Preferred Head Chute?

Lucky_P I really, really hope our experience with the Stampede will be different. If not that is a hell of a lot of money for a chute with those problems that will drive me nuts. 

I ran one and didn't have those problems but it hadn't been used much either.  I loved the rear controls and the back gate which both worked really well.  I also liked the double squeeze.

We've AId 51 cows and will set up a few for embryos and I haven't had any real trouble with cows going down without the brisket bar.  The main drawback is working calves. 

The drop style back gate was a definite don't on the new chute.  When calves get turned around they can crawl out underneath.  Or cows behind can get their heads underneath.  There is a metal bar that is suppose to keep it down but when they get to really pushing they can pop it open. 

It will be here the last week of August and I will be running a few through right away for sure.  I'm glad it will be here for pregging because we were down to using a pry bar to get the headgate to release. 

Has anyone seen the new Qcatch 8400 chute?  I looked at the WW/Stampede and liked it, but saw a lot of the issues mentioned above.  Then I gravitated to the Sioux Steel because it's cheaper than Stampede, has many of the same features, and has a little smoother/simpler operation.  But then I saw this in my email the other day and I'm really intrigued by it.  The best thing for me, working by myself most of the time, is the operation of the manual headgate from any point along the chute. You get the benefit of being able to operate behind the cattle, like a self-catch, but without the downside of the self-catch headgates.  I'm curious as to how big it is compared to the other main ones who have good sized systems (Stampede/Sioux/Titan West).  Also curious to see how stout it is in person, but it looks like a pretty neat set up that would work really smoothly.  Don't know price either, though.  I've seen this company's chutes previously, but this one looks like a wholesale redo and looks must better. Anyone seen one yet?

Arrow Farmquip NEW 8400 Squeeze Chute - North America

cjd said:

Has anyone seen the new Qcatch 8400 chute?  I looked at the WW/Stampede and liked it, but saw a lot of the issues mentioned above.  Then I gravitated to the Sioux Steel because it's cheaper than Stampede, has many of the same features, and has a little smoother/simpler operation.  But then I saw this in my email the other day and I'm really intrigued by it.  The best thing for me, working by myself most of the time, is the operation of the manual headgate from any point along the chute. You get the benefit of being able to operate behind the cattle, like a self-catch, but without the downside of the self-catch headgates.  I'm curious as to how big it is compared to the other main ones who have good sized systems (Stampede/Sioux/Titan West).  Also curious to see how stout it is in person, but it looks like a pretty neat set up that would work really smoothly.  Don't know price either, though.  I've seen this company's chutes previously, but this one looks like a wholesale redo and looks must better. Anyone seen one yet?

Arrow Farmquip NEW 8400 Squeeze Chute - North America

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The Q-catch is very impressive. I saw one in Dalton, GA. If interested PM me and i will give you man's number. He is a dealer for arrow equipment co that makes qcatch chutes. He said the only chute close to qcatch was the ww stampede. The qcatch has rear controls for manual catch but you can slide lever anywhere along side to wherever you want to operate it. The gate opens full width of chute. The one I saw had portable kit and head immobilizer.  Easy to operate solo, as man who showed me often works alone or with his son. Safety(of animal and operators) and ease of use was important choices in his decision to sell the chutes. Palp cage is made with chute not as add-on. The squeeze feature moves side panels in evenly, supposed to accomodate smallest calf to largest bull. I have a few long framed cattle with lots of capacity and this chute looks as though it could accomodate them easily. I plan to get qcatch down the line I loved it.

One option on the stronghold that I forgot to mention was the "head catch handle" that is at the back of the chute.  So if you are alone, you can get the cow in the chute, then stand behind the cow and run the head catch.  While it cost a bit extra, not much, it is something that I would NOT do without! 

We have four working pens 1 foremost 1 ww and 2 Stampede.  The Foremost and ww are old and are simpler and easier to use.  We work cows twice a year so our chutes do not work that often.  My complant for the Stampede is when they have not been used the moving parts can get really stiff and hard to work.  About the time we get finished they work awesome.  I think if you were going to use them a lot a stampede would be hard to beat.  My favorite part is how easy it is to reduce the size of the tub and alley way when  we move from working cows to calves.

Update on the chute.

I have my Stampede and have given it a little bit of a test.

Bottom line is I love it.  We've put the weaned calves through, some of the cows, and washed and clipped the sale calves.  I could not be happier as of right now.

The only thing I would change is the way you adjust the head gate down for calves.  It requires pulling 4 pins, 2 on front and 2 in back, with hairpins and then resetting.  The old chute was unscrew a bolt on the front and move it over.  The other thing is the rope opening the opposite door is kind of silly with all of the steel.  It seems they could have come up with something more substantial.  That being said it does work well.

I am not sure of my favorite part yet.  Right now it is the rear controls and how well it squeezes down for small calves.  The cows are moving through it much better than they did the old Foremost.  I am not sure if it is because they can not see out as well or what.

As for clipping and washing unbroke calves it worked really well.  Both sides open up all the way and made for easy access.

I will add the tub next year and probably the alley.  Really interested in an alley you can adjust to get those calves through.

Anyone in our area can sure come take a look if you are interested in how one works.

Congrats ejoe!  I'm glad to hear you are pleased because I'm still determined to get one. 

Will, I had forgotten how awesome narrowing the alley worked until your post reminded me!  I was so impressed by the slight S'ing, or whatever you call it, so they can't see ahead of them very far, that I completely forgot about how easy it was to narrow up.  Now I'm going to have to save money for BOTH!  lol