User review: The humble cattle trailer is becoming increasingly sophisticated

The requirement to transport stock between outlying pastures and the home farm with the latest high-speed tractors means the humble cattle trailer has become increasingly sophisticated.

Jane Carley reports...

With 1,200 dairy cows and 600 followers on pastures which can be seven or eight miles from the home farm near Rudgwick, Surrey, R. Harrison and Sons needs a quick, efficient means of livestock transport.

This means trailers have to be up to spec to cope with the long and frequent distances, as well as built to handle high speeds but keep the contents comfortable.

R. Harrison and Sons is run by Neil Harrison, his brother and cousins.

He says: "We run all trailers on commercial axles with air brakes, and as the cattle trailer is generally pulled by a JCB Fastrac, it has to be up to standard.

"The local roads are increasingly busy, so safety is also paramount."

Alongside the grazing and silage ground for three herds at Pallinghurst Farm, 126 hectares (311 acres) of maize is also grown.

And with a number of property rentals and a cheese-making business, time is at a premium.

Having previously used lorries for several years to transport cattle, Mr Harrison decided to switch to tractor-drawn trailers for their flexibility. However, he found his first purchase did not meet his standards.

"We talked to a few companies, but only H.M. Trailers seemed interested in building to our specifications."

Many products offered by the Ongar, Essex, manufacturer are bespoke and a visit to the factory impressed Mr Harrison.

"We do a fair amount of fabrication ourselves and it was obvious they knew what they were talking about, plus they are farmers so understand our needs. H.M. Trailers inspected our old trailer from top to bottom to appreciate the issues we had with it and how they could overcome them."

The resulting trailer was one of the first in a range, and at 8.5 metres (28ft) long holds 16-17 of Mr Harrison's Friesian/Jersey cross cows or up to 30 youngstock.

It is constructed from interlocking channel sections for the chassis with 3mm folded section sides.

The axles are recessed under the body to preserve the 2.55m width and smooth wheel arches within the trailer avoid the risk of injury to the cattle.

A sliding partition can be moved along the chassis to divide the herd if required and personnel doors on both sides at the front ensure the safety of herdsmen.

Prices: 

• RRP: £18,500
• Moveable internal partition: £495
• Air braking system: £1,020

Verdict

Having a well-specced livestock trailer to hand makes cattle movements between yard and pastures easier to manage, especially when time is in short supply.

Running gear and lighting to commercial standards enables the farm to legally exploit the on-road performance of its Fastrac tractor.