There are many names for what we call a cattle guard. The traditional design is a steel grid of parallel bars set in the ground. They create unstable footing for hoofed animals like livestock and prevent them from crossing. The guards are installed instead of a gate to keep cattle from wandering off of your land.
Below are some of the various designs available that eliminate the need for a gate.
Concrete Cattle Guards
Not all of these barriers are made of steel. There are concrete cattle guards available as well. This type uses forms to allow them to be poured on site. This makes them more economical to ship than the steel guards.There’s even a reusable concrete cattle guard form that allows you to pour as many as you like! Simply set the re-bar in the holders and fill with cement. Wait for them to cure and remove the finished guard from the form.
Steel Cattle Guards
The most popular cattle guard design is made from steel. The top rails are welded so they run perpendicular to the road and are supported beneath by steel beams. The beams are set on concrete foundations to transfer the vehicle weight to the ground.
Round Top Rail Cattle Guards
This popular design uses pipe for the top rails. The rounded surface creates extremely unstable footing for a large flat hoof and a very effective deterrent to livestock. It doesn’t provide the smoothest ride for crossing vehicles but are generally more economical than the flat top rail design below. They’re a bit more aggressive as a deterrent as well.
The installation diagram below illustrates how a crossing is supported in the roadway. Notice the wings on each side that transition the vertical fence line barrier to the horizontal livestock barrier in the road itself.
Flat Top Rail Cattle Guards
The flat rail design uses a top rail shape of a hexagon. A flat top that the moves first outward than down like the profile of a barn. See the detail of the rail ends in the picture below.
This style is available in a load-carrying rating of 12 tons per axle all the way up to a massive 30 tons per axle. Note that the Department of Transportation requires only 16 tons per axle for public roadway projects.
Precast concrete foundations
The flat rail is able to have precast footings shipped with the guard. The manufacturing site also produces these specialized footings near the same facility. The footings and guards are loaded and delivered on the same vehicle. The concrete has re-bar pre-cast into the form so the metal grid can be bolted down directly in the field. It’s very convenient and saves pouring cement on-site.
Cattle Guard Delivery
All of the steel grid designs require that the receiver provide a mechanical means of unloading upon arrival. The large sizes and extremely heavy weights aren’t able to be unloaded by hand. The delivery driver also doesn’t have a way to unload the guards or foundations from the delivery vehicle and will rely on the customer to unload.
The cattle guard concrete forms are light enough to be delivery and managed by hand.
If you have any questions about your project or would like a quote with shipping to your site, please let us know and we’ll be happy to help!
Barn World – Sales@BarnWorld.com – 720.238.2190
