reefer unit

[johndeereman]

Hello

I recently came across some reefer trailers for sale and Dad got an idea to use them for the steers.  I know people out there have used them before but how well do they work?
Has anyone had expierence with a reefer trailer being used as a cool room?  How big would one have to be for 5 head of calves?  How much power does one take? 

Thanks for your replies

 

[Blank]

We used a reefer unit for many years for a cooler setup. It worked great but I definately wouldnt want to use one now days with current fuel prices. When we had ours diesel was about $1.25/gallon and it would burn about 50 gallons or more in a week. It would probably be cheaper to run an electric unit. We ran it for about 2 years until the engine blew on it and we bought a Cool Calf setup.

 

[plattevalleysimmentals]

that sounds like a good idea. Where does a person go to aquire one is my question?

 

[xxcc]

oh, I thought this board was going off the deep end...around here, a reefer unit is either an ounce, or a kilo.

 

[Shady Lane]

The other thing you might consider is just removing the Reefer from the trailer and installing it a cool room rather than trying to cool an entire 48' or 53' trailer it may be more efficient to run on a smaller area for just a few steers.

Also some truck or trailer mounted reefers can be dual powered diesel/electric. You might want to check into that?

We used to rent some in the warm spring weather to cool seed potatoe bins back home.

 

[pjkjr4]

I'm in the process of trying to find a wrecked one that I could cut down. I certainly don't need a 53' one. Since our market shows are in the spring, I wouldn't need to use it a bunch, just this time of year when the days are getting longer.

 

[FutureBreeder2013]

Since were talkin about semi trailers heres a video of one of Goretska's barn thats made of semi trailer sides.

Bradley Hook made this video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTizSLPh21k

 

[wsc]

We have used one for about 5 years. We just took the unit its self off of a wrecked van trailer and, put it on the end of our barn...  It will get our barn down to 32 without working it hard... Ours heats and cool so its nice in the winter time to..  We are lookin into buying a propane conversion kit they sell for them to cut down on fuel cost, because they are expensive to run... I would buy one that shuts off when it gets the room to temp you want, and once the temp gets 5 degrees above the set temp it turns back on.. We like them because if we would lose power in the barn we will always have air  moving...  Hope this helps a little bit..

 

[pjkjr4]

What does everyone use fo a floor in all of these? Also, do the cattle run loose, or are they tied? It looks to me like after some time, it would get kind of ammonia smelling in there, so do you hose it out every night?

 

[Sly]

i have an old reefer been wondering the same questions. 

 

[furinsilex]

we considered this last spring but opted to go away from it because of fuel cots and the trouble of getting it set up right. The one we looked at was only a 30 footer

 

[Throttle]

FWIW, I sure wouldn't put a calf in a semi trailer. It just seems too tight to me. It seems to me like it would take some major modifications to keep it from being about toxic after a couple of big fats been in it for awhile. Now, the unit itself makes a great cool room unit. A lot of the best barns in the country used them before fuel got so costly.

Most people who have not tried to maintain a working cool room or the cattle in them, or do not have much experience in or around them, do not really understand how hard it is to A- keep them cool with cattle in them and - B- keep the air fresh at the same time. I think the big Cool Calf unit is about as nice as you can do for quality and price. I shopped around pretty good a couple of years ago. Also, a good exhaust fan is a must, plus some kind of good openings that can be left for fresh air at night are nice too

 

[rocknmranch]

We have a 40' overseas container that we converted into our butcher shop. The back half is the cooler, cool'd with a refigeration unit that is electric. The front half is the shop portion. The floor is cemented, with an overlay type, slight grade to it, for drainage. Windows for ventalation after washing out. Heavy insulation to seperate the front half from the back. Stainless on the walls.

Its a very slick setup, and could easily be used as a cooler for calves. Set up railing along the long wall. Cooler is at the back, same as if was on a diesel mounted one, but placed on the ground with appropriate tubing and fans inside.

 

[garybob]

Make sure it ain't a used one! When a Thermo-King goes bad, they're throw-away junk, like a used Hyndai, or a Ford Festiva.

That's my opinion, based on real experience with reefer trailers. I've worked my whole life, since the tenth grade, around the Chicken and Dairy Foods Industries. They're ( a reefer unit) unreliable.

GB

 

[AAOK]

oh, I thought this board was going off the deep end...around here, a reefer unit is either an ounce, or a kilo.

Yep! They're the only Reefers I know about................er, ah, I mean that I've read about.