most of the æcalf slime' off your clothes," says Gibbs. "The adjuster bar has 20 inches of adjustment so it'll fit almost any bumper height. I find that I sell about 15 slings for every complete unit that I sell. Ranchers who buy the slings separately generally use them around calving barns to assist in carrying calves. Those who buy the complete unit are generally purebred producers, who want to keep detailed birth weights while saving their back from lifting too much." The calf sling alone sells for $40 plus S&H. The complete unit, including adjuster bar and weigh scale, sells for $125 plus S&H. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Reg Gibbs, Brightsun Inc., P.O. Box 20253, Billings, Montana 59104 (ph 406 252-6651; email: reggibbs@bresnan.net).

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