one I am interested in - Honey Locust farms

That's the attitude to have. Cattle are pretty simple and basic to load long as they're not calves and have been on the trailer before calves are a royal pain in the ###. Hate loading calves but its part of the job you'll go through a decent amount of juice in the hotshot getting them to file into the nose weather the trailer has a funnel gate or not. Seems like calves kick a little more than yearlings, or fats too but then again its hard to say I do my best not to use my hotshot ends up stressing them more than I care too personally.

Loading the trailer isn't as bad as it sounds, its fairly easy after you get a couple loads under your belt unloading can be worse than loading at times we've all made mistakes and all done stupid #### hell 2 weeks ago I trapped myself in a trailer with 4 800lb pissed off heifers left the #### door on the chute blocking their way to the pens first ##### out of the nose trapped me in the corner couldn't get down there to open the door luckily the pen hand got to her and got her down the chute and into the pens for she was loose in the lot.

You'll make mistakes and learn from them and usually the pen hands can help you little bit of knowledge to know is how to load the trailer out. Me personally on a load over 680 I load 3800, 20, 20, 9 that's 3800lbs in the bottom nose 20k in each center odd number sit to the belly and 9000 on the tail. Load under that 3000 bottom nose 1500 top nose, 20k 20k 1400 in the jail, 8500-9000 on the tail. Divide average head weight by the weight in each compartment for your head count. You'll learn what you can and can't do over time I rarely gate anything anymore I hate gating cattle gets to be dangerous IMO and you lose cattle when you start swinging gates.

Keep in mind that's on a 53 spread. Loading a 50 or 53 tandem is different. 53 tandem you're still running 80k gross but have bigger centers than a 50, and a 50 still has bigger centers but a shorter tail than a 53 spread. Last 50 I loaded went I loaded nose and tail the same and the centers the same. 21k in the centers and 3800 over the nose and tail comes out pretty close to equal it all comes with time on knowing what you can load and what you can't load. Then you'll get into pulling heifers over steers or vise versa that creates a cluster in itself. Believe it or not you can max out a trailer on space before weight hauling heifers been there done that. Still had 1100lbs I could load just didn't have the space for it but heifers are mass not weight I prefer dragging steers around but that's just me.

One thing to remember on temperament an angry steer will close his eyes when he charges you a heifer won't...and practice your climbing ability don't ever try to outrun them out the back of the trailer. If you can get out of the trailer in 6 seconds they can always do it in 5.

 

yea been there a time or two myself. sorry this one'll be short but nope still not feeling the best need to get my ### back to work tomorrow or sunday though didn't sleep worth a darn last night fixing to hit the hay here soon and hopefully sleep till tomorrow afternoon sometime.

 

Bull hauling stories rock. More more more!!!

 

Hope you got out of there alright and fairly quickly after that post. I'm feeling a little better not much though this #### has kicked my ### no doubt about it. But I reckon I'll live wheels need to get rolling again. I'm not going to say we work harder than any other driver kinda makes me sound like a stuck up jackwad...well I am a stuck up jackwad but that's beside the point lol.

You'll get your foot in the door eventually and I wish you the best of luck when you do. Keep an open mind and it'll all work out don't get frustrated and as painful as it is to say take your time I realize we don't have much time but sometimes especially during loading and unloading just have to remember to take your time and think.

Be safe out there as well driver keep the tires hot and the turbo whining

I don't reckon some of my stories are forum appropriate lol. I'll give ya a hint though 1750 is what I was tacking last week when I Hit the OK line headed for devers TX

I'll also tell you it IS possible although not wise to come around that 83 junction down there by Canadian tax or whatever that #### town is at 50 with a load of cattle on...like I said possible not wise...and they need a #### sign about 2500ft back that says warning junction 2500ft and its on a down grade

Be sure you've got a prybar if you do it you'll need it to get the seat cushion out of your ### yea I picked the tires off the ground I puckered up pretty good there. One of the few times I actually did slam on the brakes with a load of cows on which leads me to my next point its better to slam on the brakes and risk losing a head maybe 2 by the time you kick them off as opposed to laying one on its side becoming uninsurable and consequently possibly killing half the load even a full load.

 

I was just in PA for the summer, those guys have some really nice W9's! I seriously want to get out of Florida and find me a small company like that up there, good luck and please keep us posted with everything.

Slightly off topic, I've always been around produce wagons so picking up at farms with the old man was the norm for us...I could never get used to rotting vegetable,chicken,food, etc. smell. I remember having cattle haulers pull up next to us at the fuel islands...How in the world do you guys get used to the smell???