Cow magnets?

[Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984]

Do all cattle get them?  When?  Beefalo?

[Rip Snorter]

https://www.stanfordmagnets.com/cow-magnets.html

[Pat Riot]

All the farms I have been on gave their cattle “cow magnets” when they were weaned or old enough to have them. 
The magnets collect metal bits the cows eat when grazing, like; nails, barbed wire barbs, pieces of wire. It keeps the metal from being digested and causing damage to other organs. The magnet stays in the first stomach, I believe. 
 

Going by 50 year old memories here. I may be off about some parts of this. 

[Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984]

I recall retrieving them.

[Hardpan Curmudgeon SASS #8967]

Back in the college days we usually had a bunch of 'em around the Kappa Phi Delta frat house - ol' Hank worked at the old Allen's Meats packing house, and would collect magnets from slaughtered animals and bring 'em home.  Kinda fun novelties to play with... sorta the original "fidget spinner."  

 

Some folks used to tape 'em to their carburetors to boost their gas mileage.  

     (And no, I never taped any danged cow magnets to my carb!)  

 

You can get 'em from Amazon!  

 

 

                    

 

 

 

[Big Gus, SASS# 66666]

Back when I was a Scientific and Technical intelligence analyst for the Army we had an interesting use for these magnets. They were machined and had a cutting bit welded to the end. We would use them to surreptitiously obtain steel armor samples from various armored vehicles we could get close to. We would then send it off for analysis of the samples. Could tell a lot about the protection provided by the tanks armor package from the alloying materials. I had some fun times back in the day. 

Edited January 15 by Big Gus, SASS# 66666

[Texas Lizard]

6 hours ago, Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984 said:

I recall retrieving them.

From which end???

 

Texas Lizard

[Alpo]

4 hours ago, Hardpan Curmudgeon SASS #8967 said:

You can get 'em from Amazon! 

 

7 hours ago, Pat Riot said:

The magnets collect metal bits the cows eat when grazing, like; nails, barbed wire barbs, pieces of wire. It keeps the metal from being digested and causing damage to other organs. The magnet stays in the first stomach, I believe.

When I found them, while just browsing, on Amazon, I HAD TO go look them up. Cow magnets? Seriously?

 

And yes, that's what the all-knowing internet says - exactly what Pat said. To catch the little bits of metal that cows eat.

[Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984]

1 hour ago, Texas Lizard said:

From which end???

 

Texas Lizard

from the tripe

[Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984]

From the tripe

 

I use ‘em to hold a curtain in place.

 

Edited January 15 by Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984

[Pat Riot]

I know a cow magnet will totally screw up 8-track tapes. 
 

A friend of mine had 2 magnets and put them in his car console where several of his favorite 8-track tapes were. Boy, did they sound weird. 

[Blackwater 53393]

Not surprisingly, they are occasionally passed by the cow and you find them in odd places around the pasture, barn, or feed lot!!

 

You should see what one of those will do when it’s picked up by the blade on a Bush Hog [R], (pasture mower) and it gets hurled out of the machine!!

 

I’ve done some serious welding and metal repair as a result! I even found one embedded in the wall of a metal building!

 

They’re great for retrieving tools and parts from under large equipment and work tables! Tie one to a rope or chain or fasten it to a broom handle and use it to fish that wandering wrench or fastener out from under the punch press or plating vat!

 

 

Edited January 15 by Blackwater 53393

[Subdeacon Joe]

Oh...

Not about trans-rights protests....

[Crazy Gun Barney, SASS #2428]

ok, never heard of such a thing.  Now I know.  And I just ordered some from Amazon because they look like they could be handy.  I'll make no excuse other than I am a geek and magnets are cool.  😁

[irish ike, SASS #43615]

As a kid I lived in an area full of dairies. We all had one or two to mess around with.

[Bailey Creek,5759]

I know someone who put one in an old gas tank on a tractor.

Rust sticks to it.

[Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984]

On 1/15/2026 at 10:28 AM, Pat Riot said:

I know a cow magnet will totally screw up 8-track tapes. 
 

A friend of mine had 2 magnets and put them in his car console where several of his favorite 8-track tapes were. Boy, did they sound weird. 

Don’t just blame cows. Horse shoe magnets will ruin tapes too.

[Rip Snorter]

Any of you tech guys know if one of these will trash a hard drive?  I have several old laptops and desk tops I have held onto from simple data paranoia.

[Alpo]

I've heard that a sledgehammer, or an axe, or a 45 caliber pistol will all do a number on a hard drive and make the data unretrievable.

[Texas Joker]

1 hour ago, Rip Snorter said:

Any of you tech guys know if one of these will trash a hard drive?  I have several old laptops and desk tops I have held onto from simple data paranoia.

Drill 4 holes through the storage disc and burn it good with a hot fire

[Crazy Gun Barney, SASS #2428]

Amazon brought me some cow magnets.  My new favorite fidget toya at my desk.

[Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984]

Glad i contributed to your entertainment.

[Sedalia Dave]

20 hours ago, Rip Snorter said:

Any of you tech guys know if one of these will trash a hard drive?  I have several old laptops and desk tops I have held onto from simple data paranoia.

 Unless you are protecting national secrets or a backup copy of a crypto currency block chain worth millions of dollars, just drill 4 or 5 holes in each one. Then toss in the trash.