would a man be mad to buy slurry tanker

epfff

presently i get contractor in to spread about 75 x 2600gln @30 a tank
he not bad to come when you want him but getting slower everyyear
talk to me about yeer opinions experiancs

jp6470

Having a tanker about the house is never a bad idea. As I personally could never wait on someone one if mood came on me todo something. And you could put a few load of water in,or take a few out to take the pressure off if he's late.

case885

epfff wrote: »

presently i get contractor in to spread about 75 x 2600gln @30 a tank
he not bad to come when you want him but getting slower everyyear
talk to me about yeer opinions experiancs

If you have a tractor capable of pulling 1300/1600 gallon tank then i think you should. You can pick up second hand tanks very reasonable and they last a good battle if you look after them, mine being over 20 years old and spreading 300000 gallons a year.

epfff

case885 wrote: »

If you have a tractor capable of pulling 1300/1600 gallon tank then i think you should. You can pick up second hand tanks very reasonable and they last a good battle if you look after them, mine being over 20 years old and spreading 300000 gallons a year.

i have a 100hp 4wd my fear is 13/1600 gln is very small and tires could do damage to buy bigger you are getting into money
how much diesal per hour would you burn

case885

epfff wrote: »

i have a 100hp 4wd my fear is 13/1600 gln is very small and tires could do damage to buy bigger you are getting into money
how much diesal per hour would you burn

You would handle 1600 gallon no bother maybe 1850 would suit you better then but they are rare second hand. Make sure the field is reasonably dry before you go spreading and tires not bald( iv done this and made a bit of a mess). As for diesel depends what kind of tractor you have you may know if its heavy or not i dont know how much mine burns per hour but it swallows it if you drive it hard as there is a lot of turbo.

GERMAN ROCKS

epfff wrote: »

i have a 100hp 4wd my fear is 13/1600 gln is very small and tires could do damage to buy bigger you are getting into money
how much diesal per hour would you burn

what kind of tractor.
is it one of these light 4 cycliner turbo tractors or is it an older heavy straight 6cylinder. An old straight six such as a ford 7810 or massey 3095 or john deere 3050 will handle a 2000-2400 gallon fine once its not expected to drive up vertical. If its soft theres no need to always be filling it to the brim but take handy loads and when dry you have the option of taking out the full loads.

epfff

GERMAN ROCKS wrote: »

what kind of tractor.
is it one of these light 4 cycliner turbo tractors or is it an older heavy straight 6cylinder. An old straight six such as a ford 7810 or massey 3095 or john deere 3050 will handle a 2000-2400 gallon fine once its not expected to drive up vertical. If its soft theres no need to always be filling it to the brim but take handy loads and when dry you have the option of taking out the full loads.

claas 340
problem is cost of a bigger tanker very few second hand out there
lots of 1600 gln ones out there for 5k or less

case885

epfff wrote: »

claas 340
problem is cost of a bigger tanker very few second hand out there
lots of 1600 gln ones out there for 5k or less

Looks a good tractor if your going for 2000 id suggest you borrow to test if it can pull ok. It also depends how far you are drawing the 75 loads, home farm or out farm few miles?

GERMAN ROCKS

epfff wrote: »

claas 340
problem is cost of a bigger tanker very few second hand out there
lots of 1600 gln ones out there for 5k or less

it is a problem but it will be an investment for the next 20 years. I think the slurry tank, spinner and the topper are the 3 most important things to have right in a farm along with a goodish tractor and loader. Buy a good tanker and it will serve you good. suck in water from a stream or something when finished with it for a few months to clean it out and spray the outside with oil and put into a shed or if you have none get a tarpaulin cover and put it over it and it will be as good as new for the next 20+ years.

pakalasa

GERMAN ROCKS wrote: »

... spray the outside with oil and put into a shed or if you have none get a tarpaulin cover and put it over it and it will be as good as new for the next 20+ years.

Is it possible to spray the inside with oil. You might get 30 years then.

vanderbadger

pakalasa wrote: »

Is it possible to spray the inside with oil. You might get 30 years then.

if your willing to open back door and squeeze in its very possible, had a look in there last year and didnt fancy going any further

reilig

pakalasa wrote: »

Is it possible to spray the inside with oil. You might get 30 years then.

Suck up a gallon or 2 of diesel through the pump exhaust. It will line the whole inside of the tanker and cut down on internal rust.

pakalasa

I meant using a long pipe with a spray nozzle or something similar and spraying with diesel. It would never rust then.

vanderbadger

reilig wrote: »

Suck up a gallon or 2 of diesel through the pump exhaust. It will line the whole inside of the tanker and cut down on internal rust.

will that not just circulate around the pump?

weekendfarmer

I made a trap door on the top of mine ... 8 X 25mm bolts (one each corner and in the middle of each corner)

Weld on from inside and the 3 coats of marine paint

Very handy for cleaning and oiling

leg wax

!cid_cidImage_P__2C67.jpg dont think of anything else, a easy pull for a 80 horses

Timmaay

I priced up afew 2nd hand 1600gls tankers only afew days ago, cheapest I could find was 3500 grand, which is fairly good value certainly. I was only looking at them as myown 1100gls is giving trouble at the minute. New rotor and vanes just gone into it so a good few quid spend now so I'll hangon to it for the minute, on hindsight I should have traded it in afew weeks ago :P Would only get a grand for myown one as no one wants 1100gls tanks.

reilig

vanderbadger wrote: »

will that not just circulate around the pump?

No, when you put the pump into spread mode it sucks air into the pump and into the tank which builds up pressure and then when the back door is open, it blows it out. If you suck in diesel instead of air, it will circulate around the pump and then into the tank.

Muckit

leg wax wrote: »

!cid_cidImage_P__2C67.jpg dont think of anything else, a easy pull for a 80 horses

Did you get up and running again or is that the one you borrowed?

leg wax

Muckit wrote: »

Did you get up and running again or is that the one you borrowed?

borrowed:(

Bean_Flicker

Timmaay wrote: »

I priced up afew 2nd hand 1600gls tankers only afew days ago, cheapest I could find was 3500 grand, which is fairly good value certainly. I was only looking at them as myown 1100gls is giving trouble at the minute. New rotor and vanes just gone into it so a good few quid spend now so I'll hangon to it for the minute, on hindsight I should have traded it in afew weeks ago :P Would only get a grand for myown one as no one wants 1100gls tanks.

Any harm to ask you how much that set you back?

Drumlin Farm

Was thinking along same lines myself.
Pain in the hole waiting on contractors for 2 weeks after silage is cut when grass starts growing!!
Would a 2wd 590 be able to handle a 1300 gallon tank?
Land is hilly but mainly dry and around the farmyard and theres a couple of pig farms within 2 mile away would be handy for the odd few load but he will dump in tank for free.

Timmaay

Bean_Flicker wrote: »

Any harm to ask you how much that set you back?

Rotor is about 400quid plus vat, have not got the bill for the rest. New pump would have been 1400.

Bean_Flicker

Timmaay wrote: »

Rotor is about 400quid plus vat, have not got the bill for the rest. New pump would have been 1400.

:eek:

Just hope mine keeps going!!

Viewtodiefor

Drumlin Farm wrote: »

Was thinking along same lines myself.
Pain in the hole waiting on contractors for 2 weeks after silage is cut when grass starts growing!!
Would a 2wd 590 be able to handle a 1300 gallon tank?
Land is hilly but mainly dry and around the farmyard and theres a couple of pig farms within 2 mile away would be handy for the odd few load but he will dump in tank for free.

1100 gallon max in my opinion

farawaygrass

are ye not not looking at the big picture here-you'll need an agitator, and a fairly powerful tractor to work it. or am i wrong in saying that? and i mean agitate in short time, not spend the whole day at it

grazeaway

farawaygrass wrote: »

are ye not not looking at the big picture here-you'll need an agitator, and a fairly powerful tractor to work it. or am i wrong in saying that? and i mean agitate in short time, not spend the whole day at it

yeah i have to agree here. i reckon unless your full time farming and have the time to spend hours agitaing witha small tractor and then drawing witha small tank your just wasting time. Get in a contractor to have it out in a day. have often seen the lad accros the vally emprtying his 5 bay tank with an 1100 gallon tank its goes on for days id say he be faster with a bucket.

on the flip side though being able to throw out a few loads when you need to is awful handy. but at you say up need to have gear. if you get it over a few years rather then all in one go it proably makes sense.

ideally you need a 4wd tractor, a decent sized tank say 1600gallons and an agitaor.

Muckit

There are a good few lads complaining about not being able to get contractors when they want them and giving this as a reason to have their own machinery. Makes me feel blessed to be able to get contractors here when I need them, once they are given a weeks notice.

If I took out calculator, it would never pay me to have own machinery for the big jobs, ie silage/slurry etc. Calculator is one piece of equipment that definitely all farmers should have. Low running cost too if you one with solar panel!

You have to put a value on your time. What other more productive farm work could you be doing if you didn't have to do slurry? Losing calves, missing heats or not herding stock right can quickly add €€€. Also lads forget about upkeep and maintenance of machinery. If you get broke down = €€, extra stress, and racing the roads looking for parts. Then, guess what? Back to square one. You can't do the work when you want to! Never hear lads complaining about that though!

F.D

Muckit wrote: »

There are a good few lads complaining about not being able to get contractors when they want them and giving this as a reason to have their own machinery. Makes me feel blessed to be able to get contractors here when I need them, once they are given a weeks notice.

If I took out calculator, it would never pay me to have own machinery for the big jobs, ie silage/slurry etc. Calculator is one piece of equipment that definitely all farmers should have. Low running cost too if you one with solar panel!

You have to put a value on your time. What other more productive farm work could you be doing if you didn't have to do slurry? Losing calves, missing heats or not herding stock right can quickly add €€€. Also lads forget about upkeep and maintenance of machinery. If you get broke down = €€, extra stress, and racing the roads looking for parts. Then, guess what? Back to square one. You can't do the work when you want to! Never hear lads complaining about that though!

I agree but how much is a contractor per hour ?
we have a draw that is over 5 miles so we dont get much bang for our buck by using a contractor..... so if i was not busy we have a decent enough tractor i could put out the few loads after grazing and keep the fertility up on that land
if the land was all near by i could see how it would be different

Muckit

F.D wrote: »

I agree but how much is a contractor per hour ?
we have a draw that is over 5 miles so we dont get much bang for our buck by using a contractor..... so if i was not busy we have a decent enough tractor i could put out the few loads after grazing and keep the fertility up on that land
if the land was all near by i could see how it would be different

I would hold the opposite view. All the more reason to use contractor for long draws for slurry, silage etc. Do you have the same size tanker as your contractor?

reilig

Muckit wrote: »

Makes me feel blessed to be able to get contractors here when I need them, once they are given a weeks notice.

Does the weather give you notice as well?


Also, you get the most nutritional value out of slurry by spreading it when the land needs it, not when it suits your contractor to put it all out. You can make huge savings on fertilizer by spreading slurry on paddocks as they are grazed. Your contractor wouldn't be too happy if you were calling him every 2 weeks to spread 5 loads.

It comes back to a point that I made here several times. Some people spread slurry to get rid of it because to them it is a waste produce. Others spread slurry to grow grass because they see it as a fertilizer. Some are in the middle. Having your own slurry tanker allows you to get the most use out of slurry and grow grass cheaper. Putting all of your slurry out in 1 go grows some grass, but it's not making the best use out of slurry that you could be making.

pakalasa

How about approaching a neighbour and asking them to do it. You could pay them say, 90% of what a contractor would charge. A lot of full time guys out there might be glad of the extra bit of cash.

grazeaway

reilig wrote: »

Does the weather give you notice as well?


Also, you get the most nutritional value out of slurry by spreading it when the land needs it, not when it suits your contractor to put it all out. You can make huge savings on fertilizer by spreading slurry on paddocks as they are grazed. Your contractor wouldn't be too happy if you were calling him every 2 weeks to spread 5 loads.

It comes back to a point that I made here several times. Some people spread slurry to get rid of it because to them it is a waste produce. Others spread slurry to grow grass because they see it as a fertilizer. Some are in the middle. Having your own slurry tanker allows you to get the most use out of slurry and grow grass cheaper. Putting all of your slurry out in 1 go grows some grass, but it's not making the best use out of slurry that you could be making.

i know what you mean by timing, but uptake of slurry is very much dependant on soil and weather conditions. much of the slurry spread during the summer is wasted as it evaporates and the soil is too hard to take it in. ideally your talking spring time at the start of the growing season, (usually late feb early march round here but around now this year) or in the authumn at the end of the grazing season (we usually have mild winters in cork so the slurry will be taken in gradually in october and into nov and the grass will normally keep growing slowly over winter) will will give good early spring grass.

that said obsivly soil and local weather patterns are different round the country so each to their own. i wounldnt get much benifit from spreadng slurry from april to august most years (unless its getting ploughed in).

However the use of trailing shoe and dribble bar spreader will make spreading during the summer months much more efficent but the extra cost of these systems would proably make them too expensive for most people. But i can defintly see a huge benifit for them in dairy farms where a paddock can be spread after garzing without effecting its rotoation times.

the inlaws farm on the continent and use a dribble bar to spread their slurry during the summer months, its all done by contractor (which is the norm) with a huge 25,000 ltr spreader.

Muckit

pakalasa wrote: »

How about approaching a neighbour and asking them to do it. You could pay them say, 90% of what a contractor would charge. A lot of full time guys out there might be glad of the extra bit of cash.

none of that black economy stuff on here! :pac: tut tut

Muckit

reilig wrote: »

Does the weather give you notice as well?


Also, you get the most nutritional value out of slurry by spreading it when the land needs it, not when it suits your contractor to put it all out. You can make huge savings on fertilizer by spreading slurry on paddocks as they are grazed. Your contractor wouldn't be too happy if you were calling him every 2 weeks to spread 5 loads.

It comes back to a point that I made here several times. Some people spread slurry to get rid of it because to them it is a waste produce. Others spread slurry to grow grass because they see it as a fertilizer. Some are in the middle. Having your own slurry tanker allows you to get the most use out of slurry and grow grass cheaper. Putting all of your slurry out in 1 go grows some grass, but it's not making the best use out of slurry that you could be making.

How long did it take you to pay back for those oversize wheels? :rolleyes: I'd hate to be replacing them tyres! ha ha. You are in a different boat perhaps when getting pig slurry aswell. But it could be argued that a contractor with a large tanker and 50kph box could draw it faster to your yard and more efficiently while keeping the hours down on that shiny NH and give that poor nephew of yours a break!

reilig

Muckit wrote: »

How long did it take you to pay back for those oversize wheels? :rolleyes: I'd hate to be replacing them tyres! ha ha. You are in a different boat perhaps when getting pig slurry aswell. But it could be argued that a contractor with a large tanker and 50kph box could draw it faster to your yard and more efficiently while keeping the hours down on that shiny NH and give that poor nephew of yours a break!

Growing grass is the fundamental basis of our business. Without grass, we would have nothing in these parts anyway. Finding ways of reducing the cost of growing grass such as the timely spreading of slurry to offset fertilizer usage puts more money in our pockets. Using slurry has dual benefits - it safely disposes of waste, and it reduces the amount of fertilizer that we need.

For us, the pig slurry is delivered free.

We have 18 slatted shed bays which are 8ft deep. Contractors charge approx €150 per bay to empty. We bought the tanker for €2500 over 10 years ago. New wheels cost €700. Tanker service cost €500 a few years ago. The tractor is for working, not for polishing and display.

It's a no brainer for us to have a slurry tanker! 2000 gal tankers won't work around here - you won't find one in the whole county unless it's for drawing on the road.