Pros and cons of investing in a slurry tank.

case885 · 21-02-2013 10:10PM

20silkcut wrote: »

Would it take an hour???

A mile over and a mile back. 40k box

no, not unless ur ticking over 40 minutes should be plenty

Robson99 · 21-02-2013 10:27PM

Thinking of buying a second hand 1100gal tank also.
Just so as slurry can be put out the day you want to. Any recommendations on which make to go for

blue5000 · 21-02-2013 10:44PM

Q:What has drinking pints of stout and spreading loads of slurry got in common?

A; After 14 pints/ loads in a day it gets harder to keep track:D

jimmy G M · 21-02-2013 11:10PM

We have a 1300 gal Abbey here aprox 20 yrs old, bought 5 yrs ago @ €2500. Pull with a 2wd MF 390T. Fill a load in aprox 6 mins, spread a load in aprox 4 mins, distance to the field after that - most of our land is around the sheds so get aprox 3-4 loads out every hour. You've a 2 mile round trip, tractor should easily cover 1 mile in 5 mins, so you should be able to get 2 loads out every hour.?

Your tractor will be able to cope with up to 1600 gal without any bother esp as you say your land is flat. Anything below 1300 gals is a bit small. Above 1600 gals is getting weighty. I would not let those big tankers and tractors out on our land for love or money - they steam roll everything. A nice tidy outfit and you can get out when it suits you even it ground is a bit soft.

Get someone in to do your agitating, you can draw in water if necessary, guy we get in can agitate a 5 bay shed tank in 2 hours. Saves spending money on an agitator. Better return for your money if you buy a tanker.

There's no need to go spending big money on tankers imo, just look out for a well minded 2nd hand one with decent tyres and that'll do the job well enough for long enough. If you have to pay too much money on gear it's not worth it, but a 3k investment will pay for itself in a couple of years. If I had pig slurry within 5 miles of me I'd be going after it!

Here's one from a dealer - he might even give a guarantee for a month or two? http://www.donedeal.ie/for-sale/otherfarmmachinery/4579432

Juniorhurler · 21-02-2013 11:21PM

I looked at a few second hand 1600 tanks and €4.5-5k is the run of any one I would bring home. The 1600 is a very popular size and is like an 80-100hp tractor, everybody wants one. At that money for a s/h one a new one looked cheap to me. I am in a way of getting VAT back on one so a new tank cost me €6000. I thought new was a no brainer at that money.

Conor556 · 21-02-2013 11:44PM

bob charles wrote: »

im going in the opposite direction and thinking of getting the contractor in to do the spreading. its boring days on end drawing out of tanks and thats using a 2250gls. either that or buy a trailing shoe and be spreading slurry in the sunshine

Bob you need to get yourself something like this!!!!!!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLNgAJBFIug

yellow50HX · 22-02-2013 08:35AM

jimmy G M wrote: »

I would not let those big tankers and tractors out on our land for love or money - they steam roll everything. A nice tidy outfit and you can get out when it suits you even it ground is a bit soft.

i find the oppisite actually, the lad we use has a big 10kltr tanker and 150hp tractor. he has big wide wheels which leave very little impression on the fields. just cos its bigger dont mean it'll do more damage. Threw out a few loads for the uncle last year with a ford 6610 2wd and a 1300 gallon abbey he borrowed from a friend, the smaller tyres ended up doing a bit of digging. I got a loan of a friends 1600 with ballon tyres and used the same tractor this year in his place and you could see the difference. Those old tankers with the small tyres are only fit for drawing water and summer work.

st1979 · 22-02-2013 08:44AM

yellow50HX wrote: »

i find the oppisite actually, the lad we use has a big 10kltr tanker and 150hp tractor. he has big wide wheels which leave very little impression on the fields. just cos its bigger dont mean it'll do more damage. Threw out a few loads for the uncle last year with a ford 6610 2wd and a 1300 gallon abbey he borrowed from a friend, the smaller tyres ended up doing a bit of digging. I got a loan of a friends 1600 with ballon tyres and used the same tractor this year in his place and you could see the difference. Those old tankers with the small tyres are only fit for drawing water and summer work.

Fully agree no little tankers allowed. Unless it has recessed wheels it Wont travel. I get a 2500 tanker for 35-40 an hour and reckon it gets about 9000gal/hr done and umbilical 100/hr which gets 20000/hr spread. I spread 500k a year and if i pay myself or someone else 10/hr i cant justify a tanker

reilig · 22-02-2013 09:05AM

st1979 wrote: »

Fully agree no little tankers allowed. Unless it has recessed wheels it Wont travel.

I don't agree. My 1100g has wheels off a dumper on it. They are over 2ft wide and 4 1/2 ft high and aren't recessed. The tanker will never go down with these wheels - so anywhere the tractor will go, the tanker will too. Bought tanker 10 years ago for €2500. Put the wheels on it 3 years ago for €700.

I spread over 300k gal every year. Have used umbilical in the past, and while it was cheap, it wasn't cost effective as i didn't get the full value out of the slurry. It all went out in the 1 go and only went out on land that umbilical would reach. Putting a heavy dose of slurry on the same land every year is a waste and makes the land wet.

Big tankers won't work in this part of the country - even with recessed wheels. Anything bigger than 1600g will just go down. Horses for courses! Big tankers are fine for dry land, but not everyone has that. People with wetter land tend to have more slurry also as they have cattle housed for longer!

The difference

picture.php?albumid=1565&pictureid=8628

V's

F.D · 22-02-2013 09:25AM

A lot of people still have the notion that slurry is a waste product and a pain in the ass to deal with, where as if you have your own tank and have it well watered down and agitated you can follow stock with a few loads every week and get more benifit out of it. like previous posts are saying it dosent have to be brand new and maybe there is times the contractor will be a quicker better option but the way tanks hold there value even if you sold it in 5 years you wouldnt loose a fortune on it

20silkcut · 22-02-2013 09:35AM

reilig wrote: »

I don't agree. My 1100g has wheels off a dumper on it. They are over 2ft wide and 4 1/2 ft high and aren't recessed. The tanker will never go down with these wheels - so anywhere the tractor will go, the tanker will too. Bought tanker 10 years ago for €2500. Put the wheels on it 3 years ago for €700.

I spread over 300k gal every year. Have used umbilical in the past, and while it was cheap, it wasn't cost effective as i didn't get the full value out of the slurry. It all went out in the 1 go and only went out on land that umbilical would reach. Putting a heavy dose of slurry on the same land every year is a waste and makes the land wet.

Big tankers won't work in this part of the country - even with recessed wheels. Anything bigger than 1600g will just go down. Horses for courses! Big tankers are fine for dry land, but not everyone has that. People with wetter land tend to have more slurry also as they have cattle housed for longer!

The difference

V's

That's an incredibly fresh looking tanker for one bought ten years ago for 2500 quid. What do you do to keep it scrubbed up ?

reilig · 22-02-2013 09:41AM

20silkcut wrote: »

That's an incredibly fresh looking tanker for one bought ten years ago for 2500 quid. What do you do to keep it scrubbed up ?

It's washed and sprayed with burned oil 2 or 3 times a year. It doesn't look so fresh with no oil on it as the oil covers any rust. Tanker was made in 1994 and had been used to spray water on roads to keep dust down before I bought it.

yellow50HX · 22-02-2013 10:45AM

reilig wrote: »

I don't agree. My 1100g has wheels off a dumper on it. They are over 2ft wide and 4 1/2 ft high and aren't recessed. The tanker will never go down with these wheels - so anywhere the tractor will go, the tanker will too. Bought tanker 10 years ago for €2500. Put the wheels on it 3 years ago for €700.

I spread over 300k gal every year. Have used umbilical in the past, and while it was cheap, it wasn't cost effective as i didn't get the full value out of the slurry. It all went out in the 1 go and only went out on land that umbilical would reach. Putting a heavy dose of slurry on the same land every year is a waste and makes the land wet.

Big tankers won't work in this part of the country - even with recessed wheels. Anything bigger than 1600g will just go down. Horses for courses! Big tankers are fine for dry land, but not everyone has that. People with wetter land tend to have more slurry also as they have cattle housed for longer!

The difference

V's

300k a year, thats 300 loads, at say 25mins a go (depending on distance) thats 125hr's a years, thats a lot of spreading, thats 2weeks of your years throwing out ****e

reilig · 22-02-2013 11:03AM

yellow50HX wrote: »

300k a year, thats 300 loads, at say 25mins a go (depending on distance) thats 125hr's a years, thats a lot of spreading, thats 2weeks of your years throwing out ****e

It's actually 273 loads and at 3 loads an hour it's 91 hours. As i said, slurry is spread as and when it's needed so that we can get value from the slurry instead of spreading it all out in 1 go. Included in this is higher value pig slurry. I agree with F.D. that slurry is not a waste product. It can significantly replace the amount of bagged fertilizer that you have to spread - saving you money and time. With the cattle and pig slurry I'm saving 30% on my fertilizer bill. But to do this, you have to be willing to spread the amounts required when they are required.

So for me I have to ask myself the question do you use your time to spread slurry to grow grass as its needed or do you spend money getting in a contractor who will spread all of your slurry in 1 go, and buy extra fertilizer and spend the time spreading it? I have a personal preference of using as little chemical fertilizer as possible. Also, because I have heavy land, I like to be able to choose what amounts of slurry to spread on each part to prevent over saturation and ultimate rush growth. And in a stubborn way, like most other farmers in the country, I never count hours of work that I do on the farm as a cost.

yellow50HX · 22-02-2013 11:27AM

reilig wrote: »

It's actually 273 loads and at 3 loads an hour it's 91 hours. As i said, slurry is spread as and when it's needed so that we can get value from the slurry instead of spreading it all out in 1 go. Included in this is higher value pig slurry. I agree with F.D. that slurry is not a waste product. It can significantly replace the amount of bagged fertilizer that you have to spread - saving you money and time. With the cattle and pig slurry I'm saving 30% on my fertilizer bill. But to do this, you have to be willing to spread the amounts required when they are required.

So for me I have to ask myself the question do you use your time to spread slurry to grow grass as its needed or do you spend money getting in a contractor who will spread all of your slurry in 1 go, and buy extra fertilizer and spend the time spreading it? I have a personal preference of using as little chemical fertilizer as possible. Also, because I have heavy land, I like to be able to choose what amounts of slurry to spread on each part to prevent over saturation and ultimate rush growth. And in a stubborn way, like most other farmers in the country, I never count hours of work that I do on the farm as a cost.

well 300 was rounding off. its it different for fellas full time farming to be able to do the work for those of us working off farm we dont always have time to do these kinda jobs, espically when the days are short. its good that your slurry is able to take during the summer time, its proably due to the heaiver land. was looking at the up take figures from moorepark a few years back and a lot of slurry spread using a band spreader was being wasted when the temp was too high. much better results when using a dribble bar or trailing shoe. a lot of fellas round here have moved away from spreading slurry straight after the silage is cut as the nuertreints are just being evapotred. we get a good uptake around now as it'll get washed in for grazing in march, and again in the authumn when it gets spread in sept and oct you'll get a nice cover over the winter and good early grass following year.

just do it · 22-02-2013 12:02PM

Reilig

What tractor hp needed for such a tank? Do you also have an agitator?

reilig · 22-02-2013 12:08PM

just do it wrote: »

Reilig

What tractor hp needed for such a tank? Do you also have an agitator?

I have an agitator.

You don't need a lot of HP for dry land, but if you have wet land like ours you might need 4wd with or without the tanker. As I said, anywhere the tractor will go, the tanker will go. I pulled it behing a MF168 for 7 years. It's behind a NH T5050 now.

22-02-2013 12:16PM

just wondering does the OP have slurry storage tanks?

might make more financial sense to have the imported slurry trucked in from the piggery and have your own 1000g tanker for the spreading.
you'll save a lot of disesal and time that way and you spread when you want

i just cant see it stacking up drawing the slurry yourself.

do the sums!!!

20silkcut · 22-02-2013 12:41PM

I have an open slurry pit with pre- cast floor and sides to a depth of about 8 feet from my fathers time still in good nick.

Never heard of the piggery transporting slurry around like that.How much would they bring in one go???

grazeaway · 22-02-2013 12:48PM

20silkcut wrote: »

I have an open slurry pit with pre- cast floor and sides to a depth of about 8 feet from my fathers time still in good nick.

Never heard of the piggery transporting slurry around like that.How much would they bring in one go???

thats what we have down here, most of the piggerys round here have a lorry tanker that will transport the slurry, most will bring it to your yard and empty it into your tank. most lads i know mix it with the cattle slurry and then spread when needed.

22-02-2013 01:03PM

20silkcut wrote: »

I have an open slurry pit with pre- cast floor and sides to a depth of about 8 feet from my fathers time still in good nick.

Never heard of the piggery transporting slurry around like that.How much would they bring in one go???

this type of thing

http://www.donedeal.ie/for-sale/beefcattle/2333026

go have a chat with the piggery about it. make sure you know the capacity of your storage tank before you talk to them though, m3, liters, gallons etc. and see if it makes practical sense.

I don't know how those tankers operate but it is done. it would be tricky to draw a single load once a month for example unless they are drawing to several places at the same time. These sort of guys will look for scale unless there is a local lad who does it ad hoc. Your piggery will know more.

blue5000 · 22-02-2013 01:50PM

yellow50HX wrote: »

i find the oppisite actually, the lad we use has a big 10kltr tanker and 150hp tractor. he has big wide wheels which leave very little impression on the fields. just cos its bigger dont mean it'll do more damage. Threw out a few loads for the uncle last year with a ford 6610 2wd and a 1300 gallon abbey he borrowed from a friend, the smaller tyres ended up doing a bit of digging. I got a loan of a friends 1600 with ballon tyres and used the same tractor this year in his place and you could see the difference. Those old tankers with the small tyres are only fit for drawing water and summer work.

With a big tank and tractor the weight could be up to 35 ton, a lighter outfit, say 1600 gallon tank will weigh about 10-12 ton. No matter what sort of tyres you have on a big, heavy tank and tractor the soil compaction will be worse.

There was an article in the comic a few weeks back that showed with heavier weights the compaction goes a lot deeper, so if a light tank with poor tyres damages the surface, at least the soil damage is limited to the top, with a big tank you can't even see the damage that is being done deep down.

Tillage guys would notice it where a loaded trailer was pulled across a field, only problem is it's the year after that you see the damage.

yellow50HX · 22-02-2013 02:01PM

blue5000 wrote: »

With a big tank and tractor the weight could be up to 35 ton, a lighter outfit, say 1600 gallon tank will weigh about 10-12 ton. No matter what sort of tyres you have on a big, heavy tank and tractor the soil compaction will be worse.

There was an article in the comic a few weeks back that showed with heavier weights the compaction goes a lot deeper, so if a light tank with poor tyres damages the surface, at least the soil damage is limited to the top, with a big tank you can't even see the damage that is being done deep down.

Tillage guys would notice it where a loaded trailer was pulled across a field, only problem is it's the year after that you see the damage.

its not the weight but the footprint to weight ratio. this is why you see floataion tyres. was resseding for a neighbour 2 years ago, contractor was using an old tw15 with dual wheels front and back on a 4m mounted corn drill. i was rolling with a ford 7600 and the owner was pulling a chain harrow with a dexta. field had been rotovated 1st. front tyres of the 7600 made the bigest track (loader on it) then the dexta. the tracks from the tw were tiny in comparions.

now that said if your pulling massive machinery across and grass feild it will notice it. very few huge tankers and tractors in ireland though.

bob charles · 22-02-2013 02:21PM

allot depends on how much slurry you have if you determine it to be a waste product or a valuable fertiliser. Im going to make the dreaded start to slurry today. Thinking of the trailing shoe so I can spread out the spreading as I get sick of slurry after a couple of days

blue5000 · 22-02-2013 02:23PM

Lots of 2500 gal tanks around here anyway, that's roughly 11.25 ton just for the slurry, never mind a tank and tractor.

Bit on compaction here,
http://www.farmersjournal.ie/site/farming-Think-soil-for-productivity-12314.html

pakalasa · 22-02-2013 02:34PM

yellow50HX wrote: »

its not the weight but the footprint to weight ratio. this is why you see floataion tyres..

I know what you are saying about ground pressure, but I remember reading the same article. A heavier machine will do more damage than a lighter one even if they have the same load to ground contact ratio, i.e. the same ground contact pressure. Google is great....

"Soil compaction is an extreme form of increasing bulk density and is normally worse in the upper soil zones close to the point of the compacting force - the wheels. As machines get bigger, so does their weight, and that itself is a compacting force. Attempts to overcome this rely on bigger diameter tyres and wider tyres to increase the load-bearing surface area.
While these actions tend to limit extreme compaction, farmers are generally oblivious to the fact that these tyres tend to exert a much deeper zone of low level compacting force or compression down to more than a metre deep.
This very deep zone of influence is a major concern in modern farming. It would appear to be adding to bulk density values over time by compressing the air pores and reducing the essential porosity of the soil. And the force would appear to be greater and the damage higher where such machines are being used when soils are wetter than they should be, as farmers attempt to get crops in or to salvage crops at harvest."

http://www.farmersjournal.ie/site/farming-Think-soil-for-productivity-12314.html

yellow50HX · 22-02-2013 02:41PM

intresting stuff. but very much related to tillage where the ground will get more runs and they will also be closer together.

1 run with slurry/dung 6m
1 ploughing run, width 3m
1 run with a tiller 6m
1 run with a one pass 3m
1 run with a rib roller 6m
3 runs with a sprayer 30m
1 run with a combine 6m
1 run with baler 6m

that addes to a lot of heavy traffic

vs

1 run with tanker at 6m

lakill Farm · 22-02-2013 04:19PM

I bought a 1350G tanker last year(8000 Pump), having previously borrowed a 2050G.
Ok im on good ground and pulling with a 100hp 4wd but never need the 4wd on. I use to work with a lad who pulled a 1300G major with a 80hp 2wd Ursus up big hills

I get a lad to stir it up for me. €40 p/h. Once agitated it lasts about a week so gives me time to get it out in my own time. I am able to put out 3.5 loads an hour. Lad came last year to agitate on way from someone elses place at 11pm at night. He would have been 3 weeks before his tanker was free to spread. I got mine out and washed down with rain for 2 weeks. What im saying is i get to move when i want to move.

Tanker was €1750 so not a massive outlay.

That pig slurry by the lorry load. Up here its €15 - 25 per load (5000 & 6000G tanks) but if you have empty space and they need to move it they often give it for free.

. Another lad is €45 for the 6000G.

yellow50HX · 22-02-2013 08:22PM

lakill Farm wrote: »

I bought a 1350G tanker last year(8000 Pump), having previously borrowed a 2050G.
Ok im on good ground and pulling with a 100hp 4wd but never need the 4wd on. I use to work with a lad who pulled a 1300G major with a 80hp 2wd Ursus up big hills

I get a lad to stir it up for me. €40 p/h. Once agitated it lasts about a week so gives me time to get it out in my own time. I am able to put out 3.5 loads an hour. Lad came last year to agitate on way from someone elses place at 11pm at night. He would have been 3 weeks before his tanker was free to spread. I got mine out and washed down with rain for 2 weeks. What im saying is i get to move when i want to move.

Tanker was €1750 so not a massive outlay.

That pig slurry by the lorry load. Up here its €15 - 25 per load (5000 & 6000G tanks) but if you have empty space and they need to move it they often give it for free. . Another lad is €45 for the 6000G.

What kinda grass do ye throw the pig slurry out on? And what kinda time does it need before you can use it again

1chippy · 22-02-2013 09:06PM

we have been putting out pig slurry over the last year fairly regularly. our land is really low in k and the fields that got it have a lovely carpet of grass with clear lines say on the headlands and such places that didnt get it. 60-70% of the farm has got it now and really happy. most piggeries have a couple of methods of moving the slurry. big lorry 6000g and 2500-3500 gallon tanks behind tractors. if your willing to take loads in wet weather when the piggeries are stuck to move it you will get it no hassle, but when the weather picks up lads are screaming for it. it just means being organised. If you are taking it regularly they will look after you first and dont forget to tip the driver.

Pros and cons of investing in a slurry tank.

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