Cattle guards - make or buy

[p0diabl0]

I know because I've unloaded items over capacity - sometimes you just need to put enough upwards pressure with the FEL that you can slide it off the flatbed truck. My FEL couldn't go back up after I'd unloaded the (in my case, 18 ft x3ft x36 corrugated roofing sheets) but I could slowly drive it over to the intended drop off point. As long as you have enough counterweight at least.

 

[Doc G]

This isn't saying much, but in my area I've actually never seen a "commercial" production cattle guard. They are always home-built, including mine. (Which has been laying on the ground for 2 years waiting for me to dig a hole and pour concrete ).

The top pipes are usually 2-7/8 used drill pipe for residential guards, heavier stuff at businesses with more traffic.

Similar to a previous post, the friend who welded it together delivered it on a flatbed trailer. We chained it to the tractor and he drove forward till it dropped off the trailer. After that I was able to move it by chaining up one end to the 3pt and dragging it.

 

[Smokeydog]

The previous owner put in two cattle guards using 2 1/2” water pipe. Wasn’t durable with big trucks. Repaired with well drilling pipe was stronger. Rebuilt using 3” square tubing, 8” wide channel sides, capping H beams and 50# of 7018 rod. 4 - 1.5” bolts hold each grid down. Made where I can remove and clean under if needed. Thru the woods steep driveway. Held up for past 21 years. Last week 75K# gravel trucks crossed them. At the time I could have bought used railroad rail for the same price as the new tubing, ~$500 for each guard. Just too heavy.

The coop and county extension used to have forms you rented to pour concrete cattle guards DIY. Lot of rebar in the high strength concrete. Backhoe dug trenches footers forms, poured reinforced concrete. After curing slid or placed new guard on top footers.

 

[bdog]

Down where I live the pipe utilized for my cattle guard is referred to to as Drill Stem identical to photo's below. I hope you have a wonderful day. I know I will!
Jim

2-3/8 and 2-7/8 pipe are not drill stem. Lots of people incorrectly call it that because it comes from the oilfield I guess. What they are is upset tubing used for pumping fluid out of the wells after they are drilled. Drill stem is much heavier wall and bigger in diameter. Drill stem is what is used on the drilling rig with the bit connected to the bottom to drill the well. The 2-3/8 or 2-7/8 would twist like a pretzel if used for this application. Go drive by a drill rig and see what they have sitting on the racks it ain’t the stuff people are building fences out of.

 

[ArlyA]

2-3/8 and 2-7/8 pipe are not drill stem. Lots of people incorrectly call it that because it comes from the oilfield I guess. What they are is upset tubing used for pumping fluid out of the wells after they are drilled. Drill stem is much heavier wall and bigger in diameter. Drill stem is what is used on the drilling rig with the bit connected to the bottom to drill the well. The 2-3/8 or 2-7/8 would twist like a pretzel if used for this application. Go drive by a drill rig and see what they have sitting on the racks it ain’t the stuff people are building fences out of.

You got that right bdog. Drill stem is so, so much heavier and I've never seen used and up for sale.. I'm sure some come up but that would be rare, but old used well pipe is everywhere and for sale. Seems like I welded 2-7/8s every day for three years. Did enough of that. Maybe they call it "drill pipe" because that sounds better?

 

[Xfaxman]

We had good results with concrete: Farm Products | SI Precast Concrete

 

[Smokeydog]

Not much oil near here.

The ~3” drill pipe? I got from scrapyard for cattle guard repair were 10’ long, each had male and female special tapered course threads. Unlike pipe threads they would screw together till the pipe wall touched. Wall thickness was about 3/8” except at joints was over 1/2”. Some had hardsurfaceing dots on the outside. Can see scratches from rotation. No oil residue so for water well drilling? Suspect they were tougher than mild steel.

Remember back when Clinton was president the transportation secretary was explaining why roads out west cost more money because of cattle guards. Clinton asked why the federal government is paying people to guard cattle?

 

[oosik]

I would certainly like to have two cattle guards on my driveway. Outer gate and inner gate. About fifteen years ago I priced them. This included digging, forming up, cement and the guard itself. These guards were made of small gauge railroad iron. $6500 each. Just not in my budget.

 

[beowulf]

Learning a lot. Thinking seriously about the reusable cattle guard form bcp posted about. A lot of concrete and some work to mix and pour all that, but we don't mind work. We can use it later for another cattle guard we will be needing, and we would not need to frame and pour the concrete foundations the other cattle guards would require anyway. Still trying to decide, and have time as we will not be ready for putting in our cattle guard for a few months - the new road is to a new pad for a new home - and we want to wait until all the concrete and lumber trucks have finished up first. Thanks again for all the input.

 

[cqaigy2]

And there's always the painted cattle guards. Basically stripes painted on the road surface, they seem to work, but i don't have much experience with them.