new trailer ramp question

[kgchis]

We recently purchased a new cattle trailer. It is a typical bumper pull trailer with a sliding door on the back.

The problem is this trailer sits up a little higher than our old trailer when backed up to the loading shoot (about 10 inches higher). The cattle don't want to load because of the jump up into the new trailer. I have never had loading problem with the cows in this herd before. The calves really present a problem.

So does anyone know if they make a heavy duty loading ramp. I would prefer one that would run from the trailer floor to the dirt floor of the shoot. I searched online and found something that would work but it is in Australia (a little too far away).

[bqz]

A couple of questions:
1)How long does the ramp need to be?
2)Do you have a cement type docking area or is it all dirt?
can you give a few more details on what your backing up to or into?

[kgchis]

The ramp doesn't have to be too long. I would thing 8 or 10 ft would be plenty.

Basically we have a catch pen built off the side of the barn. It is all dirt floor. Inside the pen we have a shoot that consist of wood side panels and railroad ties for posts. We back the trailer up to the end of this shoot. The shoot is just a tad smaller in width than the opening in the sliding door on the trailer.

[cindy04]

We have one made out of treated 2" boards, but I also think that hauling in some dirt/clay/crush & run (any one or a combination) would work. You could put a board across the front to hold it in.

[bqz]

Sounds like cindy04 has a plan.
Will it work ?
Seems to me it wouldn't cost a whole lot.

[LMonty]

if you cant raise the bridge, would it be cheaper/easier to lower the river?

[unioncreek]

If you force them they'll jump in, once they know they can jump in they won't be as hard to load next time. We would load cows onto a farm truck every fall when we gathered cattle and didn't have a loading chute. We set up a portable corral on a ledge and they would have to jump two feet up into the truck. There were always a few that gave us problems, but we always got them loaded.

Bobg