Portable working equipment

Hi everyone. I'm about to purchase working equipment and I was wondering if anyone has had success with portable chutes/headgates. I've got stuff to make temporary to semi permanent crowding tubs in a few different areas on the 100+ acres of pasture I'm grazing and I was thinking that being able to roll up with a chute and headgate would allow me some flexibility to treat sick animals, weigh them in and anything else I need to do close up based on where they are on the property.

Has or does anyone use a portable setup? Brand names that work? Don't work?

I've found a bunch of different systems online ranging from small units that seem best suited for a homesteader to full on corral setups for hundreds of cows that you can move into position with a truck or tractor. I've currently got 18 head and that number is going to start growing over the next couple of years eventually up to around 50/60.

Thanks!
Steve

Hi Stephen,

While I have no knowledge on this subject, if you can describe your setup a bit more, it might help someone better informed to answer.

Do you have a tractor, pickup, ATV that you use to move equipment, or are you thinking of person/garden cart/packmule transportable?

What breed of cattle do you/will you have?

Sure.

I'm running 17 Black Angus and 1 Black Baldy.

The pasture is split between two different areas. 40 or so acres are at the front of the property between two large paddocks. One of these paddocks will be cross fenced this year with a water facility installed in the middle. The second area, about 70 or so acres, has been recently cleared and is fully fenced and cross fenced with three separate water facilities, allowing animals to always have access to a permanent watering point.

The permanent waterers are surrounded by typical 8 ft. farm gates that can be individually opened. I was thinking that the way these gates are set up would allow me to double the watering points as a corral and then, if needed, I could use cattle panel, highway guard rails or more gates to create a crowding tub, and then pull in with a portable chute and headgate when it's time to work.

I have a 33 horse Kubota tractor and a pickup if it's going to be bigger, and a Mule ATV if it's on the smaller side.

Portable equipment that's marketed for homesteaders is probably too small for me, but I also don't need to be moving some giant contraption around, 60 or so cows is as big as this herd will get.

I'll snap some photos tomorrow when I'm out there.

Steve

Only cattle, or does it need to handle sheep, goats, calves? Some can adjust the width easily, some are fixed.

All are too rich for my blood.

Goats and sheep are both possibilities, but hogs are likely to be the next thing I can add. Adjustable would probably be best.