Barrel Feed Bunks And Watering Tubs

Barrel Feed Bunks And Watering Tubs LIVESTOCK Feeding Equipment 34-1-41 I used 2-in. round stock from old car axles to make a pair of bale spears, which I mounted on the loader bucket on my Ford 4000 tractor. The 6-ft. long spears are spaced 32 in. apart and welded through holes in a heavy angle iron bracket that slips over the lip of the bucket. The spears extend through the angle iron and under the bucket, and are welded to an angle iron frame on back of the bucket. A pair of pins secure the spears to a support frame already on the bucket. I haul one bale on back of the tractor and one on front. I use the same forks to haul large pallets for pruning trees or painting. One time the middle part of the bucket broke due to stress. Next time I'd use heavier angle iron and extend it over the width of the bucket in order to distribute the weight more evenly. I cut plastic barrels in half, either vertically or horizontally, to make low-cost, temporary feed bunks and watering tubs. They come in handy when you have just a few animals. Cutting a black 55-gal. barrel in half vertically also makes a great water tub that'll hold more than 25 gal. of water. A light chain secures it to a post or gate. My bull always lets me know when the tub is empty by putting his head inside the tub and rattling it around. Any thin ice that develops can easily be broken with a hard rap and then dumped out. Horizontally-cut barrels make great feed bunks when lightly chained to the cross pipes on a gate. I drill 3/8-in. dia. holes in the bottom of the barrel for drainage. The barrels work great with salt blocks, too, because they won't rust. A 15-gal. barrel cut horizontally a little more than halfway up and with its handle still attached, can be laid inside a 25-gal. barrel to make a water trough for penned-up or smaller animals such as goats and sheep. Putting a little hay in the 25-gal. tub helps level and steady the trough and also prevents water from freezing all the way down to the bottom of the tub. A tip for removing ice from stock tanks: Just slide a piece of galvanized wire mesh, about 1 ft. square, onto a pitchfork. It lets you sweep out the ice without getting your fingers cold and wet. (Gabe Davidson, P.O. Box 61, Annandale, Minn. 55302 ph 320 274-8837)

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