Using a grain elevator for moving manure.
marad...@unlisted.com
grain elevator will work fine to move manure, others say it will jam
up or not work at all. Then one told me to use an auger, while others
said no way will an auger work. This leaves me as confused if not
more than before I asked them. I should state tbat none of these
farmers have dealt with horses. Mostly cattle and hogs.
Here's my situation. My barn sits on top of a hill. Below that hill
is my roadway that goes to my hayfield. The top of the hill is about
10 feet higher than the roadway. I have a manure spreader. but no
skidloader or anything like that. I have quite a few horses and they
have access to the barn as a shelter. They do get the place pretty
pooped up after awhile. Then I have to get out the fork, shovel and
wheelbarrow. Until now, I have had to walk a plank from the hill top
to the spreader. I have lost control several times and the wheel
barrow went off the edge. Once I went with it. This just is not
working well.....
My other alternative it to take that wheelbarrow down the hill and
pile the manure until I can get a farmer to come and use their tractor
to put it back in the spreader. This costs money, and I have lost
control of the wheelbarrow several times going down that steep hill
too.
So, my idea is simple. Get a grain elevator, remove the tires and
frame that makes it like a ramp, and lay the deck of it over the edge
of the hill, and mount it to 2 wooden posts. Cut a hole in the barn
wall, and slip it inside. Shovel the manure onto it, and have the
spreader under the far end of it, below the hill. Sounds simple
enough, but will it work? I know cattle farmers do the same thing
with augers, but horse manure is much more solid. I do not see why
this should not work, but I thought I'd ask. I realize I will have to
still use a wheelbarrow as I get further away insside the barn, but I
can just dump the wb onto the elevator. At least I wont have to deal
with taking the wb down that hill, or that deadly ramp.
My plan is to make it so I can slide or roll it outside completely
when not in use and have a door that closes on that hole in the wall,
(and yes, horses will not be allowed inside when that thing is
running).
Has anyone tried this, or have other suggestions or comments?
Thanks in advance for all help.
Mark
Harry K
tried your idea but my thinking is that a chain type elevator with an
exposed trough would work. I wouldn't even like to think about trying
to clear a clog in a auger type one. You might consider a bale
elevator also. Lot wider with slats to pull the crap along and less
likely to jam.
Harry K
JC Dill
marad...@UNLISTED.com wrote:
> Until now, I have had to walk a plank from the hill top
> to the spreader. I have lost control several times and the wheel
> barrow went off the edge. Once I went with it. This just is not
> working well.....
> So, my idea is simple. Get a grain elevator,
<snip grain elevator modification idea>
I don't think that idea is all that simple.
I recommend you just improve on your present wheelbarrow plank, making
a more substantial ramp. I built a 16 foot long ramp for a stable a
few years ago. This was to dump wheelbarrows in the top of a big
dumpster. Because the dumpster was taken away and dumped and brought
back and replaced by a not-very-careful truck driver, we had to make
the entire thing portable. Here's what I did:
2 16 foot 2x6 boards for the ramp.
4 8' 4x4s for the platform
2x4's for skids for the platform, and for cross bracing the posts, and
for making the railing on the platform top.
3 sheets of Plywood for the walking surface of the ramp and platform.
Because this needed to be portable there were wheels on the bottom
underside of the ramp, these wheels came into play when the ramp was
lifted off the platform and supported the other end of the ramp so that
it could be moved by just one person. There were handles screwed on
the side of the ramp, and a railing along the top of the platform. The
platform was 3x4 feet. I fashioned a hook system for hooking the top
of the ramp into the platform.
So... With about $100-200 worth of lumber and other materials you could
build something similar that would be a HUGE improvement over your
present "plank". Since you are driving your spreader, you can make
your ramp fixed and drive carefully to place your spreader where it
needs to be.
The upside is that this will cost you a lot less than buying and
modifying the grain elevator. Another upside is that you don't have to
worry about mechanical failure. The downside is that it will take some
time to design and build, and that you will have to use the
wheelbarrow. Personally, I think pushing a wheelbarrow a short
distance isn't a big deal as long as I don't have to push it too far
uphill!
HTH
jc
Susan (CobbersMom)
> grain elevator will work fine to move manure, others say it will jam> up
> or not work at all. Then one told me to use an auger, while others> said
> no way will an auger work. This leaves me as confused if not> more than
> before I asked them.
> when not in use and have a door that closes on that hole in the wall,
This is easy. Keep the horses out of the barn and no more manure problems.
<bg>
Sue
Minocqua, WI
Yamaha '00 VStar 650 FOR SALE
'04 TW200 (mud = fun)
Kawasaki '95 Vulcan 1500 V#15937
"Do what you want and say what you feel because those that mind, don't
matter and those that matter, don't mind". ~Dr. Seuss
Sharon Potter
> This is easy. Keep the horses out of the barn and no more manure problems.
> <bg>
> Sue
> Minocqua, WI
Sue-
Small world....I live just a few miles south of you in Harshaw, and
lived in Woodruff before that. .
Sharon Potter
Red Branch
Susan (CobbersMom)
> Small world....I live just a few miles south of you in Harshaw, and >
> lived in Woodruff before that. .
> Sharon Potter
> Red Branch
Hi Sharon,
Who knows, we might have met. If you have dogs, I have worked for both vets
in town in past years. Actually I live in AV but nobody seems to know where
that is. Minocqua is more familiar.
Do you know my friend Kim on Hwy. Y? Just kidding. Wave next time you
drive by. <g>
lizzard woman
"Susan (CobbersMom)" <dittoh...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:Jf%yf.23430$MG1.20225@trnddc05...
|> Sue-
| > Small world....I live just a few miles south of you in Harshaw, and >
| > lived in Woodruff before that. .
| > Sharon Potter
| > Red Branch
|
| Hi Sharon,
| Who knows, we might have met. If you have dogs, I have worked for both
vets
| in town in past years. Actually I live in AV but nobody seems to know
where
| that is. Minocqua is more familiar.
| Do you know my friend Kim on Hwy. Y? Just kidding. Wave next time you
| drive by. <g>
I spent a few days in Arbor Vitae one summer. There was a HUGE petting zoo
in the area with a bewildering array of animals to pet including deer. That
is the best petting zoo in the universe IMHO.
--
sharon
"Yep. Midsummer ("Juhannus" in Finnish, after John the Baptist if I may be
so bold as to mention a biblical figure). -- Paula J.
Ann
> I've got lots of neighbors that are old farmers. Some tell me that a
> grain elevator will work fine to move manure, others say it will jam
> up or not work at all. Then one told me to use an auger, while others
> said no way will an auger work. This leaves me as confused if not
> more than before I asked them. I should state tbat none of these
> farmers have dealt with horses. Mostly cattle and hogs.
This sounded familiar ... might be some ideas here:
http://groups.google.com/group/misc.rural/browse_thread/thread/b2e3439d75748d8f/1b04c62e51d92d7b?lnk=st&q=group%3Amisc.rural+insubject%3Amanure&rnum=1&hl=en#1b04c62e51d92d7b
Sharon Potter
>>Sue-
>>Small world....I live just a few miles south of you in Harshaw, and >
>>lived in Woodruff before that. .
>>Sharon Potter
>>Red Branch
>
>
> Hi Sharon,
> Who knows, we might have met. If you have dogs, I have worked for both vets
> in town in past years. Actually I live in AV but nobody seems to know where
> that is. Minocqua is more familiar.
> Do you know my friend Kim on Hwy. Y? Just kidding. Wave next time you
> drive by. <g>
> Sue
> Minocqua, WI
LOL, Sue....I was in AV too, but it was easier to say Woodruff because
most people couldn't even pronounce AV, much less find it. I managed a
lovely horse farm there until the owners had cash problems and had to
sell. I do have dogs, but only used one of the vet offices in the area.
I'll wave. Going through there this evening on the way to dinner in St.
Germain with some friends.
Sharon Potter
Red Branch
Neon John
horse poop is.
A better solution would be one of those portable open-top conveyor
belts that roofers use to haul gravel and other loose stuff up to the
roof. It has a curved belt with metal flaps attached at intervals.
It'll move even gooey stuff.
Another option might be an engine powered wheelbarrow along with some
sort of high grip treatment on the ramp. These wheelbarrows are
popular with mud puppies (the guys that haul mortar to the masons)
because the load is so heavy and because they go up hills just fine.
One with two front wheels would be much more stable.
I might also look around for a small front end loader. A landscape
type loader might be cheaper than any of the other options, especially
this time of year when many landscapers' money is getting tight.
John
On Mon, 16 Jan 2006 21:13:54 -0600, marad...@UNLISTED.com wrote:
>I've got lots of neighbors that are old farmers. Some tell me that a
>grain elevator will work fine to move manure, others say it will jam
>up or not work at all. Then one told me to use an auger, while others
>said no way will an auger work. This leaves me as confused if not
>more than before I asked them. I should state tbat none of these
>farmers have dealt with horses. Mostly cattle and hogs.
>
>Here's my situation. My barn sits on top of a hill. Below that hill
>is my roadway that goes to my hayfield. The top of the hill is about
>10 feet higher than the roadway. I have a manure spreader. but no
>skidloader or anything like that. I have quite a few horses and they
>have access to the barn as a shelter. They do get the place pretty
>pooped up after awhile. Then I have to get out the fork, shovel and
>wheelbarrow. Until now, I have had to walk a plank from the hill top
>to the spreader. I have lost control several times and the wheel
>barrow went off the edge. Once I went with it. This just is not
>working well.....
---
John De Armond
See my website for my current email address
http://www.johngsbbq.com
Cleveland, Occupied TN
A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds.-Ralph Waldo Emerson
Lynn Tucker
"Neon John" <n...@never.com> wrote in message
news:s0cqs1lksn9m91ael...@4ax.com...
I think the grain elevator that the farmers are referring to is quite likely
a good idea. We use an old grain elevator as a hay elevator. Every second
paddle or whatever they are called had to be removed. You have to be careful
to not drop the hay bales on the paddles or the strings will break.
Just make sure that you keep it well lubricated so the chains don't rust
from the urine. Also if the electric motor is going to be outside make sure
it is protected from the rain.
The stable that I board at in the winter uses something similar. The end is
inside the arena so they just dump the wheel barrow into the elevator that
runs through the wall and dumps the manure into the manure spreader.
A grain auger will not work. It will clog up as the material going though it
has to be completely dry and not clumps.
..Lynn
Sheldon Harper
4ax.com:
> I might also look around for a small front end loader. A landscape
> type loader might be cheaper than any of the other options, especially
> this time of year when many landscapers' money is getting tight.
The old standard 8N or Ferguson with a front end loader can be had
for anywhere from $3500 to about $5000 in good running order. That
setup finds plenty of other uses around a small horse farm operation
and with a proper 3 point hitch there are lots of implements it can
be used with. I mow my yard with a ferguson and a 5' finish mower.
Now here's an affordable deal! There are bound to be others
closer to OP.
Naw, I don't know the seller.
marad...@unlisted.com
being the dairy farmers use them and cattle manure is pretty sloppy
wet compared to horse.
I'm glad you explained "mud puppies". I was like HUH???
Last summer I tried my garden tractor with a garden cart on the back.
It sort of worked, but each time I went down that hill I was afraid I
was going to flip it, and came close a few times. That still did not
get the manure into the spreader either. Plus, that cart almost needs
a hydraulic lift, because it's a royal pain to empty it. I have to
manually lift it after releasing the catch, and then it's too low to
really dump. That would be easier over the spreader, but I'd have to
have a circular ramp. Those carts just do not back up well.
The front end loader would be ideal. Whats the difference between a
landscape type and a common one?
Mark
Leif Erikson on day pass
Build a stone boat. Fork the manure onto the stone boat. Hook the damn
horses to the stone boat and make them pull it out to the field. Fork
the manure off the stone boat.
Millions of farmers for decades cleaned their barns exactly that way.
Tamara in TN
Leif Erikson on day pass wrote:
> Build a stone boat. Fork the manure onto the stone boat. Hook the damn
> horses to the stone boat and make them pull it out to the field. Fork
> the manure off the stone boat.
>
> Millions of farmers for decades cleaned their barns exactly that way.
and that's prob why they are all dead now <g>
Tamara in TN
gas,grass or ass
no body rides for free....
marad...@unlisted.com
<dittoh...@yahoo.com> wrote:
><marad...@UNLISTED.com> wrote in message > I've got lots of neighbors that
>are old farmers. Some tell me that a
>> grain elevator will work fine to move manure, others say it will jam> up
>> or not work at all. Then one told me to use an auger, while others> said
>> no way will an auger work. This leaves me as confused if not> more than
>> before I asked them.
>> My plan is to make it so I can slide or roll it outside completely
>> when not in use and have a door that closes on that hole in the wall,
>> Has anyone tried this, or have other suggestions or comments?
>
>
>This is easy. Keep the horses out of the barn and no more manure problems.
That's not an option. Making a horse stay outdoors without shelter is
cruel and inhumane, not to mention abusive. They stay outside much of
the time, but they can go in when they want.
Some of my horses in a different part of the farm have run in shelters
instead of the barn. But they too need cleaning from time to time.
The advantage to those is that I have them on skis (railroad ties). I
can move the sheds away and use the loader on my tractor to scoop the
manure up. My tractor is small, yet too big to fit in the barn and
make the turns in there. The bad part about moving those sheds is
pulling all the stakes. I had wind flip one of them years ago, so ever
since they are well staked down. Fortunately no horses were hurt when
the shed flipped over on its roof.
Neon John
>I thought it would have to be real wet to use an auger. The reason
>being the dairy farmers use them and cattle manure is pretty sloppy
>wet compared to horse.
I haven't had the ahem, pleasure of trying to auger turds :-) I'm
thinking of my past use of augers in the food industry. They work
great for dry stuff like sugar and flour. OK for oily stuff like
fresh roasted peanuts. Not so hot for gooey things like center cream
(chocolate/peanut butter/egg white/sugar mix), peanut butter and that
kind of stuff. The gooey stuff tends to simply cake up on the auger
and a rotating cylinder of product results.
>
>I'm glad you explained "mud puppies". I was like HUH???
That's what they called 'em a long time ago when I was working my way
through college as one :-) Made me appreciate a nice field
engineering job where I got to sit down occasionally.
>The front end loader would be ideal. Whats the difference between a
>landscape type and a common one?
>
>Mark
>
Cost and size. Many landscaping loaders are built on "estate tractor"
chassis. These are the Deeres, Cases and other brands that are
smaller than regular tractors but larger than garden tractors. Fairly
light duty stuff, hauling bark, peat, that kind of stuff.
I got the idea that you might be cramped for space and/or what you
wanted to spend. If you have the room for a full sized tractor, you
can find an older Ford, MF, etc with hydraulics, either equipped with
a bucket or adaptable to one. In my prowling the web I've noticed
several companies that offer weld-on FE loader kits for older
tractors. The tractor doesn't technically have to have a hydraulic
system. You can add it if necessary. The cheapest way out is to find
an old one equipped the way you need it.
If you have a constant mud situation then you'll probably need to do
something about that since anything powered will chew things up.
Something that works very well is mil surplus perforated metal
portable runway matting. These are boxed strips of heavy sheetmetal
with holes punched so that the protruding holes provide traction. Used
by the military to lay down temporary runways in swampy areas. Widely
available surplus. TVA used tones of the stuff during the
construction of the Sequoyah Nuclear Plant where I had my first job
out of school. It just kinda floats on the mud and when the mud
dries, it locks in place to provide smooth, grippy surface.
John
nicks...@ece.villanova.edu
>... My barn sits on top of a hill. Below that hill is my roadway that goes
>to my hayfield. The top of the hill is about 10 feet higher than the roadway.
>I have a manure spreader. but no skidloader or anything like that... I have
>to get out the fork, shovel and wheelbarrow. Until now, I have had to walk
>a plank from the hill top to the spreader. I have lost control several time
>and the wheel barrow went off the edge. Once I went with it...
Our spreader sits on a concrete pad near the barn with a few tons of stone
behind a 5' concrete retaining wall to make a solid wheelbarrow ramp and a
pressure-treated/Unistrut plank structure to walk the wheelbarrow out over
the spreader. Nobody's fallen in yet :-)
Maybe you can create a higher parking space behind a retaining wall for
the spreader or a serious wooden bridge that ends up over the spreader.
Nick