Roller Cart Transports Downed Animals

Roller Cart Transports Downed Animals LIVESTOCK Miscellaneous 30-5-35 Kelby Wilcox was getting orders for his Secure Mobile Animal Rescue Transport (SMART) before he built the first one. All people had to do was see pictures of his model, and he started getting calls and orders. Since he had announced he planned to sell them for $18,000 apiece, he figured that was a good sign. The SMART cart has a powder coated, 4 by 8-ft. steel frame with a 3-ft. end gate that drops down hydraulically to slope toward the ground. Simply back the unit up to a downer animal, hook on the two-speed 12,000-lb. winch, and pull the animal onto the neoprene covered, stainless steel roller bed. "It slips underneath the animal as it rolls over the top," explains Wilcox. "Once the animal is on and strapped down, you can use the winch to pull the entire unit with the animal up a ramp onto a trailer or even a truck. You can even get sides for it." The winch is hand-powered, as is the hydraulic pump that raises the back end up. The lifetime Teflon bearings are maintenance-free. Two sets of 10-in. pneumatic tires with 4-in. spacers between them pivot at the front corners with single 6-in. wide, 10-in. tall tires at the rear corners. Front wheels can pivot free like a shopping cart or linked with a steering actuator axle. "Users will be able to pull it out of a barn by hand or out of a pen or pasture with a four wheeler, tractor, truck or even a horse," says Wilcox. "It could even be towed down the road, but I wouldn't recommend going more than 5 to 10 mph for animal safety." While $18,000 is a lot of money, it could mean the difference between saving an animal or losing it, explains Wilcox. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Kelby Wilcox, Queen of Hearts Cattle Co., 216 9th St., Suite G, Lewiston, Idaho 83501 (ph 208 790-9353).

To read the rest of this story, download this issue below or click here to register with your account number.