I have a Sooner SR724 alluminum stock trailer that I purshased new this spring.

I am headed to Denver CO next week with two bulls for the National Western Stock Show which is about a 1,000 mile trip each way.

I need to install something to tie the bulls to inside the trailer so that they are able to lay down but stay confined, each bull will be in a seperate compartment. (these are mature bulls approx 2,500# each)

I was thinking of drilling holes and riveting tie rings to upright posts about 24" off the floor of the trailer.

Has anyone else done this before?

What is the best way of going about this?

Thanks in advance.

No question that a bolt, inparticular a grade 8 bolt is strnger than a rivet, or in this case 4 rivets but I don't think that is necesarily an advanatge in this sutation. Also a rivet is alluminum, I'd be worrid that bolts, unless stainless perhaps would cause electrolysis between the steel of the bolt and the alluminum construction of the trailer.

In this situation even supposing that one of the bulls broke the ring off by breaking the 4 rivets they would just be walking around the enclosed sompartment that they are in on the trailer.

Also I don't want anything to catch it'self on the head of a bolt and cause a scrape or cut.

I would recommend using the type of rings that lay flush to the wall when not in use so they would be out of the way it you needed to haul horses in the trailer. I use to go to some cattle shows with a good friend that had show cattle. They had a tie bar added to their LQ trailer that was about 30" off the floor. She stored all of her splint, run downs, SMB's & shipping boots on it when she was hauling her horses to shows.  She  preferred the bar since they would fill the trailer sometimes when doing the fair circuit.

A good idea would be to look at 4 Star, Elite, Eby etc webpages for their show cattle trailers to see how they dealt with the tie rings or bars.

Bushy Creek, I was considering the bar as well but thought it might interfere with my horses, maybe not though. That may be an option,

I'm undecided on what to do with this one.

Thanks for the inpu.

Can you just leave them un-tied?  If they are going to be hauled in seperate compartments anyway? 

Or will they fight each other?

That's always the other option sinful,

They can't physically fight since they are divided by a gate but they likely will ball and roar at eachother for a while since they are both mature bulls and not used to being together.

If they were tied for the first few hundred miles would be best until they settle down but in all reality they would be fine loose as well.

I have a tie rail for cattle and tie rings mounted high for horses in my own trailer.  I have never had a problem with horses and the tie rail.  I also have trailer customers that order aluminum stocks from me, and we always have a full length inside tie rail put in the trailer, as well as outside tie rails.  I would opt for the full length tie rail myself in place of tie rings.

  Hope you do well in Denver.  My wife and I will be flying out to Denver for several of the show and sales next Friday.  I have gone to the National Western in Denver for over 25 years.  There is nothing like that show !!