Dimensions
- Height: 12′ or 16′ Long x 7′ 1″ Wide x 1′ Deep
- Weight: 12′- 7,000lbs, 16′- 9,000lbs
Features:
- Livestock Barrier
- Industrial Sites
- Debris Containment
- Deer Deterrents
Cattle Guards
A gap in a fence line allows animals to cross to the other side, but unlike humans, cows and other critters aren’t taught to look both ways for oncoming traffic. A cattle guard is a structure that serves as an obstacle to prevent cows, sheep, pigs, horses, mules and other animals from entering the roadway, keeping them out of harm’s way.
Cattle guards go by many other names. Because of their grid-like design, some refer to them as cattle crossing grates or grids. If you travel to Australia, you may hear ranchers call them stock grids. Other common names include Texas gates, vehicle passes, stock gaps and cattle stops.
Regardless of what you choose to call them, these guards can keep the animals’ lack of depth perception and poorly detailed vision from leading to an unfortunate incident.
Cattle Guards for Sale
Precast Systems, a leading manufacturer of concrete materials and other high-quality masonry products for various industries, now offers cattle guards for sale that provide excellent security for your livestock and convenience for you. We precast these guards in one solid piece, ensuring reliable performance, maximum durability and few maintenance requirements. They’re strong enough to support trucks and heavy machinery, too.
Cattle Guard Dimensions
Our cattle guards give you more than one size option to meet your needs. Choose a guard measuring 12 feet or 16 feet long. The shorter unit weighs 7,000 pounds, and the longer model is 9,000 pounds. Both guards are 7 foot-1 inch wide and 1 foot deep. They consist of 5,000 psi reinforced concrete with a grayish color that blends into your property.
Cattle Guard Features/Uses
Our innovative cattle guard design enables you to use them for multiple purposes. Besides serving as a livestock barrier, they can also provide additional safety at construction and industrial job sites. Other applications include debris containment and acting as deer deterrents to prevent collisions and accidents.
Cattle Guard Installation
Precast Systems can also install concrete cattle guards wherever you need them. Because they’re precast in one piece, the process is fast, easy and inexpensive. If you need to guard wider roadways, we can place the individual pieces end-to-end to ensure sufficient coverage. If you choose to handle the project yourself, we’re available to provide expert guidance to help you achieve the best result.
What Does a Cattle Guard Do, and How Does It Work?
The cattle guard originated in the heavily agricultural Great Plains region of the United States in the early 20th century. With the advent of the automobile, ranchers and farmers soon discovered that they needed a reliable method for keeping their livestock from colliding with speeding cars and trucks. While the first cattle guards consisted of wood or steel, concrete versions started gaining widespread use in the 1940s.
The cattle guard design consists of a transverse grid pattern. The space between the bars is wide enough to accommodate an animal’s feet but narrow enough to create a sense of imbalance and discomfort if the animal attempts to cross the roadway. Most animals instinctively recognize this feeling and won’t try to navigate the grid.
The installation process entails affixing the guard to the road on either side to secure it. The installer will also create a slight depression to allow dirt to fall through and prevent the grate from clogging. The gap between bars is narrow enough to not impede vehicle traffic or pose a risk to humans who attempt a crossing.
What Are the Benefits of Cattle Guards?
Installing cattle guards and roadways accessible to animals and livestock offers several benefits:
Preventing Animal Injuries and Deaths
Animals such as cattle, horses and pigs are essential to the livelihood of farmers and ranchers in many parts of the U.S. Cattle guards can help these individuals and businesses protect their financial interests. They can also keep wild animals, some of which may be endangered species, from meeting their untimely demise.
Protecting People
Motorists often don’t have time to react when a deer or another animal crosses the roadway in front of them. By keeping animals out of the road, guards can prevent collisions that could seriously injure or kill people and cause significant damage to automobiles and property. This attribute also gives you peace of mind.
Leaving Human Mobility Unaffected
Although cattle guards will keep animals from crossing the road, humans can navigate them without issues. The spaces between the bars are small enough to allow people to navigate their vehicles over them at a reasonable speed without causing damage. Plus, individuals can walk over the guards safely, even at night.
Acting as a Cost-Effective Solution
Precast concrete cattle guards like those offered by Precast Systems will provide many years of reliable service. The reduction in animal injuries and property damage will also help you receive an excellent return on your investment. What’s more, the lack of maintenance requirements will minimize your long-term ownership costs.
Saving Time and Preventing Wandering
By keeping livestock from crossing the road, ranchers and farmers will spend less time chasing strays or opening and closing gates after installing cattle guards. These installations also keep animals from venturing onto neighboring properties or other areas where they don’t belong.
Cattle Guards as a Deer Deterrent
The increasing deer population has become a nuisance to some people in the Northeast and other parts of the country. Private property owners in these areas need a reliable solution to keep deer off their land.
Installing a cattle guard can effectively prevent collisions and reduce the volume of deer crossings through fence openings. Property owners can place a guard at a gateless entry or on a driveway to keep deer away without affecting vehicle access.
Due to the whitetail and mule deer’s exceptional leaping ability — most can jump 8 feet or more installing a longer cattle guard span to deter the animals is typically necessary. The recommended length is 16 feet, which will require placing and bolting together two sections if using shorter structures.
Are Cattle Guards Safe?
Although it’s possible for an animal’s leg to slip between the guard’s bars and become stuck, this is a relatively rare occurrence. The protective benefits of a cattle guard significantly outweigh the risk of these unusual events.
Contact Us to Learn More About Cattle Guards
At Precast Systems, we’ve provided high-quality masonry and concrete products since 1923. As a fifth-generation family-owned and -operated business, we support everything we sell with exceptional service. Count on us to help you select the right product for your needs and perform a fast, professional installation. We’ll also be there long after the sale to answer your questions and address your concerns.
Call us today at 717-267-4500 to learn more about our cattle guards for sale. You can also contact us online for additional product and pricing information.
