Crowd gate for milking parlor

Abstract

A crowd gate for use in herding animals from an entry end of a holding area to the exit end of a holding area of the type in which a wheeled carriage, from which a pivoting gate is suspended into and generally spans the holding area, is moved along tracks above the holding area, the suspended gate herding the animals in the area before it, such gate being responsive to animal contact to stop movement of the carriage, such gate being used in association with gate raising means operative to raise the gate to a horizontal position for return of the carriage to the entry end of the herding area over the heads of incoming animals wherein the improvement comprises a substantially counterbalanced pivoting, spring biased gate mounted so that it hangs forwardly in the direction the animals are to be herded rather than normal to the floor of the holding area, the first contact of the gate thereby being an edge contact of the gate with the legs of the animals being herded, the resistance to pivoting of the gate acting as goading means, together with a simple mechanical means for raising and securing the counterbalanced gate in a horizontal position during return of such carriage to the point of beginning; such mechanical means including gate raising slides mounted on the rear of the gate, stationary rollers operative to contact the gate raising slides on rearward travel of the carriage thereby urging the gate into a horizontal position where the gate is secured by strikers mounted on the carriage and the gate is thereafter lowered to goading position at the entrance end of the holding area so a further herding cycle can be effected.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.