Livestock handling system

Abstract

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Description

RELATED APPLICATIONS The present application claims priority from Australian Provisional patent Application No. 2025900395 filed 13 February 2025, the entire contents of 5 which are incorporated herein by reference. FIELD OF INVENTION The present invention relates generally to a livestock handling system for handling livestock for transport, and in particular, to a crate for transporting livestock. 10 BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In farming and other animal husbandry practices, there is a regular need to transport animals in large volumes between venues. Such transport requirements may be for transporting livestock between properties or between a property and a sale yard or abattoir where the livestock may be sold or slaughtered for food. 15 Irrespective of the reason for transporting the animals, due to the cost of transportation, it is often necessary to transport the animals in large volumes to offset such costs. As such, large transport vehicles such as semi-trailer trucks and the like are often employed to tow large trailers that are capable of housing the animals in layered or tiered decks for transportation. 20 One problem with such a means for transporting large volumes of livestock is that in order to optimise the available space in the trailer for accommodating the animals, it is difficult for workers and drivers of the vehicle to load and unload the vehicles in a safe and efficient manner. As the trailers typically have multiple tiers and the confined spaces for receiving the animals extend the length of the 25 trailer, it is often necessary for the driver of the vehicle and / or associated workers, to climb onto the wall of the vehicle to move the animals along the space and into the desired storage compartments. Due to the erratic movement of animals under duress, it is possible that the animals may knock against the workers assisting in the loading / unloading process, or knock against the walls of 30 the trailer, which can cause injury to the workers in the form of damaged limbs or causing the workers to fall from the side of the trailer. Trailers having moveable floors or walls have been proposed to accommodate animals of different sizes and to provide variation in relation to the size of the 2026201030   12 Feb 2026 space available to accommodate the animals. However, such modular and movable systems can add additional danger and increased opportunity for injury if the animals dislodge a wall or floor member during movement, which can cause harm and injury to not only the workers assisting the loading / unloading of 5 the vehicle, but also the animals located within the vehicle. It is known for animals to sustain considerable injuries and in some instances, break limbs during transport in such systems, which is clearly unacceptable. Further to this, one major problem with conventional animal transport crates is that, due to the limited size of the storage compartments for receiving the 10 animals, they are difficult to clean and empty following use. A worker is typically required to access the small and cramped space, which may be sufficient for accommodating sheep or pigs but not for humans, to clean the spaces at the end of a transportation. The limited accessibility of the space can also cause injury to the worker and can reduce the efficiency of the cleaning 15 process, adding additional time and cost to the process. Thus, there is a need to provide a crate for transporting animals, such as pigs, sheep, goats and cattle, which is safely and simply adapted for improved access during a loading and unloading situation. The above references to and descriptions of prior proposals or products are not 20 intended to be, and are not to be construed as, statements or admissions of common general knowledge in the art. In particular, the above prior art discussion does not relate to what is commonly or well known by the person skilled in the art, but assists in the understanding of the inventive step of the present invention of which the identification of pertinent prior art proposals is but 25 one part. STATEMENT OF INVENTION The invention according to one or more aspects is as defined in the independent claims. Some optional and / or preferred features of the invention are defined in the dependent claims. 30 Accordingly, in one aspect of the invention there is provided a crate for transporting animals comprising: a body configured to be attached to a vehicle for transportation; an internal frame mounted with respect to the body; and 2026201030   12 Feb 2026 a plurality of deck members mounted within the internal frame, at least one of the deck members being mounted such that the height of the at least one deck member with respect to a lower deck member is adjustable. The plurality of deck members may have at least one gate system provided 5 therewith to separate the deck members into a plurality of holding pens located thereon. Each gate system may extend substantially across the deck member and may comprise a gate member that is hingedly configured to provide access therethrough. 10 In one embodiment, each gate system may be formed integral with the deck member. In another embodiment, each gate system may be mounted with respect to the body to extend over the deck member. The at least one deck member may be height adjustable with respect to the lower 15 deck member by way of a height adjusting mechanism mounted with respect to the body. In one form, the height adjusting mechanism may be a hydraulic or pneumatic operated ram. In another form, the height adjusting mechanism may be a hoist system. 20 The body may comprise a roof and the roof may be configured to allow at least a portion of an upper deck member to pass therethrough as the upper deck member is elevated within the body. The roof may be configured with one or more slots to accommodate one or more gate systems of the upper deck as the upper deck is elevated. 25 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The invention may be better understood from the following non-limiting description of preferred embodiments, in which: Fig. 1 is a side view of a transport crate in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; 30         Fig. 2 is a perspective view of deck of the transport crate of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a front end perspective view of the internal frame of the transport crate of Fig. 1 in a loaded or ready for transport configuration; 2026201030   12 Feb 2026 Fig. 4 is a front end perspective view of the internal frame of the transport crate of Fig. 1 with the lower deck in a loading / unloading configuration; Fig. 5 is a front end perspective view of the internal frame of the transport crate of Fig. 1 with the middle deck in a loading / unloading configuration; and 5         Fig. 6 is a front end perspective view of the internal frame of the transport crate of Fig. 1 with the upper deck in a loading / unloading configuration. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Preferred features of the present invention will now be described with particular reference to the accompanying drawings. However, it is to be understood that 10 the features illustrated in and described with reference to the drawings are not to be construed as limiting on the scope of the invention. The livestock handling system of the present invention will be described below in relation to its application for use as a stock crate or trailer to be hauled by a truck or the like. However, it will be appreciated that the livestock handling 15 system of the present invention may take a variety of forms and configurations and may be formed integrally with a vehicle or as a separate trailer and may have any number of levels or tiers, as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art. Referring to Fig. 1, a side view of a transport crate 10 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention is depicted. The transport crate 10 is 20 configured as a trailer system, which is to be towed by a truck or similar vehicle (not shown). The transport crate 10 comprises a chassis 12 which is mounted at one end to wheels 13 and has a hitch 14 located at the other end for engagement with a towing truck or tractor (not shown) in a conventional manner. The transport crate 10 comprises an external frame 15 that forms an enclosure as 25 depicted. The external frame 15 extends around an internal frame 20 that defines decks 16, 17 and 18, for storing animals thereon. In the embodiment as depicted, the crate 10 comprises three levels of decks 16, 17, 18; however, the number of decks may vary depending on the transport requirements and the type and number of animals being transported in the crate 10. 30 As is shown in Fig. 2, each of the decks 16, 17, 18 may be divided into pens 19 for receiving the animals therein. A gate system 22 provides access to the pens 19 and closes each pen 19 by way of a fixed panel member 23 and a hinged gate member 24 that extend orthogonally across the decks 16, 17, 18 at fixed intervals along the length thereof. The gate system 22 may be configured such that the 2026201030   12 Feb 2026 fixed panel member 23 and the hinged gate member 24 remain in a fixed position or are foldable to swing back against the external frame 15 of the crate 10, as will be discussed in more detail below. Referring to Fig. 3, the internal frame 20 is shown without the external frame 15. 5 The internal frame 20 is in the form of a substantially rectangular frame structure having an enclosed panel 25 forming an end thereof and a half panel 26 forming the other end. An upper rim 27 extends around an upper periphery of the internal frame 20 and a lower rim 28 extends around the lower periphery of the frame 20. A plurality of vertical support struts 29 extend between the upper rim 27 and the 10 lower rim 28. A fixed floor 30 is provided in the base of the internal frame 20, which is enclosed by the lower rim 28. The fixed floor 30 forms the lower deck 16 of the crate 10 as depicted in Fig. 1. A middle deck 17 is mounted within the internal frame 20 to be separated a predetermined distance above the fixed floor 30. The deck 17 is supported upon 15 metal lugs (not shown) which are welded, or otherwise affixed, to an inner surface of the internal frame 20 to define a lowest position for the deck 17 to be located. Similarly, the upper deck 18 is mounted within the internal frame 20 to be supported upon metal lugs affixed to the inner surface of the internal frame 20 so that the deck 18 is mounted a predetermined distance above the middle deck 20  17, as is shown in Fig. 3. In the arrangement as depicted in Fig. 3, the crate 10 is in the transport position for receiving and containing the animals for transport. Each of the middle deck 17 and upper deck 18 are free to move vertically within the internal frame 20 under the action of a mechanism (not shown) mounted with respect to internal frame 20. The mechanism may be in the form of a hydraulic 25 or pneumatic ram mounted to raise and lower the decks 17, 18 or may be a cable system attached to winch or the like to raise and lower the decks 17, 18. Other systems for raising and lowering the decks 17, 18 are also envisaged. Referring to Fig. 4, to load / unload the crate 10 such that the animals can be loaded onto the lower deck 16, the mechanism is activated to raise the middle 30 deck 17 and upper deck 18 within the internal frame 20. In this arrangement the gate systems 22 of the upper deck 18 can pass through recesses (not shown) formed in the external frame 15 of the crate 10. In this arrangement the space between the lower deck 16 and the middle deck 17 is maximised to receive the animals and to enable workers access to the space as required. The gate 35 members 24 of the gate systems 22 are opened to allow the animals to enter the lower deck 16 via ramp 32, such that they can be sorted into the pens 19 as 2026201030   12 Feb 2026 desired. The gate members can then be closed to retain the animals in the pens 19, as required. Upon completion of loading the animals onto the lower deck 16, the middle deck 17 can be lowered by the mechanism in the manner as shown in Fig. 5. In this 5 arrangement, the middle deck 17 is lowered to its position whereby it is supported within the internal frame 20 by the metal lugs and the upper deck 18 is retained in its elevated position by the mechanism. Thus, the space between the upper deck 18 and the middle deck 17 is maximised to receive the animals and any worker that may need to access the space. The animals are then loaded onto 10 the middle deck 17 by way of ramp 33 and the gate members 24 of the gate systems 22 are opened to allow the animals to enter the middle deck 17 to be received in the pens 19 provided thereon. The gate members 24 can then be closed to retain the animals in the pens 19 as required. Upon completion of loading the animals onto the middle deck 17, the upper deck 15  18 is then lowered by the mechanism in the manner as shown in Fig. 6. In this arrangement, the upper deck 18 is lowered to its position whereby it is supported within the internal frame 20 by the metal lugs and the mechanism is deactivated. The animals are then loaded onto the upper deck 18 by way of ramp 34 and the gate members 24 of the gate systems 22 are opened to allow the animals to enter 20 the upper deck 18 to be received in the pens 19 provided thereon. The gate members 22 can then be closed to retain the animals in the pens 19 as required. Upon completion of loading the animals onto the upper deck 18, the crate 10 is then fully loaded for transport to the required destination. Upon reaching the destination the crate 10 is then able to be unloaded in the reverse order as 25 discussed above, with the mechanism raising the decks after unloading the animals from the higher deck. Once the crate 10 has been emptied, each deck can then be cleaned by raising the middle and upper decks to maximise the height of the space between the decks to allow workers to enter the otherwise confined space to clean the pens 19 as 30 required. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, when the decks are raised, the vertical space between the lower deck and the raised deck is between around 1.8 - 2.0m, which is ample height to safely accommodate both animals and humans during loading / unloading and cleaning. It will be appreciated that as each of the decks 16, 17, 18 are a single structure, 35 there is no requirement to fold or collapse the decks which is an issue with cleaning conventional crates. As the decks are a single structure, any animal 2026201030   12 Feb 2026 excrement can be simply swept or hosed from the deck and is less likely to become trapped in folded structures. Such an arrangement not only provides significant improvements in biosecurity, but also reduces cleaning time and downtime of the vehicle. 5 Throughout the specification and claims the word “comprise” and its derivatives are intended to have an inclusive rather than exclusive meaning unless the contrary is expressly stated or the context requires otherwise. That is, the word “comprise” and its derivatives will be taken to indicate the inclusion of not only the listed components, steps or features that it directly references, but also other 10 components, steps or features not specifically listed, unless the contrary is expressly stated or the context requires otherwise. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that many modifications and variations may be made to the methods of the invention described herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. 15

Claims

1. A crate for transporting animals comprising:a body configured to be attached to a vehicle for transportation;an internal frame mounted with respect to the body; and5               a plurality of deck members mounted within the internal frame, atleast one of the deck members being mounted such that the height of the at least one deck member with respect to a lower deck member is adjustable.10  2. A crate according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of deck members haveat least one gate system provided therewith to separate the deck members into a plurality of holding pens located thereon.

3. A crate according to claim 2, wherein each gate system extends 15        substantially across the deck member and comprises a gate member that ishingedly configured to provide access therethrough.

4. A crate according to claim 2 or claim 3, wherein each gate system is formed integral with the deck member.

205. A crate according to claim 2 or claim 3, wherein each gate system is mounted with respect to the body to extend over the deck member.

6. A crate according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the at least25        one deck member is height adjustable with respect to the lower deckmember by way of a height adjusting mechanism mounted with respect to the body.

7. A crate according to claim 6, wherein the height adjusting mechanism is a 30        hydraulic or pneumatic operated ram.

8. A crate according to claim 6, wherein the height adjusting mechanism is a hoist system.35  9. A crate according to claim 1, wherein the body comprises a roof and theroof is configured to allow at least a portion of an upper deck member to pass therethrough as the upper deck member is elevated within the body.2026201030   12 Feb 202610. A crate according to claim 9, wherein the roof is configured with one or more slots to accommodate one or more gate systems of the upper deck as the upper deck is elevated.5

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