Best cattle slat

pat73

I was getting prices today for slats.the tank is 75 foot long with a 16 foot 6 slat.croom were 6 grand and mcgraths were 6700.my question other than any one else been cheaper is the quality of the slats.has any one experience with these slats.i know one lad telling me that he thought the croom slats didn't let down the dung as good as other slats but that's one opinion

bob charles

pat73 wrote: »

I was getting prices today for slats.the tank is 75 foot long with a 16 foot 6 slat.croom were 6 grand and mcgraths were 6700.my question other than any one else been cheaper is the quality of the slats.has any one experience with these slats.i know one lad telling me that he thought the croom slats didn't let down the dung as good as other slats but that's one opinion

I had a experience with Mcgraths products, not slats but I wont be doing business again. Have dealt with croom and slats are a good product

49801

I have heard that McCord make a very clean slat.
We have slats from wm kiely. Good slat but not particularly clean

jomoloney

Mostly Banagher here,

Croom wouldn't have a great reputation in this area for more reasons than 1

Mc Graths are only making slats about 7 years , so early days.

visatorro

wrights of carrrickmacross are ment to be the highest standard slat around. there are dear but they could be a price comparision far you

Dozer1

dealt with Croom for slats and some concrete rings good products and haven't heard anything bad about them around here

TopCon

Croom concrete wouldn't have a great reputation around here....

They are always cheapest though. Perhaps there is reasons for this. If you do go with croom I strongly advise checking all slats thoroughly as they come off the lorry.

Farmer Pudsey

Creagh Concrete in NI make very good slats but not sure how competitive there prices are.

Nekarsulm

Yeah, wrights would have a great rep. up this end of the country. Have them in a shed built in 1990 and in another shed built in 1999. power wash either shed's slats and they are still as new, indistinguishable from each other. They are at Swanns Cross, Monaghan.

Not connected to the company, btw.

poor farmer

visatorro wrote: »

wrights of carrrickmacross are ment to be the highest standard slat around. there are dear but they could be a price comparision far you

Nekarsulm wrote: »

Yeah, wrights would have a great rep. up this end of the country. Have them in a shed built in 1990 and in another shed built in 1999. power wash either shed's slats and they are still as new, indistinguishable from each other. They are at Swanns Cross, Monaghan.

Not connected to the company, btw.

I have a cow shed with 1 row of Wrights slats and 1 row of Mulleadys (longford precast) The mulleady slats stay a lot cleaner ,the sh.... seems to get down easier.

pat73

A lot of good information in those threads.i didn't get a chance to do any ringing around today but il def ring around tomorrow with all the advice.as I'm based in west Limerick would the lads up the country be competitive as the local lads with the transport costs factored in

Nekarsulm

I'd say they would ate the arm off you for a reasonable sized job!

Figerty

I have Campion slats in. I couldn't judge the quality as I have had any other type but I have been told the quality and finish is better that most and have a good history of quality.

joe man utd

I live between croom and mcgraths plant in herbertstown and i wouldnt touch mcgraths to be honest have gone to mcgraths manufacturing plant to see them slats being made.. Structurally they are very sound lots of steel. And are all made grant spec..... I have croom slats on a small tank near parlour and they are fine.. I recently built a 80ft tank and i will be using Carrols in tipperary... Good design good strength and are the best to let the dung down and the agent is a genuine guy to deal with and they take care when fitting... Every man has a different opinion i suppose.

pat73

I went to mcgraths today to look at their slats.they looked strong and plenty steel only thing I thought was the finish was abit rough and patchy.my next trip was to croom and their slats were much the same with a smooth finish.patchy in places but a nicer finish.i was talking to my neighbour this evening who has croom slats and only thing he gave out about was that he thought the dung didn't go down as quick as he liked.hopefully il get to a few more places this weekend.im in no major rush at the moment so I can be looking and learing as I go

just do it

Stick another animal in the pen and the dung will go down. I think there's more benefit to be got by putting the rubber slat mats on them than worrying about the finish of them.

3 the square

pat73 wrote: »

I went to mcgraths today to look at their slats.they looked strong and plenty steel only thing I thought was the finish was abit rough and patchy.my next trip was to croom and their slats were much the same with a smooth finish.patchy in places but a nicer finish.i was talking to my neighbour this evening who has croom slats and only thing he gave out about was that he thought the dung didn't go down as quick as he liked.hopefully il get to a few more places this weekend.im in no major rush at the moment so I can be looking and learing as I go

give a spin to banagher in offaly they make d best of stuff.

pat73

I got a few quotes for my slats and there was a big difference in prices.the tank is 75 feet long with a 16 foot 6 slat. Croom were 6000 euro,mcgraths were 6350,campion were 6600,corbets were 7800 and banagher were 8500.they all said they were tractor slats.i know everyone says that banagher have the best slat but what's in there slat to justify that price

3 the square

pat73 wrote: »

I got a few quotes for my slats and there was a big difference in prices.the tank is 75 feet long with a 16 foot 6 slat. Croom were 6000 euro,mcgraths were 6350,campion were 6600,corbets were 7800 and banagher were 8500.they all said they were tractor slats.i know everyone says that banagher have the best slat but what's in there slat to justify that price

quality of the workmanship I guess no steel on show would be interesting to know the weight of the slats and see how they compare
I was doing me 1st tank about 10 years ago the contractor I had who was a wise old man said he was doing tanks with 20 years and never see one bad slat done few tanks since all banagher

Kerryman2014

I bought slats of croom last year well over €20k of them, had heard stories, but have absolutely no complaints, good product and don't have an issue keeping them clean.

Jonty

Just as an aside lads, I worked in a soils/geotech lab testing concrete for a while. I can honestly say that Banagher Concrete would be the best in the country for precast concrete quality.

kinners

I've also done some quotes and also found huge variances with Slatt Prices from €8200 down to €6900 for slatts.
Banagher right in the middle on price @ €7600 , but only 7" tractor slatt whilst all the rest do a 9" tractor slatt ?

sandydan

kinners wrote: »

I've also done some quotes and also found huge variances with Slatt Prices from €8200 down to €6900 for slatts.
Banagher right in the middle on price @ €7600 , but only 7" tractor slatt whilst all the rest do a 9" tractor slatt ?

i fitted tractor slats a few years ago cant think of maker now , but strength of slat tonnage is more important than thickness, mine are 10 ton 7" slats . but was told, Bannagher have best slat for scraper for out side door? i don,t know

kinners

Hard to know what to do so!!

Price is so important but dont want to Buy wrong for the sake of 500 -1000 euro.

kinners

Sandyman, What slat manufacturer did you use ?

cjpm

We were advised either Banagher or Billy Kiely in Blarney by a fella going around the country fixing slat mats, so has seen them all. Strongest concrete mix in them. Went with Kiely, great finish in fairness.

No slat manufacturer is selling at a loss. Keep that in mind if you are considering ordering cheap slats. It will be cheap for a reason, either skimping on the concrete or the steel.

Farmer Pudsey

I often wonder why lads get caught up in slat quality. Yes there was an issue 40 years ago with single slats but in general slats nowadays are made to a much higher spec that twenty years ago not to mind 40 years ago. Will it make much difference if the slat lasts 40 years or 60 years.

Did 3 bay tank last year 14' 6'' slat, difference in slat price was 2700 to 4500. I went with the cheapest. Maybe I am wrong but the 1800 was the price of six Friesian weanling bulls. Slats were to grant standard. The fella making them was only producing slats other companies had kerbs, septic tanks, concrete blocks competing with there time.

Were the slats as good as the one's I put in the first shed no but 4 bays with a 16' 6'' slat cost me 10K or there abouts. I galvanise steel rsj's before I pay extra for slats. Tanks and structural steel priority. Any of the modern slat will last 40 years IMO.

farmerjj

Farmer Pudsey wrote: »

I often wonder why lads get caught up in slat quality. Yes there was an issue 40 years ago with single slats but in general slats nowadays are made to a much higher spec that twenty years ago not to mind 40 years ago. Will it make much difference if the slat lasts 40 years or 60 years.

That would be a big considerion for me, why buy a inferior product(unless theres a serious price difference)

Farmer Pudsey

farmerjj wrote: »

That would be a big considerion for me, why buy a inferior product(unless theres a serious price difference)

How do you know it an inferior product, will you buy painted or galvanised RSJ's. Will you bolt or weld to structural steel. You have to remember 700 euro here, 50 euro there, own labour to do some concrete work is difference between shed costing 25K and 40K.

lakill Farm

anyone ever use Maxwell slats from outside Mullingar


know 2 lads who bought them in the last 2 years and had a lad here last week from galway area and said he bought them and so did about 6 neighbour's. were cheaper than anyone else and also had loads in stock so were not "fresh"

btw - no business or personal connection

onyerbikepat

Has anyone ever seen the process for making slats. Was it wet or dry cast? Hown much steel and what size do they use?

Farmer Pudsey

onyerbikepat wrote: »

Has anyone ever seen the process for making slats. Was it wet or dry cast? Hown much steel and what size do they use?

system varies some use a cage type structure for steel other just tie it in. I imagine taht it is wet cast with a dryish mix on a vibrating table

onyerbikepat

The reason I asked was I came across this on youtube;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5VdnTgSOyU

Coote Engineering with a drycast process.

einn32

Best to ring the company and ask for the last three customers. Go see the slats in action. Then price can be considered.

Farmer Pudsey

einn32 wrote: »

Best to ring the company and ask for the last three customers. Go see the slats in action. Then price can be considered.

If they were moving and dancing around I would not be buying them:D

einn32

Farmer Pudsey wrote:

If they were moving and dancing around I would not be buying them

True there should be no action!

kinners

So Are ye saying NO to Coote Engineering ??

sandydan

Farmer Pudsey wrote: »

If they were moving and dancing around I would not be buying them:D

that would or could be finish of wall top, got caught with that,was in crutches when shuttering being filled ,salesman drew it to my attention.
one of those posted about above tried to make profit on my expense , gave me quote for £5000 , could not possibly do better,rang several times looking to know when i wanted delivery. when he realized i got quote near £4000, he offered to beat that so i told him to wrap them in cotton wool and keep them safe.if he reads, this he will probably recognize the advice.
i must ring salesman to find out whose slats he sells, gave him a few customers locally

btw i would make sure they were not laid by rear of truck mounted fork, heard stories of slats being cracked when laid by such reversing off after laying slats wheel in middle rear of fork taking all weight, should be laid preferably by crane imo, unless floor of tank really well set.

sandydan

kinners wrote: »

Sandyman, What slat manufacturer did you use ?

spoke to salesman Sat looking for price for single manhole slat , it's Corbetts he sell for, he quoted me £800 better than another maker on phone back in 01.beat that again when measuring tank.top of walls weren't in line so packers had to used ,fecking contractor and college kids working for him:mad:

think he said around €500 euro ,covers 4' 6" for manhole slat,any view on price

aidanki

Jonty wrote: »

Just as an aside lads, I worked in a soils/geotech lab testing concrete for a while. I can honestly say that Banagher Concrete would be the best in the country for precast concrete quality.

not to go off topic but tell us more on concrete quality

i.e. what tips do you have for anyone doing DIY mixing ? don't know why but it always appears that readymix lasts longer than that mixed with a mixer

even making up a 5:1 mix

there is atable on pg 2 of this brochure showing mix by volume given against strength N concrete http://www.irishcement.ie/wp-content/themes/irishcement/pdf/501_DL_flyer_1_V23.pdf

cjpm

aidanki wrote: »

not to go off topic but tell us more on concrete quality

i.e. what tips do you have for anyone doing DIY mixing ? don't know why but it always appears that readymix lasts longer than that mixed with a mixer

even making up a 5:1 mix

there is atable on pg 2 of this brochure showing mix by volume given against strength N concrete http://www.irishcement.ie/wp-content/themes/irishcement/pdf/501_DL_flyer_1_V23.pdf

Plenty of cement, and as little water as possible. Mix well, give it time.

blue5000

Another vote for Croom slats here, in about 4 years, only time sh1t built up was in frost. They were cheaper than seconds from Banagher at the time.

sandydan

blue5000 wrote: »

Another vote for Croom slats here, in about 4 years, only time sh1t built up was in frost. They were cheaper than seconds from Banagher at the time.

one thing id watch is design of manhole and warranty for same, ive got Corbets and think its strong as ive driven and side-braked tractor on it several times cover twist a bit but nothing serious, but neighbours manhole cracked it was fixed but he was promised new gang slat with manhole later ,later has come and gone and still no slat replaced he's half afraid to drive on it now,think its cork based company but not 100% sure

onyerbikepat

aidanki wrote: »

not to go off topic but tell us more on concrete quality

i.e. what tips do you have for anyone doing DIY mixing ? don't know why but it always appears that readymix lasts longer than that mixed with a mixer

even making up a 5:1 mix

there is atable on pg 2 of this brochure showing mix by volume given against strength N concrete http://www.irishcement.ie/wp-content/themes/irishcement/pdf/501_DL_flyer_1_V23.pdf

I always try and get as much air out of the poured cement as possible. If you are using timbers on the side, tap them gently with a lump hammer to work the air up.
I always try and keep the cement wet on top for about a week after pouring. Curing is very important , from what I can gather.

sandydan

onyerbikepat wrote: »

I always try and get as much air out of the poured cement as possible. If you are using timbers on the side, tap them gently with a lump hammer to work the air up.
I always try and keep the cement wet on top for about a week after pouring. Curing is very important , from what I can gather.

+1 for that suggestion and id try covering with plastic as well regardless of whether readymix or self mixed.
i believe its important to allow mix to mix properly as you fill mixer with a little extra cement and water at start but sparingly towards end, had neighbour help me for a day and most of mixes appeared raw as he shovelled in as fast as possible, great man to work but bad mixer.
and another tip i got from builder , beer bellies bad shape in man, good shape in mixers, ie avoid straight barrel mixers,get kind of pot bellied mixer barrel.most important he said get good gravel mix,of sand and chip, but i can't advise on that.apart from avoiding what he called rabbit sand.

tiernan1

TopCon wrote: »

Croom concrete wouldn't have a great reputation around here....

They are always cheapest though. Perhaps there is reasons for this. If you do go with croom I strongly advise checking all slats thoroughly as they come off the lorry.

We bought from them a few years ago and they seemed ok? We ordered another load lately, what do we need to check for you think?

Miname

Have a couple of barrows of mortar mixed when the slats are going on and bed them down as the slats go on. Saves any rocking or shaking if there's any twist or variation.

cj maxx

Miname wrote: »

Have a couple of barrows of mortar mixed when the slats are going on and bed them down as the slats go on. Saves any rocking or shaking if there's any twist or variation.

And make it ip semi- dry

st1979

On the subject of readymix. I asked my lorry driver about the readymix. He was saying in the m3 there was only 175 litres of water which actually was full of chemicals which are to try and slow curing to improve longterm strength and 350 kg of cement. And you have to remember there are different strengths of cement available as well.
On the chemical issue this is the reason the readymix burns your skin so badly. Or at least my suppliers does. I burnt the knees off myself when I was tamping 2 yes ago. Was fine for an hour and next thing my knees started to feel like they were on fire. The lorry driver told me of a guy in his 50's that was knee deep in foundation with work boots on. He didn't heed drivers warning as he said he was used to concrete his lifetime. He ended up getting skin graphs on his legs.
So I guess long story short is home made concrete can never be as good as readymix due to the above

3 the square

Might try replacing some old cattle slats here before winter
It's years since I purchased any
Any recommendations who I should price from??

Mooooo

Kielys in Blarney, cork make a good slat