Learn how to build a do it yourself livestock trailer in this episode of Homesteady
Livestock trailers are expensive. For the average homesteader who just needs to pickup a few feeder pigs every spring and deliver a couple does to a buck each fall, it is hard to justify the $5000 dollars you will need to spend if you want to buy a livestock trailer.
In the past we have tried just about everything to move livestock…. bed of a pickup (that was too drafty), dump trailer (too cumbersome), and even the back of our van (too stinky)…
No more, We decided it was time for a better solution.
We needed something that was easy to load, not drafty, and didn’t leave our van smelling like a buck in rut.
That is why we built a DIY livestock trailer out of an IBC Tote.
For this project we purchased a 330 Gallon IBC Tote for $60 off of craigslist.
In addition to the tote, we purchased 4 industrial grade ratchet straps
And a few heavy duty bungee chords
This build requires renting a Uhaul Open Air Trailer to attach your tote to. This rental costs around $150 each time you use it.
- Create a Door in the IBC Tote – To create a door, first I cut away a square hole in the side of the IBC tote, with a sawzall, leaving one side still attached to act as a hinge. On the inside of the door I screwed a small piece of wood to add some meat to the door, and I used that wood to screw my hardware too. I used a small door latch I had around the farm, you could use any kind of gate hardware or barn latch to make a door in the tote. As an added strength to the door I mounted a bungee cord to the middle, mounting it with a small clamp used to mount metal pipe.
- Add a Vent in the Front of the Tote – The vent was essentially a mini door. I cut the plastic out of the tote with a sheet rock knife, making sure to leave 1 of the 4 sides of the door still attached to act as a hinge. I then made a rubber flap to go over the door, which operates and locks in place using another bungee. (See Video for how it works)
- Attach the Tote to the Uhaul Trailer – Once the tote was ready it was time to attach it to the Uhaul trailer. 4 industrial grade ratchet straps in the top corners of the tote strapped to the D rings in the 4 corners of the Uhaul trailer secured the tote perfectly. I made sure to tighten each strap gradually, so they all were pulling evenly.
The do it yourself livestock trailer worked great. In an upcoming video we will share with you the trip we took to take a adult buck to a farm across 3 states, with NO ISSUES! Subscribe to our YOUTUBE CHANNEL to see that video.
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