Slurry Tankers and Retrofitted Dribble Bars

Thekeencyclist

Anyone any idea if there is a common size back dish / door size on the Slurry tankers?

Reason I ask, i'm looking into getting a dribble bar bolted on to the back of an existing 1300gallon tanker. The door diameter is about 20inches. However, in years to come if the tanker has to be upgraded, i'd probably look at a 1600gallon - 1800gallon tanker, do these larger tanker sizes have similar door sizes so that the dribble bar could be taken off the 1300 gallon tanker and placed onto the upgrade replacement.....TIA.

Downtown123

If you haven’t already seen it go and have a look at IfarmWefarm’s video from last week on YouTube. Though you probably already have given how specific the question is and how well he covered that topic ?😂

Thekeencyclist

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118766815#Comment_118766815

Yeah I've seen it, good video in fairness. Just trying to figure out tho what other tankers in the larger size range with the 20" door on it.

If the remainder of the year wasn't looking as horrifying as it does right now with prices of everything only going in one direction, id just go for a new tanker with dribble bar and be done with it.

Grueller

I am almost sure that 32" is the most common size to drop from one tanker to the next.

Donald Trump

I presume from your post you are talking about a tanker that wasn't designed with brackets to take one and it just going directly onto the "hatch"?

When you upgrade, you would likely go for one with the proper mounts

Thekeencyclist

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118767167#Comment_118767167

Correct, bolted / mounted onto the hatch.

mythos110

Generally if staying with the same brand for the upgrade - say Abbey -> Abbey, Rossmore -> Rossmore etc. then you shouldn't have a problem as most brands will have a standard size they use. Between brands is a different story.

funkey_monkey

What price roughly is a Mastek 7.5m dribble bar?

If finances permitted and there was a need for 1600, I'd go straight to the 1600 on the larger recessed wheels for a dribble bar. Who knows what is down the line, you might find it better to trade in the 1300 with the bar and purchase the full system with the 1600.

From listening to the video I think that it would not be a massive job for Mastek (or their associates) to mount it onto different mounting system or door size down the line if needs be. Although if you stay with the same manufacturer of tanker when switching then it could just be a straight swap.

timple23

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118767605#Comment_118767605

13800-15000 fitted.

funkey_monkey

Contractor it will be then if it comes in for us.

timple23

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118769949#Comment_118769949

There will be more financially astute people than me, but knock the 40% grant (or 60% if you can get it) off and you're down to under 9500, claim back your vat, down close to 6k, then can the rest be written off against tax? IMO this year will be a very poor year for machinery sales, so maybe some deals can be done towards the end of the year, but this winter will be the start of the recession I think.

Tonynewholland

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118770170#Comment_118770170

There aren't to many farmers registered for vat

Cavanjack

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118768787#Comment_118768787

That is some money for a fancy splash plate. How could the average man justify paying that. Wonder how long before they are mandatory?

funkey_monkey

If they would make the moscha viable for the small farmer then that would be okay.

I didn't check the grant here in the North. We are under the livestock units required for it, but it is only a matter of time.

alps

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118771285#Comment_118771285

New Nitrates announced yesterday has LESS working its way down to 100kg/ha limit.

Reggie.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118773837#Comment_118773837

Explain for the simple minded here

funkey_monkey

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118773837#Comment_118773837

For us, my understanding it is 200 livestock units and upwards required LESSE.

Beef cow is 0.8 units. <1yo 0.4 units. <2yo 0.5 units. Bull and dairy cows are 1.0 units.

alps

• Phased approach for Low Emission Slurry Spreading (2023-2025) for farms above 100kg/ha and must also be used for the application of pig slurry
• https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/f1d01-fifth-nitrates-action-programme-2022-2025/
• 
  
• Haven'thad time to look through the detail, but appears that any farms stocked above 100kg/ha will be part of a phased approach to LESS spreading...( you'll have until 2025 to be compliant)

Each animal has different excretion amounts. Dairy cows will be deemed at 80,92,106 depending on yield, and I reckon suckler cows are at 65(but could be wrong)

This would mean that a dairy lad above stocked at 1 cow per hectare or a Suckler lad at 1.5 cows per hectare (without calves) would have to spread using LESS.

hopeso

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118769949#Comment_118769949

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118771264#Comment_118771264

If you give it some consideration, the figures might actually stand up.... Assuming you already have a tanker and agitator, a dribble bar costing €15k will cost around €10k after the grant. Finance that €10k over 5 years and it's costing you €2.5k a year. Now, how much would a contractor charge every year? Subtract that from the €2.5, and the dribble bar is probably costing very little per year. After 5 years, it's paid for, and you're back to spreading your slurry for a cost of a tank of diesel. Much harder to put a price on is how much is it worth to you to be able to put out your slurry at a time that suits you, especially if your land isn't fit for heavy machinery all the time.

Saying all that, those dribble bars are still way over priced for what they are, fuelled by the grant, no doubt.

Freejin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118779176#Comment_118779176

I would add to the list of prerequisites, a tractor capable of pulling a tank with the dribble bar!

westlander

And if buying a new tank and db make sure you get an access hatch at the side so you can get in to clean out any silty stuff at the bottom of the tank that builds up over time

Thekeencyclist

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118779176#Comment_118779176

I'd agree, when you look at them on the ground and whats in them etc, they are well overpriced and prob not going to get any cheaper. I know 2023 was mentioned as the year that all slurry had to be put out with LESS equipment (unless I have misunderstood something along the way) but I attended a talk recently where it was mentioned that "nothing has been set in stone yet for 2023", however there was a few men in attendance who are using dribble bars already and all said that they have made a noticeable difference as compared to splash plate. The theory is roughly 50% more nitrogen with the dribble bar.

I'm just thinking about getting it this year through the TAMS (40%) as i'd be thinking if it does become mandatory in the next couple of years (as i'm sure it will due to carbon reductions that need to be met and a certain bunch of leaders not giving 2 cents about the farming community in general), that these are going to go up in price further and also the supply might not meet the demand that will be out there. One could throw the question out also regarding contractors, will there be enough contractors with LESS equipment to fulfill the demand by farmers to get tanks emptied. I know in my area, I could count the # of contractors with LESS equipment using one finger :-))