Forces Exerted by Hydraulic Cattle Chutes

To describe the magnitude and variability of forces generated, we measured peak forces at nine different locations in hydraulic chutes used for cattle restraint. The headgate, middle of the chute, and tailgate were each measured at 18, 34, and 48 inches from the chute floor using a 3,000 lb capacity, high accuracy S-beam load cell. Peak forces generated by hydraulic chutes ranged from a low of approximately 100 lb to a high of over 3000 lb. There were large variations in forces observed within and between facilities, with the coefficient of variation on chute forces across all chutes at approximately 50% for all positions assessed. At 34 inches from the floor, 43, 14, and 29% of chutes generated less than 600 lb of force at the headgate, middle, and tailgate, respectively, while 29, 50 and 21 % of chutes generated greater than 1000 lb of force at the headgate, middle, and tailgate, respectively. There is a large amount of variability in forces generated by hydraulic chutes used for cattle restraint. Some chutes generate forces potentially hazardous to cattle.