The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: Fronden ewes on December 11, 2016, 12:37:58 pm
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Hello,
I'm on the lookout for a secondhand sheep turnover, please can you advice me which turnovers will not be suitable for me or are there any I should avoid at all cost? I'm not going to buy new but have seen some around the £200 price and would be willing to part with this kind of money if they were able to do the job.
Has anyone used a Commodore turnover, what are they like, will they handle a ram at 95kg?
I have Dorset Down ewes and rams, the rams weigh between 80-95kg. I want to be able to do there feet if/when required and I'm unable to wrestle with them due to a shoulder injury that will not improve.
I've read some of the previous post but they have not really answered my questions.
Thanks
Lee
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I too have been looking at turnover crates as I have a crumbling spine and osteo arthritis. Second hand here, West Wales, go for £600 plus, when you can actually get one, and I can get a new IAE one for £825 so I shall be going for that. Manufacturers guarantee is worth the extra.
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Hi,
Someone must have some experience with using a sheep turnover, any advice would be much appreciated.
thanks
Lee
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Maybe need to ask specific questions ?? it has been discussed a few times on the forum . in the past iv'e used a commodore and an ironworks
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I use the Commodore which I got second hand for about £180 I think. It turns over end to end rather than some newer designs which roll the sheep over sideways. This means you need to be stronger to operate the Commodore as more of the sheep is supported by you before it reaches the tipping point, it may not be 50% of the sheeps weight but I don't think it is far off.......I wouldn't be able to manage a sheep as heavy as 95kg, about 70kg is my limit. I also found the bars on the cradle are mighty uncomfortable for the sheep so they wriggle a lot. I put some rubber padding over them and that made a big difference.
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Maybe need to ask specific questions ?? it has been discussed a few times on the forum . in the past iv'e used a commodore and an ironworks
I did search for previous posts but could not find anything on how they operated with sheep weighing 95kg, most post quoted weights of 70kg.
I wanted a general opinion on how the cheaper secondhand turnovers were as I'm not willing to part with much more than £200. I don't want to be killing myself manhandling the rams when I need to give them a checking over and trimming there feet.
What's your opinion on the 2 turnovers you used, easy to use, would you recommend any of them, good points/bad points?
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The commodore is easy to move around,needs a bit of strength to turn over big sheep , I found small sheep could duck under and run through and rams just a bit big to easily hold and turn . The ironworks will catch any size ( you alter the internal length ) needs a bit of strength /weight to turn a big sheep , its biggest draw back is its weight so not easy to move around ( I added a pair of wheels ) With the iron works you can inject / dag the sheep in the crate , I would chose the iron works or similar over the commodore Rams and ewes can be foot trimmed exactly like a horse JUST looked at sheep restrainer Ireland interesting ?
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I checked out the various designs in detail last year. The best balanced model looks to be the IAE kwik turnover crate. Because it's mounted inside a wheel type arrangement, it doesn't need much force to rotate.
(http://www.tcscountrysupplies.com/ekmps/shops/tcssupplies/images/kwik-sheep-turnover-crate-588-p.jpg)
The other good design was the Bateman crate, and what I liked about that was the ability to use it to hold the sheep upright but with access to their back ends for dagging etc. It's also available in two sizes (confusingly called standard and pedigree)
(http://da1urhpfd469z.cloudfront.net/uploads/advertphotos/16/0205/24358182-910-640x480.jpg)
In the end though, we were looking at over a grand new, and at least £600 second hand, so it didn't happen. Perhaps you'll have more luck?
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The IAE is the Rolls Royce by the looks of it but I like the idea of the Bateman as it gives good access for dagging and so on. I might save some more money and try and get the Bateman as cheap as possible.
Thanks
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Bateman with wheels on ebay at £310 2 bids 13hrs to go
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WM Ironworks now do wheels for the turnover crate.
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I've seen the Bateman on ebay but I'm abroad till first week in January.
They keep popping up on ebay but sell for well over £500, plenty of the Commodores available for under £200 but I think I will have to save a bit more or I will regret buying something that's just not up to the job.
Thanks
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As I mentioned previously my limit on the Commodore is about 70kg. I think it would physically fit a 95kg ram but it would take a strong person to turn a 95kg animal in it. The other issue is I sometimes find you have to watch their legs do t get caught as you turn them upright and more than once I have had to abort the turn to move their legs, very difficult to do if you are on the edge of your capability.
For my angora Buck I use a show stand and raise him up on that and do him standing up. That is a viable alternative if you are only doing a few at a time and they can be bought at under £400 new but don't come up second hand very often. Overall I get more use out of the stand than the turn over crate.
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As an aside, our Zwartbles tups are mahoosive, and basically un-tippable except by a trained wrestler or Judo champion. One thing I've discovered is that when you're checking feet as you would a horse, they struggle less if you can support their weight on one of your knees, so they're not off balance. It works best for the front feet, but does also help for the back, if you can get somebody else to hold or distract the front end at the same time.
That said, the first couple of years we had them, we were checking and spraying feet all the time for scald. However, since footvaxing a year ago, we've had no further foot infections in either ewes or lambs. It's not a pleasant drug to administer, but I rate it as one of the best shepherding decisions we have made.
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We bought a commodore crate, however it seemed to be a 2 man job to tip the sheep back on its feet (without catching legs ). so the commodore was promptly sold on. I have used both iae and ironworks crates since, and I was happy with both
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Yup I think we've explained why you can buy second hand Commodores but rarely see the newer designs second hand.
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If you can wait until one of the big shows have a look on the stands then.
We bought an IAE crate at the Norfolk show 20% off.
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Hmmm, I tried that trick at the RHS, Zwartbles. All of the reps were totally indifferent, and one was downright offensive (I quote: "How many sheep do you have then? Twenty!?! for **** sake man, that's not a flock! What breed? Zwartbles? Oh it gets worse! They're OK for embryo transplant I guess, but **** all use for anything else. Get yourself some Beltex and grow a pair why don't you!?". I honestly thought Mrs Womble was going to lamp him one! :roflanim: ).
Oh well, it felt good to get that off my chest at least! :coat:
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Well, Womble, perhaps our approach was better. "We have HUUUUGE sheep will your crate be man enough!!!!!!!!!!!
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Its always the same when I want to buy something, I started with a budget of £200 thinking I could get one that would be well used but would do the job, then as I expected the earlier Commodore turnovers are not really going to be good enough........ now I'm looking at £350-£400 and soon i'll be up to £600 ;)
I think the Bateman, IAE or Ironworks it the way ahead, and if I buy one then I don't want to be upgrading in a few years time.
Thanks for your comments and advice, certainly prevented me from buying something that would not of been adequate.
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I generally attend one of the NSA shows each Summer and manufacturers sometimes have show discounts or "take this home today for £...." offers to save having to pack up the stand at the end of the day.