Hopper, Dump O/O's & Drivers

Well, heres where its a trade off. With cattle, you make more per run, but your dead head miles are 38-50% of your miles, which sucks. It was nothing for hubby to bounce 300 miles for a load, after delivering. Trust me, the load sheets weren't pretty. Plus, you work 6 days a week. (Although we've heard that its slowed way down)

Then there's the fact that the loads are heavier, the trailer causes more resistence so the mpg is about 1.5mpg less than a grain wagon. You have the cost of wash outs, and a cattle pot isn't cheap, because of the waste disposal. At the end of the week, it was nothing for hubby to have an extra two ton on the trailer. If you have hauled a "sick" load, you will have to wash out in the middle of the week. If you haul organics, again, you must wash out. Also, if any of them die in route, its on your head, your cost. Sometimes its not worth turning in to the ins, and you just wind up hauling that load for nothing.

Hubby really likes hauling the hopper much better than cattle. It takes a special breed to do cattle. He likes being able to stop, if he needs to. You don't do that with cattle, because of shrinkage. The longer they are on your trailer, the more weight they loose. And many times, you are paid for the load by the hundred weight, not the mile.

 

Gotta agree with you here. Pretty much sums it up.

 

Its called a dead blow. You can get them through northern tools. The end is weighted so you don't have to swing as hard, and throw your shoulder out of the socket.