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Chute Carries Hogs To Second Deck On Semi-Trucks
After he got tired of prodding stubborn hogs up ramps inside semi-trucks to get them to the second deck, Gregg Sauder, Tremont, Ill., built a chute that he can raise to the second deck level by cranking a winch.
"It lets me load hogs into any size truck with equal ease," says Sauder.
The 35-ft. long chute is raised or lowered by cable threaded through pulleys on a steel I-beam mounted across a pair of 18-ft.wood posts. A pair of angle iron brackets bolt to both posts at two different levels - one about 4 ft. high for straight trucks and the lower deck in semis and one 12 ft. high for semi upper decks. A steel pipe is inserted through the brackets under the end of the chute to lock it into position at either level.
"Hogs walk right up to the second deck of the truck without stopping at all," says Sauder, who buys 1,500 to 2,500 feeder pigs per year and feeds them to market weight. "In the past they would get inside the truck and just stop because they didn't want to go up the steep ramp.
"The cable is double pulleyed to make it easier to crank up. We use a skid steer loader to help lift the end of the chute to take pressure off the crank. The chute is wide enough for two hogs side by side so if one stops, the other one can go around him. There's room for at least 20 hogs on the chute at once. An 18-in. wide steel cat-walk is mounted outside one side of the chute so I can help hogs keep moving."
The 6-in. sq. wooden poles are set 4 ft. in the ground and mounted on concrete footings. The bottom of the chute was built with 4-in. sq. steel tubing with cross members spaced 35 in. apart. Angle iron braces are welded between them. A steel mesh floor is welded to the framework. The chute's 36-in. high tin sides are supported by vertical 1-in. angle irons. Handrails at the top on both sides are made from 1 1/ 2-in. angle iron. The lower end of the chute rests on a concrete pad. A pair of creosote posts keep the chute from sliding back whenever it's raised.
Inside the chute are two gates made from 3/4-in. plywood - one at the bottom and one about half way up.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Gregg Sauder, 23207 Townline Rd., Tremont, Ill. 61568 (ph 309 925-5050).


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1995 - Volume #19, Issue #4