Cattle Guards are a must for any cattle ranch wanting to keep cattle contained without blocking roads.  Cattle Guards can be used in oil fields, BLM land and any other property that desires to keep certain animals contained.  Cattle Guards are also a good way to keep unwanted wildlife off of your property or ranch. Be careful though, a single cattle guard will not stop a deer that can easily leap over a cattle guard in a single bound. At this point we would suggest two cattle guards side by side discouraging the more athletic animal from jumping over them. Farm and Ranch Depot’s cattle guards are engineered to meet U.S. forest service and BLM requirements which meets the HS20 specifications. The ATV cattle guards or the Farm Duty Cattle Guards are also a great way to contain animals without having access from a nearby road. The farm duty cattle guard or ATV cattle guard provides access to your desired field by smaller four wheelers. These cattle guards can withstand the wait loads specifically for the smaller all terrain vehicle and meets the HS15 specifications. Farm and Ranch Depot can customize your cattle guard in order to meet your specific needs.

The cattle guard which has also been called cattle grid or stock guard can be a useful tool for those of you in rural areas that may have neighbors with cattle.  It’s no secret that cattle like to wander and keeping them contained or off your personal property can sometimes be a challenge.  Cattle are not the only issues you might find out in the country.  Horses, deer, and other four legged animals can sometimes make a mess of your land.  Cattle guards are generally steel beams or pipes placed 8 inches apart and run in the center of a roadway where access is needed for vehicles.   Cattle guards are generally 10 to 12 feet long and 6 to 8 feet wide with a 1 foot gap underneath them.  This makes it very challenging for an animal to walk over and for the most part, will detour the animal away from the access point.  For animals this is one obstacle they do not want to mess with.

Cattle guards were originally used by the railroads to keep free ranging cattle off the tracks.  Accidents due to cattle were a large issue back then and so entered in the invention of the cattle guard.  In 1913 with vehicles becoming more prominent an inventor by the name of William Hickey recognized the potential for cattle guards for the roadways.  In the same manner cattle guards could be used to keep free ranging cattle out of unwanted areas that had access by road.  Today cattle guards are used all over the world as an important tool for safety and containment of cattle and other animals.