Sheep yards any difference between manufacturers

[hillman]

Thinking about getting a sheep yard along the lines of The bugle type , Ritchie,IAE and Bateman seem to be the main players , any difference in build quality between them, at times you see varying threads on here complaining about build quality from them all , so which is ticking the boxes at the moment?

 

[neilo]

No answer to your question (they’re all shite btw) I know, but I had half a dozen sheeted hurdles fabricated by a local cattle handling company, specced to be as solid as the old Poldenvale ones.
We added them on to a full system they were making for someone, who was getting the 40% grant on them but was similarly sick of substandard stuff from the normal manufacturers. Iirc they came in at £160 for a 9’ sheeted hurdle, so a bit dearer than mainstream but half as heavy again.

Might be worth enquiring, if you want something to last? That was from Morris’s near Bishop’s Castle.

Morris Livestock Handling Equipment - Home of the Morris Crush & Morris Yoke

Home of the highly recommended Morris Cattle Crush and Yoke. A robust and well designed range of Livestock Handling Equipment manufactured to your requirements in South Shropshire.

www.morrislivestockequipment.co.uk

 

[Al R]

There is also Arrowquip yards.
I’ve got 2 simple IAE systems as semi mobile yards on rented ground. 1 is a 20+ year old IAE heavy duty system and it’s ridiculously well made!!! The other is a 3 year old IAE economy race and drafter, does the job but every single teck screws Has to be retightened every few uses and there’s only 130 ewes at that system.

 

[Sheep92]

Have Iae heavy duty race and i find its good, also have a gibney/ritchie one gonna out farm and I wouldn't rate it at all, tbh, I've been interested in fowrass sheep equipment but dont know if its possible to get they're stuff over here on the emerald isle

 

[@dlm]

Used to be right behind @neilo , we have 90% of land in one ring fenced block, 800 acres with 3 sets of buildings, very lucky, but probably stupidly never invested in one proper sheep system at one site, simple pens with race, as have cattle as well and didnt want to restrict cattle useage by having a specific sheep set up, and didnt want one end committed to sheep and the other cattle as a ball ache to get all cattle one end for say tb test and all sheep other way for clipping/weaning etc. So had decent hurdles made 20 years ago along with few bought from farm sales and in temporary set up in small 40ft x 90ft shed used straw bales. But time getting shorter, only with mum and dad at 82, had enough of lugging hurdles one day to next so with grant bit the bullet. Went rappa, agree sheeted hurdle of @neilo will leave any mobile system miles behind in quality. but they serve a purpose. Minutes to set up and put away, compared to loading hurdles on a trailer, unlevel ground causing more problems. Admit only 5 mins into rappa experience and admit use odd straw bale for support, worked fine without, but 100k ewes testing L supports i could see attraction of helping them out!! The throughput is phenominal , my sister whos a long term user of a rappa and another said my throughput wouldnt be exceptional like hers as my ewes were not race trained, well no dog, mum at 82 who sat on manger at back of shed and did nothing didnt stop them running, occassionaly had to move down race to push a lamb up and flow started again. Set up in same position as i did hurdles, so ewes saw return to field, main difference i thought was shedder with no gate on front, so no massive fear for things not to run rather than a slight obtrusion with the barred front of traditional shedding gate. Prefer build quality of rappa to 4 year old ipa, but to be fair seen no others to compare, applied approaching lambing and had little time to look around. Largely depends on set up and requirements as do most things, but for me, and as i said only just starting it would rate as one of best investments made

 

[neilo]

Used to be right behind @neilo , we have 90% of land in one ring fenced block, 800 acres with 3 sets of buildings, very lucky, but probably stupidly never invested in one proper sheep system at one site, simple pens with race, as have cattle as well and didnt want to restrict cattle useage by having a specific sheep set up, and didnt want one end committed to sheep and the other cattle as a ball ache to get all cattle one end for say tb test and all sheep other way for clipping/weaning etc. So had decent hurdles made 20 years ago along with few bought from farm sales and in temporary set up in small 40ft x 90ft shed used straw bales. But time getting shorter, only with mum and dad at 82, had enough of lugging hurdles one day to next so with grant bit the bullet. Went rappa, agree sheeted hurdle of @neilo will leave any mobile system miles behind in quality. but they serve a purpose. Minutes to set up and put away, compared to loading hurdles on a trailer, unlevel ground causing more problems. Admit only 5 mins into rappa experience and admit use odd straw bale for support, worked fine without, but 100k ewes testing L supports i could see attraction of helping them out!! The throughput is phenominal , my sister whos a long term user of a rappa and another said my throughput wouldnt be exceptional like hers as my ewes were not race trained, well no dog, mum at 82 who sat on manger at back of shed and did nothing didnt stop them running, occassionaly had to move down race to push a lamb up and flow started again. Set up in same position as i did hurdles, so ewes saw return to field, main difference i thought was shedder with no gate on front, so no massive fear for things not to run rather than a slight obtrusion with the barred front of traditional shedding gate. Prefer build quality of rappa to 4 year old ipa, but to be fair seen no others to compare, applied approaching lambing and had little time to look around. Largely depends on set up and requirements as do most things, but for me, and as i said only just starting it would rate as one of best investments made

Lord yes, you can’t compare to the flexibility of a good mobile yard, if you have to set up on several sites. We bought a Prattley when we were running over lots of grass keep blocks almost 30years ago, then upgraded to a RAPPA with a good trade in value when they came out 8 years ago.

However, the OP was looking at recc for a static system, and a good static system is much better to work in if the farm layout suits ime.
Where I am now I can often run stock back to the buildings to work them, and have a hotch potch of old hurdles (and a few newer) behind a CombiClamp, all set up under cover in the summer. That’s always my first option for working with, given the choice.
The hurdles I had made were to replace the rotting tins on the old Poldenvale sheeted hurdles I had, which were bought at a farm sale about 30 years ago, with a bit of age on them then! The railed hurdles bought at the same time(£15 each and everyone looked at us as Though we were mad ) are all still going strong, and the rotten sheeted ones have sound frames, and will have rails welded on when I get time.

 

[@dlm]

Completely agree. The railed hurdles we bought around 25 years ago made new by a young lad are falling by the wayside, reckon worth around 40 in farm sale??!!

 

[hillman]

Modulamb ??

lookIng like a welder and steel job, keep in house

 

[Green farmer]

I see a lad edward Finney, regularily advertising sheep races on the facebook sheep farmers uk page, think its stockpen , any good ? Looks strongly made , but never seen it in the flesh.