Cattle haulers...

Back in the day of Peterbuilt, Kenworth and Western Star being independent companies, the quality of the trucks they built over some of the other brands was far superior.
Add that you could get big cat engines and 18 speeds, basically order the truck the way you wanted. Considered premium brands. They had some of the “ luxury” items as standard equipment.

 

I did it with a Freightliner.....

 

You can get into places with a KW or a Pete better than any other brand of truck with the exception of Mack and Freightliner.

I would have trouble choosing between a good KW or a good Pete for this work.

One of the requirements for hauling cattle will have to be ungoverned. Once loaded there is a particular amount of time that cattle WILL have to be delivered in. Alive. And sometimes those wide open roads out west accomodates 120+ mph. Petes do well when that fast. especially if they have the extended nose and setforward front axles.

Cattle are incredibly tough in many ways. Dirty doesnt begin to cover it. But once in a while at least one does not make the trip to the meat plant alive. But not to worry, those dead ones are pulled off via forklift and chain, big balloon and 4 stiff legs pointing everywhere in gas bloat and rigor mortis. Those never get into the human food chain.

When they are coming on, hold off to one side. They are coming on full steam ahead. Your little Governed company crap truck is just in the way. So do your best to accomodate them.

For those of you sensitive types squawking about the speed laws etc. Save it. Cattle have a certain number of hours to BE AT the meat plant once loaded. And they WILL be delivered ALIVE where at all possible. All of us depend on that as meat eaters among other things. Nothing is wasted. Everything from clothing, medicines and so on are made out of them.

I once loaded at a slaughter house with three of them taking a cotton to me at the bottom of the ramp to the kill floor up top in the tower. You are not supposed to get attached to them, they are already condemned to be nuked, chopped up and on the trailer at the dock you are waiting at shortly. But despite all that three of them got a little bit of petting and love along with a bit of grass which was pretty much a no no. I suppose there are a few boxes back there that held whats left of those three once they got through with the killing, chopping and packing.

It does not bother me much. But you really ought not to love on them too much. It's better for all concerned.

 

So you were a cattle hauler back in the day too? Did you bring them in on a cattle pot, drop and hook a reefer and deliver the packaged product on the other side of the country in 24 hours too?

 

I learned how to drive on an old split shift Mack. My primary problem with Mack's is they all seem to need 2 acres to turn around. I drove a Mack for 6 months.

 

Another of your rides I’m jealous of

 

His tune changes depending on the thread.... hes singing a different note in another thread about school busses.

 

Maybe we should use bull wagons to haul school children or school buses to haul cattle.

 

Oh man does a burger sound great about now!

 

Most livestock is very particular about how they travel. Most will require business class or better. However some are okay traveling coach class. They have no standards and will even travel via International.

How would you prefer to travel?