# Stockyard Help



## Mikeh49 (Sep 20, 2015)

I'm trying to get my stockyard going after 35 years of storage. The problem is that the cows do not move around the pens very well or up the ramp at all. Only next to the shed do they move. I replaced the material on the bottom of the cows back in the day and thought they worked then. The vibrator makes about the right amount of noise but I feel almost no vibration in the material in the pens. Adjusting the vibrator does not help. I'm wondering if the floor material is "dried out" or something due to age. 

The cows do move smartly through the car and I've verified that I have 15V or so from the transformer.

Any help?


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## cramden (Oct 13, 2015)

I've not heard of the mat drying out, usually it gets replaced if it's damaged or not laying flat. I would start with the feet. You can try pushing the material in the correct direction that it's supposed to go. It's possible from sitting so long that the material has straightened out. My stockyard vibrates too much even with adjusting and the cows won't stay upright so I use a dedicated transformer on the variable post to drop the 15 volts down to about 12. Maybe your vibrating motor is weak. I don't know what the specs are for it. Also the mat on mine is not glued down, it can be moved. The same with the ramp mat. You can replace the material on the cows with Shur-Line paint pads found at hardware or big box stores. Just get the pattern in the right direction. Black cow pads face 30 degrees to the left and to the rear, Brown face to the right at 30 degrees and to the rear. Make sure the base of the cow is cleaned off and flat before gluing on the new pads. The only thing about the Shur-Line pads is they are white if that matters to you. Hope this helps. Let us know if you get it figured out.


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## Mikeh49 (Sep 20, 2015)

Thanks for the info on the mat. The mat is loose, not stuck down. I'll futz with the cows and see if that helps. I found the info on paint pad material too. I don't recall where I got the material I used in the 80's; it does look like paint pad. And seems to be on at the correct angles.


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## flyernut (Oct 31, 2010)

Sorry, I can't add anything positive to the conversation.


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## dooper (Nov 9, 2015)

For what it is worth, I just checked my stockyard. With your finger on the pad, you should just feel a very minor vibration.


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