Farmers open the same gateway five to forty seven times a day. Every one of those stops adds up. Here is what that costs in labour hours, and what each way of fixing it costs to buy.
UpGate is a patented, solar-powered automated farm gate that lifts electrified bungy cords overhead. Farmers operate it from up to 100 metres away and use the same opening for vehicles and cattle.
At one minute per operation and 5 to 47 operations a day, a single gateway burns 30 to 285 hours of labour a year.
At $60 per hour that is $1,800 to $17,100 a year, before you count the jobs put off because the gate was in the way.
Labour cost calculated at $60 per hour, one minute saved per operation. Figures come from ControlAg trials.
Cattle grids need level ground and specialist installation, and a manual gate beside them for the cattle. Swing gates need clear ground to sweep and regular latch alignment as posts move.
UpGate installs DIY with coach screws, uses the electric fence you already run, and widens with a longer bungy cord rather than more steel.
Across the trial programme, payback landed between 2 and 19 months depending on how often the gateway was used.
One farmer chose UpGate over a $25K tractor attachment he would only use ten times a year, since he presses the remote ten times a day instead. The cheapest gateway is the one you stop thinking about.
Cost, safety and footprint.
Read moreFull price list.
Read more2,000 operations in 18 months.
Read moreTell us how often you use it and we will work the payback with you.
