6 Best Portable Cattle Troughs For 5 Acres That Prevent Pasture Damage
Rotating your water source is key to healthy pastures. Explore our top 6 portable cattle troughs for 5 acres, designed to prevent ground damage.
You’ve worked hard to get your five acres of pasture looking good, only to see the area around your water tank turn into a muddy, hoof-pocked wasteland. A fixed water source is an invitation for livestock to create a sacrifice zone, compacting soil and concentrating manure in one spot. For small-scale operations, protecting every square foot of grazing is critical, and the solution is simple: put your water on the move.
Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, this site earns from qualifying purchases. Thank you!
Why Portable Troughs Protect Small Pastures
A stationary water trough is the enemy of healthy pasture. Cattle, sheep, and goats will congregate there all day, turning the surrounding ground into a compacted, muddy mess. This not only kills the grass but also creates a breeding ground for parasites and bacteria from the concentrated manure and urine.
By using a portable trough, you force the animals to move. You move the water, you move the herd. This simple act distributes their impact across the entire pasture, preventing the formation of those dead zones. It encourages them to graze new areas they might otherwise ignore.
This is the core principle of managed grazing, just applied to water. Moving the trough every few days breaks parasite life cycles, spreads nutrients (manure) more evenly, and gives the land a chance to recover. On a small property, you can’t afford to lose 100 square feet of forage around a permanent tank. Portability turns your water source from a liability into a powerful pasture management tool.
Tuff Stuff 40-Gallon Tank: Ultimate Durability
When you just need a simple, bombproof tank you can move by hand, this is it. The Tuff Stuff tank is made from a thick, slightly flexible plastic that can take an incredible amount of abuse from hooves, horns, and UV rays. You can throw it in the back of a UTV or truck without a second thought.
Its 40-gallon capacity is a feature, not a bug, for small-acreage management. It’s enough water for a few cows for a day, which forces you into the excellent habit of moving it daily or every other day. This frequent movement is exactly what prevents pasture damage. You can easily dump the last bit of water, flip it over, and carry it to a fresh patch of grass.
The trade-off is the daily attention it requires. This isn’t a "set it and forget it" solution for a weekend away. But for the hobby farmer actively managing a small herd, its low cost, extreme toughness, and manageable size make it a perfect starting point for rotational watering.
High Country Plastics PT-55: Towable and Light
If you want a bit more capacity without needing a front-end loader to move it, the towable trough is a game-changer. The High Country Plastics PT-55 is designed specifically for this. It’s a 55-gallon tank molded with a built-in handle or tow rope attachment point, making it easy to pull behind an ATV, lawn tractor, or even by hand on level ground.
The lightweight polyethylene construction is key here. It’s durable enough for farm use but light enough that you’re not fighting its dead weight. You can drag it to a new paddock, fill it with a hose, and you’re done. The slightly larger capacity gives you a bit more breathing room than a 40-gallon tank.
This design hits a sweet spot between portability and capacity. It’s large enough to water a small herd of 5-8 cattle for a day but remains mobile enough for one person to manage easily. Just remember that "towable" doesn’t mean you should drag it full—move it empty, then fill it up to avoid stressing the plastic and your pasture.
Behlen Poly Tank with Jobe Valve Integration
For those who want to automate filling, a standard poly tank combined with a reliable float valve is the answer. A durable Behlen poly stock tank is a great candidate, but the real star of this system is a high-quality float like the Jobe Valve. This setup allows you to run a long hose from a spigot and keep the trough full automatically.
This system offers a huge labor savings. You’re no longer hauling water, just moving the trough and the hose every few days. It provides constant, fresh water, which is great for animal health, especially in hot weather.
The obvious limitation is the hose. You are tethered to your water source, and managing a 100-foot or 200-foot hose can be a chore in itself. It can get tangled, kinked, or damaged by livestock. This setup is best for smaller, regularly shaped pastures where you can easily reach all corners without needing an excessive length of hose. It’s a semi-portable solution that trades ultimate freedom for automated filling.
Rubbermaid 100-Gal Tank for Small Herd Mobility
The classic black structural foam tank from Rubbermaid is a familiar sight for a reason. It’s incredibly tough, resists sun damage, and is forgiving of rough handling. For a small herd of about 10 head, the 100-gallon size provides a solid day’s worth of water without being so large it becomes impossible to move.
Mobility with a 100-gallon tank requires a plan. It’s too heavy to move by hand when it has any significant amount of water in it. The best practice is to drain it, flip it, and slide it into a UTV bed or onto a small trailer to relocate it. Alternatively, you can drag it empty to a new spot and fill it from a water tank on your truck or ATV.
This tank represents a step up in herd size and management. It’s for the farmer who has the equipment to support moving a slightly heavier piece of gear. The reward is a durable, reliable water source that can support a growing herd while still allowing for pasture-saving rotational placement.
Little Giant Hook Over Trough for Fence-Line Use
Feed multiple animals at once with this durable, hook-over trough. Its galvanized steel grid provides six feeding slots and easily mounts on standard boards or wire panels.
Sometimes the best place for a trough is not in the middle of the pasture, but on the edge. The Little Giant Hook Over Trough is a specialized tool designed for exactly this purpose. With heavy-duty metal hooks, it hangs securely on a wooden fence, gate, or even a sturdy wire panel.
This is the ultimate trough for strip grazing with temporary electric fencing. You can set up a new paddock and simply hang the trough on the polywire fence (using step-in posts for support). Its smaller capacity, typically 10 to 20 gallons, makes it light and easy to reposition as you move the fence line daily.
This is not an all-purpose trough. Its capacity is too small for a larger group or for leaving animals unattended for long. But for targeted, intensive grazing where you are moving animals frequently, its convenience is unmatched. It keeps the trough out from underfoot and makes small, daily adjustments incredibly simple.
Sioux Steel Poly Round Tank: Simple and Rugged
There is beauty in simplicity, and the Sioux Steel Poly Round Tank is as simple as it gets. These round, often blue or black, tanks are incredibly rugged. The round shape provides inherent structural integrity, making them highly resistant to pressure from ice in the winter or leaning cattle in the summer.
These tanks are built for a long life with minimal fuss. They lack the bells and whistles of towable models, but they make up for it in sheer resilience. Moving one is a straightforward affair: drain it, tip it on its side, and roll it to the next location. The lack of corners makes it less likely to get snagged or damaged.
Choosing a round tank is a commitment to durability over convenience. While rolling it works well, it can be more awkward to lift into a vehicle than a rectangular tank. It’s a fantastic, long-term investment for someone who values a no-nonsense tool that will withstand decades of farm life.
Key Features for Pasture-Friendly Water Troughs
When you’re choosing a trough, don’t just look at the gallon capacity. The right choice depends entirely on your system. Thinking through these features will save you headaches later.
First, be brutally honest about mobility. How will you actually move it? If you don’t have an ATV, a 100-gallon "portable" tank isn’t very portable. A smaller 40-gallon tank you can move by hand might be a much better fit for your operation.
Second, consider the drain plug. A cheap, poorly placed drain plug is a constant frustration. Look for a large, threaded plug that is recessed or otherwise protected from animal damage. A good drain makes cleaning easy and is essential for emptying the tank before a move.
Finally, balance capacity against your management style.
- Small capacity (20-50 gal): Forces frequent moves, which is excellent for pasture health. Ideal for daily strip grazing.
- Medium capacity (55-100 gal): A good balance for moving every 2-3 days with a small herd. Requires an ATV or a plan for moving.
- Large capacity (100+ gal): Reduces filling frequency but increases the temptation to leave it in one place too long, defeating the purpose.
The goal isn’t just to provide water; it’s to use the water source as a tool to improve your pasture.
Ultimately, the best portable trough is the one you will actually move regularly. A fancy towable tank that sits in one spot all summer is no better than a concrete one. Match the trough’s size and features to your herd, your equipment, and your commitment to rotational grazing, and you’ll turn your watering chore into one of your most effective pasture-building tools.
