Manual Cattle Squeeze Chute - Hi-Hog
Manual Cattle Squeeze Chute - Hi-Hog
Hi-Hog’s manual parallel axis (PA) squeeze chute is highly regarded for its effortless handling, highly efficient operation, simple, safe design, and unmatched animal accessibility.
The Parallel Axis Squeeze chute comes with one of three head gate options.
For those with dehorned or polled livestock, Hi-Hog offers the Parallel Axis Squeeze Chute with self-catch head gate (1550).
Paired with the self-catch head gate with an integrated neck extender (1551)
For those with horned cattle Hi-Hog offers the chute with a manual head gate (1571).
Efficient cattle handling
Hi-Hog’s parallel axis cattle squeeze chute with self catch head gate is designed to process your livestock as quickly and safely as possible. This is because Hi-Hog’s cattle squeeze chute is uniquely designed to catch the cow without an operator standing beside the squeeze chute. Once the head gate is set, the operator is free to move and work the cow in the alley, rather than stand at the front or rear of the cattle squeeze chute.
When the cow enters a Hi-Hog squeeze chute there is nobody standing in a position that will cause your animals to hesitate. Instead, the operator can be working the cow’s flight zone to efficiently move their cattle from a the alley into the squeeze chute.
Before you begin, quickly set the self-catch head gate width to the size of the animals you will be processing. With the stanchion width set, you are ready to efficiently work your animals in the lead-up alley:
Set the self-catch head gate quickly with the simple but reliable limiter chain (How to set the Hi-Hog self-catch head gate).
Adjust the sides of the chute to match the width of the next animal
Lift the tail gate with the extended control rope and walk past the head and shoulder of the cow in the alley. As you move past the animals shoulder and into the animal’s flight zone, the cow will move forward into the squeeze chute on its own.
Your cow, on its own, triggers the head gate and catches itself.
Treat and release your animal
The steps are the same even when your chute includes Hi-Hog’s integrated neck extender.
Cattle squeeze chute with self catch head gate and neck extender
Manual cattle squeeze with self-catch head gate and neck extender
Low Stress Cattle Squeeze Chute
Hi-Hog’s Parallel Axis Squeeze Chute hosts a range of features focused on the safety and comfort of your livestock.
The sides of the chute are mounted at a slight slope to provide your livestock with support without interfering with their natural stable stance
Both sides of the squeeze draw in and forward in one smooth easy controlled motion to keep any sized animal centered and balanced (32” wide down to 11.5”)
The bottom half of the side panels are clad in sheet metal to
remove foot traps
minimize the opportunity for your cattle to climb the sides
remove pressure points (no bolt heads)
All sheet metal has been caulked with silicon to reduce chute noise and vibration.
The head gates are mounted to the squeeze body with spring cushioned fasteners to absorb shoulder impact
The inside verticals of the head gate run parallel. This reduces the opportunity of your livestock from choking should the animal go down while locked in the head gate
The self-catch head gate can be swung fully into the chute, or fully out of the chute. So it does not matter if your animal is pushing or pulling on the head gate when you release it. You know you can release it easily and provide them with a clear, unobstructed exit with no risk of hip-lock.
The manual head gate opens to the full width of the cattle chute for a clear, unobstructed exit.
The heavy duty steel checker plate squeeze floor comes with a custom high grip powder coat finish and large 1.25” square traction bars for confident livestock footing.
Hi-Hog's self-catch head gate for the manual cattle squeeze chute
Hi-Hog's optional manual head gate for horned cattle
Outstanding Animal Access
You won’t find 'bells and whistles' on a Hi-Hog chute because 'bells and whistles' take away access and add unnecessary time consuming steps to your cattle processing. Instead, Hi-Hog offers you simple, unmatched access to your livestock, no matter how big or small your animals may be.
All Hi-Hog squeeze chutes include a large side exit on both sides of the chute.
Both of the side exit gates include four drop-down body access panels and two lift-up foot access panels.
Between the side exit gate and the head gate (on both sides of the chute) you will find a large shoulder access gate (W 9.25” x H 56.5”).
If you prefer the squeeze chute with integrated neck extender you gain an additional, 8.5” wide, secure access window for neck injections.
To provide the squeeze operator with unrestricted access the:
drop-down body access panels lay flat against the chute when opened.
lift-up foot access panels swing up and latch flat against the side of the chute when opened.
Ease of Use
Hi-Hog’s chute is very simple and easy to operate to ensure you can process your livestock as quickly as possible with a minimum of stress, for both you and your livestock.
All of the body access gates come with simple gravity slam latches that can be quickly and easily operated, even while wearing mitts.
To close, simply shut the gate and the latch engages automatically
To open, simply lift the gravity latch and the access gate is released
The foot access gates are secured with spring loaded plunger latches
The squeeze operator can quickly open, and securely close both side exits, from either side of the chute
The squeeze action could not be easier. You could easily squeeze the chute with your pinky finger if you wanted to.
The weight of the lift-up tailgate is offset by a counter-weight to ensure it is light enough to be easily lifted but heavy enough to drop and latch on its own. The tail gate is controlled by a long rope which provides you with an opportunity to freely work the flight zone of your livestock for more efficient cattle movement.
TIP: many ranchers will lift and hold the tail gate until an animal passes below the tail gate. When the animal is under the tail gate the rancher will rest the bottom of the tail gate on the animals hip and release the control rope. When the animal completely passes below the tail gate, the gate will drop on its own (before the next animal can enter the chute) and lock in the closed position.
Hi-Hog’s self-catch head gate will catch and hold your cattle without you needing to be at the head gate at all. Once the head gate is set in the self-catch position, you are completely free to move. You are free to work the alley or load the crowding tub. And because you are not standing by your chute distracting your livestock your cattle will enter the chute with much less hesitation.
When it’s time to release your livestock from your squeeze chute, they are likely pushing or pulling on the head gate. Don’t fight them, simply release the self-catch head gate in the same direction they wish to go.
For those looking for more head control, consider adding Hi-Hog's head holder. The head holder bolts on to the PA squeeze with self-catch headgate.
Hi-Hog's Parallel Axis Cattle Squeeze Chute with Self-Catch head gate
Operator Safety
While we may not have a lot of 'bells and whistles' on our squeeze chute we do have an abundance of safety features. Cattle can be unpredictable so we have included a number of safety features to help keep both you and your livestock safe.
Horned cattle can lift a gravity latch as easily as you. That’s why all of Hi-Hog’s gravity latches have a solid horn guard to protect them against accidental animal contact
Similarly, the spring-loaded self-catch head gate latches are also protected by horn guards to ensure your livestock won’t release themselves
Large livestock can exert a great deal of pressure on the side exit gates of a squeeze chute. So much pressure that they have been known to distort inferior chutes causing the latches to fail and the frames to bend. Hi-Hog, on the other hand, uses large integrated hinges on all major pivot points. Additionally, Hi-Hog includes gate guides to ensure the side exit gates cannot be distorted and popped out of their latched positions
Large livestock can also sometimes give a squeeze chute a good shake which can accidentally cause a gravity latch to bounce open (even with a heavy chute like Hi-Hog’s). With this in mind, Hi-Hog has added an additional slide latch to both the side release gates and the lift-up foot access gates.
For those who use them, Hi-Hog has included three back-up bar slots in the rear drop down body access panel
For your security, Hi-Hog uses two offset ratchets to provide precise and effortless squeeze control, while also ensuring one of the ratchets is always securely engaged. The dual ratchet allows for continuous width adjustments from 32” down to 11.5”
Hi-Hog’s reliable self-catch head gate uses separate front and rear latches to ensure your livestock cannot trigger the head gate to release when they contact the head gate and engage the rear latch.
The rear tail gate locks automatically in both the raised and lowered position
Self-catch head gate opens to the full width of the squeeze chute
Flexible design
Hi-Hog’s parallel axis squeeze chute provides you with flexibility to set-up, and operate the chute, the way you want to operate it.
The squeeze controls can be easily moved from one side of the chute to the other, for left hand or right hand operation. Use your Hi-Hog chute on multiple pastures or share it with friends and neighbors. And if you ever want to upgrade to Hi-Hog’s hydraulic squeeze chute, you will appreciate that you will not be selling to a limited market.
Because both side exits can be operated from either side of the chute, you can efficiently sort out of your chute in three directions; left side exit, right side exit, or straight through the head gate. With Hi-Hog’s parallel axis chute you have complete flexibility to process and sort your livestock.
In most situations, Hi-Hog’s self-catch head gate can be run all day in the standard factory settings. If you are running calves or large bulls however you can quickly re-set the head gate for smaller or larger necks with the spring-loaded head gate adjustment pins. Note: If your head gate includes Hi-Hog’s neck extender be sure to match the pin positions of the neck extender to those used on the head gate.
High Quality Materials
Superior quality parts for a superior experience, year after year.
Heavy duty, solid welded squeeze frame. Compare dollars per pound to appreciate the build value of a Hi-Hog chute
Large, integrated heavy duty hinge collars that will not bend under animal pressure
All primary hinge points include grease fittings and are greased with premium arctic grade grease to ensure smooth operation, year after year
All of the main controls include high visibility, high-grip handles for quick confident operation
Premium grade, 3/8” diameter, all-weather, double braided control ropes
Heavy Duty, ¼” restraint chain
Custom tooled fluid Tivar™ sheaves
Durable polyester powder coat paint finish
Future Ready
The squeeze floor comes with pre-drilled holes to make it easy to add a sternum bar to your chute.
You can easily add a Hi-Hog neck extender to your standard parallel axis squeeze chute with self-catch head gate, as it includes the mounting collars already installed.
The squeeze also includes built-in lifting points so you can easily make your squeeze chute portable with the addition of Hi-Hog’s cattle squeeze chute trailer.
Mobile Hi-Hog squeeze chute on trailer
Hi-Hog cattle squeeze chute with sternum bar
Parallel Axis Squeeze Chute complete with Neck Extender
Hi-Hog’s neck extender is linked directly to the self-catch head gate which allows the neck extender to be activated by the animal’s shoulders at the same time the animal contacts the self-catch head gate. This minimizes the risk of stressing or injuring livestock while allowing the animal to catch itself without a handler at the head gate.
When the self-catch head gate is pushed into the chute to catch the next animal, the vertical bars of the neck extender are also pivoted back to lie safely beside the vertical bars of the head gate.
When the animal contacts the head gate with its shoulders, its head will already be past the neck extender bars. As the animal pushes the head gate forward with its shoulders, the neck extender will, through the linkages, extend away from the head gate to create a large, 8.5” wide, safe zone for needle injections. When the head gate locks, so too does the neck extender.
Note: When setting the width of the neck extender ensure that it is set to the same settings as the self-catch head gate.
Note: The self-catch head gate will not swing fully into the chute when the neck extender is attached. If required the neck extender can be quickly detached from the head gate, by simply popping the pins out of the linkage collars, which will allow the head gate to swing fully into the chute.
Hi-Hog cattle squeeze chute with self-catch head gate and neck extender
Specifications
Parallel Axis Squeeze Chute
Item Number: 1550
Outside Length: 108"
Inside Length: 96"
Outside Height: 85"
Inside Vertical Clearance: 72 1/2"
Base Width: 40"
Outside Width including handles: 58"
Inside Width - squeeze at full width: 32"
Inside Width - squeeze at narrow width: 12 1/2"
Weight: 1,702 lbs
Parallel Axis Squeeze Chute with Neck Extender
Item Number: 1551
Outside Length: 120"
Inside Length: 96"
Outside Height: 85"
Inside Vertical Clearance: 72 1/2"
Base Width: 40"
Outside Width including handles: 58"
Inside Width - squeeze at full width: 32"
Inside Width - squeeze at narrow width: 12 1/2"
Weight: 1,875 lbs
Parallel Axis Squeeze Chute with Manual Head gate
Item Number: 1571
Outside Length: 108"
Inside Length: 96"
Outside Height: 85"
Inside Vertical Clearance: 72 1/2"
Base Width: 40"
Outside Width including handles: 105"
Inside Width - squeeze at full width: 32"
Inside Width - squeeze at narrow width: 12 1/2"
Weight: 1,840 lbs.
