RITCHIE Farm Equipment, of Forfar, recently launched its new mobile cattle crate to help ease cattle handling needs, while providing maximum safety and minimal stress to both animals and the operator.
The company set out to design a product that upheld the Ritchie reputation, was easily managed and operated, and would provide years of satisfaction.
The 6.5m long galvanised cattle crush is completely mobile, weighs about 2,000kg and needs a tractor for moving it from site to site. The full lighting set complies with current road legislation and folds down and away when sited.
The cattle crush part of the unit takes its design from the well-proven conventional standard Ritchie unit. Experience has shown that by having fully sheeted sides, animals move towards daylight at the exit end.
A total of 12 1.5m hurdles are carried on the unit, enabling most handling corral shapes and sizes to be formed to suit placement and stock. The main advantage of the Ritchie unit is that the hurdles require only one-man handling and allows a low bottom bar to keep young stock in.
With the hurdles removed and positioned, a raised walkway along the side of the crush on both sides provides an elevated working position to access the animals. Ratchet ramp bars and sidebars provide safety to animal and operator.
Entry and exit sliding gates are operated either on the left or right hand side and vet access to the back of the secure animal can be from behind half doors that swing open and away.
All doors have rubber bump stops to reduce the metallic clang that can frighten an animal.
A useful safety bar slots into position to hold the animal within the crate when both side doors are opened, enabling the crush to provide ideal working positions for TB testing, belly clipping and milk quarter stripping, as well as injections and pour-on treatments.
The Ritchie yoke is common to that found on the Ritchie Continental Crate. With 17 years of market experience, this well-proven product features an automatic reset and can safely secure anything from young calves to heavy beef stock equally as well.
A tack box is fitted on both sides of the cattle crush for the safekeeping of useful items. The electric and hydraulic hose connecting pipes pull out for easy storage leaving this self-contained unit ready to work.

For more information contact Ritchie on 01307 462271.