“Feeding cattle puts a lot of wear and tear on a truck.”
Pickups used to feed cattle a few square bales of hay every day have long gone to the wayside.
Nowadays, powerful flatbed trucks with added equipment to haul and unroll big round hay bales are common on most ranches.
Of course, the trucks must be four-wheel-drive to get around in mud and snow with two bales loaded on.
Stress is heavy on all parts of a truck from the engine to the framework, to the springs and axles when carrying tons of hay. Inclement weather conditions increase the rust, vibration, on every part of the mechanical devices.
Large heavy treaded rubber tires are required to handle the hay weight. Still, no matter how slow and careful the truck is driven on rock country roads, tires often go flat.
It’s a major ordeal to change the tires, and sometimes more of an effort to get one fixed. Not many stockmen repair their own flat tires, although many have tried, and found it too much work.
As serious as having a flat tire is the high probability of ruining the tire when it runs out of air. Like everything, truck tire replacement is expensive.
Trucks are not the only implement used to feed hay to cattle, but seemingly more stockmen use them than tractors. Tractors are called into feeding duties when a truck won’t run or gets stuck and must be pulled out.
Most tractors still don’t have an unrolling apparatus, so bales are dropped out in the field with considerable hay wasted when cattle eat.
Regardless of how well-built and the amount of attempted careful care given feed trucks, they wear out way too soon. No matter how many times a feed truck is repaired there comes a point when it just can’t be fixed again.
A replacement of some sort is essential, but that is becoming a nearly impossible task. While the price is incomprehensibly high, and must be paid regardless, even tougher is locating the truck.
Modern technology makes it possible to search throughout the entire nation by pushing computer keys. A new or used truck of any kind with sufficient cattle feeding capabilities has not located.
Optimism prevails when reminded of First Samuel 13:1: “God is out looking for your replacement.”
+++ALLELUIA+++
XVII–4–1-22-2023
