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Whoa...your project brings back memories. Thirty-five years ago Dad and I built a corral with used railroad ties and highway guard rails. It served us well until a year ago I decided it was not worth the repair anymore. Plus I have cattle in three different pastures.

I have since gone to a portable corral and a "steer stuffer". Working good, only had one breakout. Horse and rope got her doctored.





Good luck on your project.

Roundoak, those look like nice heavy and tall panels.

Last summer we had our Fall shipping/sorting corrals reworked.

Grazing association project.

We used seven rail continuous on everything, the crew pounded in drill stem for posts.

Only downside is you need a torch and welder for any repairs but it is basically a cow prison. Wild old rips that have been out all summer do not try to jump out.

Portable tub and chute(Silencer).

You can load semis on one end, weigh calves in the middle and be preg testing on the other end. If there's enough help around anyway...

The ranch foreman built a super heavy duty(permanent) tub and we use it to work bulls at a different place.

It is impressive and works beyond good. We push 120 or so fullsize grown bulls through it and they don't try to pull any chit.

Wish I had pics of it.

We use a little homemade wooden version at home, handles cows fine but I wouldn't want to work a bunch of bulls with it.

SO, I also considered a sweep tub at the time I purchased this portable setup, but worked several times with a neighbor who had the same setup as what I purchased and thought the extra expense was not justified.

Watch, I will probably be proven wrong.

Of course it just depends on what you're doing.


Loading is generally way easier than getting them up into a squeeze chute(when they know whats gonna happen).

Like Wabigoon mentioned, they will try and avoid a squeeze chute like the plague!

Sam, now we have the elder statesman weighing in! (Sam, not me).

I've been told, in Southern Iowa, the facilities are, one post, a gate, an aluminum stock trailer, and a $50,000 diesel pickup.
Not much down at the "ranch", but they look good once in town.

Richard, I know what you mean!



I see the 'cowboys' riding around town in clean shiny pickups wearing cowboy hats when it's colder than hell and we're in dirty old outfits wearing stocking caps just trying to stay warm....grin

Sam, now comes to mind the old, "The bigger the hat, the smaller the herd."

Or "All hat, and no cattle."

Drugstore cowboys
Dancehall doctors

How is that corral coming along?

Got side tracked with the usual paying projects, but getting close. About ready to hand the gates.

What make of gates? Powder River gates are good, and heavy, Sioux gates, the yellow gates are a tough gate.
Any strong gate tends to lean the post, unless there is a lot of fence on the hinge side to counter the pull of gravity.

Not sure of the brand, but they look like they'll do the job for awhile.

Not too worried about post leaning as I have sunk 8" posts deep and put an H-Brace on each corner and gate post, then concreted them in.

Concreted the chute the same way, with cross braces on top.