Aluminium/steel sheep hurdles recommendations

[twizzel]

We don’t have many sheep (30-40 ewes with lambs is the most we’d need to pen at once)but at the moment if I want to pen anything up we use bog standard 6ft looped hurdles, which are a pain to drag etc. I want to buy a few new hurdles to make life easier, so looking for recommendations on what to buy.

We do most of our penning up in a big cattle shed with concrete floor. We do have to pack hurdles away after doing sheep jobs though. Most of the sheep are at home, there’s a few on a farm up the road but we don’t generally pen them up unless they’re coming home.

I’m looking at the fowrass 7.5ft steel hurdles and wondering if they’re a good middle ground budget wise, has anyone used them? How heavy are they? I don’t think our budget will stretch to a handling system unless I can find something second hand. Not sure if aluminium ones are worth the extra ££ for what we need or not. Or if anyone has any other suggestions please say

 

[Aspiring Peasants]

We don’t have many sheep (30-40 ewes with lambs is the most we’d need to pen at once)but at the moment if I want to pen anything up we use bog standard 6ft looped hurdles, which are a pain to drag etc. I want to buy a few new hurdles to make life easier, so looking for recommendations on what to buy.

We do most of our penning up in a big cattle shed with concrete floor. We do have to pack hurdles away after doing sheep jobs though. Most of the sheep are at home, there’s a few on a farm up the road but we don’t generally pen them up unless they’re coming home.

I’m looking at the fowrass 7.5ft steel hurdles and wondering if they’re a good middle ground budget wise, has anyone used them? How heavy are they? I don’t think our budget will stretch to a handling system unless I can find something second hand. Not sure if aluminium ones are worth the extra ££ for what we need or not. Or if anyone has any other suggestions please say

Got some of the Fowrass, ones, they are quite heavy but they are strong, galvanising isn’t very good but I still like them and am thinking of getting some more. They do an aluminium version now I think. Do you have a race or a pen for handling them?

 

[twizzel]

Yes but the race is in another shed, tend to use that once shearing is done. I normally just pen them up and push into a smaller pen within the big one to treat baby lambs, this is what I want the hurdles for.

We were looking at the aluminium ones and debating if they’re worth the £30/hurdle more

 

[Nithsdale]

We were looking at the aluminium ones and debating if they’re worth the £30/hurdle more

Just looked up Fowrass (have seen them before but didn't know they'd started making an aluminium hurdle)...

What size is that aluminium hurdle?
£115 seems ridiculously cheap.



Alligator is £170 for a 5ft hurdle
Prattley is £201 for a 6ft and £215 for 7ft hurdles.... just for some comparison

 

[Aspiring Peasants]

Yes but the race is in another shed, tend to use that once shearing is done. I normally just pen them up and push into a smaller pen within the big one to treat baby lambs, this is what I want the hurdles for.

We were looking at the aluminium ones and debating if they’re worth the £30/hurdle more

I have aluminium hurdles (not Fowrass) as well. They are easier to pull round behind sheep when penning them and obviously much lighter to handle. However if you’re penning sheep up to handle them the steel ones will make a much stronger firmer pen

 

[Tomo23]

First outing tonight. Bent one already.

View attachment 1135903

 

[AftonShepherd]

First outing tonight. Bent one already.

View attachment 1135903

 

[Tomo23]

Hells bells. Don't remember getting a letter. I know insurance is due end of the month.

thanks @AftonShepherd

 

[Nithsdale]

First outing tonight. Bent one already.

View attachment 1135903

Sadly looking at the price that was my suspicions.

 

[Tomo23]

Sadly looking at the price that was my suspicions.

I've said a few time on different threads. I think the likes of prattley and rappa etc carry out a heat treatment on their Ali products. I think they're baked to a certain temperature. This treatment adds a degree of springiness to the hurdle, which clearly for the price Fowrass does not.

 

[neilo]

View attachment 1140724

I’ve always wondered why everyone on here goes to the trouble of obscuring their number plate. Now I know.

 

[Nithsdale]

I've said a few time on different threads. I think the likes of prattley and rappa etc carry out a heat treatment on their Ali products. I think they're baked to a certain temperature. This treatment adds a degree of springiness to the hurdle, which clearly for the price Fowrass does not.

It's just the grade of metal.

The aluminium Alligator/Prattley/Rappa all use is standard T6 tempered/tensile, known as Structural Aluminium - it's rated almost as strong as Mild Steel (but handles load/pressure better) and is obviously lighter. These companies don't actually make the aluminium they use, it's all standard supply - you can buy straight off the shelf of a metal supplies company and make your own hurdles if you're good at welding aluminium


Those manufacturers are all running around the £200 for 6ft hurdles so anything coming in a lot cheaper will need to be considerably poorer quality.

 

[Tomo23]

It's just the grade of metal.

The aluminium Alligator/Prattley/Rappa all use is standard T6 tempered/tensile, known as Structural Aluminium - it's rated almost as strong as Mild Steel (but handles load/pressure better) and is obviously lighter. These companies don't actually make the aluminium they use, it's all standard supply - you can buy straight off the shelf of a metal supplies company and make your own hurdles if you're good at welding aluminium


Those manufacturers are all running around the £200 for 6ft hurdles so anything coming in a lot cheaper will need to be considerably poorer quality.

I've 100% seen a video on the rappa ones somewhere that shows them in the oven. I was going to get the ones I made done. But never got round to it. They are T6 but I forget which one.

There are 3 different grades of T6, I thought they were just different in terms of machinability etc.

 

[Nithsdale]

I've 100% seen a video on the rappa ones somewhere that shows them in the oven. I was going to get the ones I made done. But never got round to it. They are T6 but I forget which one.

There are 3 different grades of T6, I thought they were just different in terms of machinability etc.

View attachment 1140742

It's the bottom one that is used for the hurdles by all the manufacturers - t6082. "structural Alloy".

I've 2 flat bars of it here, unbelievably strong compared to an equivalent piece of steel

 

[Tomo23]

Just seen these. May be happy medium.

Aluminium Sheep Hurdle

Our aluminium sheep hurdles are extremely lightweight for manoeuvring, yet extremely durable for livestock use. Agri-Kit's aluminium hurdles unique bar design and long life span make these ideal for every sheep farm. Features: Light weight Easy to use Unique design Corrosion resilient Long...

agrikit.co.uk

I see Ritchie do them aswell but they're £262 each.

 

[Optimus]

Just seen these. May be happy medium.

Aluminium Sheep Hurdle

Our aluminium sheep hurdles are extremely lightweight for manoeuvring, yet extremely durable for livestock use. Agri-Kit's aluminium hurdles unique bar design and long life span make these ideal for every sheep farm. Features: Light weight Easy to use Unique design Corrosion resilient Long...

agrikit.co.uk

I see Ritchie do them aswell but they're £262 each.

Make my 10ft alloy cattle hurdles look cheap @£160.

 

[Tomo23]

Make my 10ft alloy cattle hurdles look cheap @£160.

When were they bought. That is cheap!

 

[Optimus]

When were they bought. That is cheap!

3 years ago but still cheap.strong too,had some fair pressure on them when on cattle jobs

 

[Blue.]

Scotpen ally hurdles here,expensive when I bought them but worth ever penny.

 

[Bury the Trash]

Scotpen ally hurdles here,expensive when I bought them but worth ever penny.

and Chap /rep for scot pen who sells them in NDevon will sell individual hurdles i believe ideal for someone who might not want the trailer /race
its surprising how usefull it is to have even like 8 or something 6fts to pull around behind after the sheep have been cornerd