Heavy-Built Oiler/Mineral Feeder

Heavy-Built Oiler/Mineral Feeder LIVESTOCK Feeding Equipment 19-6-29 "We tested it on pasture with 18 bulls and they never tipped it over. Yet it weighs only 260 lbs. so it's light enough for one man to move from pasture to pasture with no trouble," says Chuck Russell about a heavy-duty combination cattle oiler/mineral feeder he built last fall and is now beginning to market. Russell's patent-pending oiler/mineral feeder was introduced at the "Big Iron" show at Fargo, N. Dak., earlier this fall. "It's sturdier than anything else on the market. It should last anybody an entire career," says Russell, a 22-year-old North Dakota rancher. The 4-ft. high unit is 3 ft. wide and 4 ft. long. It's built out of 14-ga. steel and 2 7/8-in. dia. heavy wall pipe. The tub for salt and mineral, which has a hood to protect the material from the elements, is made out of U.V.-treated 1/4-in. thick polyethylene. The oiler/feeder's tub holds 200 lbs. of salt or mineral, while its iron tank holds 4 gal. of diesel fuel and fly spray. The wick-drawn oiler uses heavy canvass hanging above the mineral tub to apply the material to the backs of cattle. The oiler is adjust-able. The oiler/feeder can be easily loaded for transport onto a pickup using lift brackets on each side of the frame. Russell has sold 15 of the oiler/feeders since building the first one last year. Selling price is $525, and tubs can be customized to include one, two or three compartments for feeding a combination of minerals, he says. He's looking for dealers and distributors. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Chuck Russell, Russell Ranch, HCO 2, Box 8, Grassy Butte, N. Dak. 58634 (ph 701-565-2274).

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