Manure Systems Upcoming Auctions

About Manure Systems

Successful manure management involves having a plan for storage or holding, handling, and spreading the manure throughout the field. Liquid manure, in particular, requires specialty equipment to agitate and evacuate manure from the storage pit. Just some of the equipment includes agitator pumps, augers, hoses and hose reels, fill pipes, injectors, scrapers, and manure agitation boats or lagoon crawlers. Pumps are available in a wide selection of options to fit the particular needs of a slurry lagoon, including PTO pumps, truck-mount pumps, agitation pumps, and vertical pumps. You’ll also find solids separators and other separator systems.

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Bazooka Farmstar Wolverine Lagoon Crawler

Manure System Pumps

Modern pumps are typically designed to both mix and transfer the liquid to a liquid manure spreader or holding tank. Trailer-mounted, PTO-driven pumps provide the versatility to be used in different locations, while stationary pumps are best for larger lagoons and tanks near power sources. Stationary pumps can be powered by electric motors, avoiding the need to connect a tractor’s PTO. Various pump lengths are available to fit the needs of your slurry pit, and more power is necessary as working range increases. Pump manufacturers typically rate a given pump by its agitation capacity to help you find one that best suits your lagoon. Additional pump accessories, such as a heavier-duty propeller or a higher-RPM pump, could be necessary, depending on if there’s a need to cut more fibrous material or if there’s higher presence of sand or other sediment in the slurry. Secondary agitation guns, available as raised- or bottom-mount, might also prove to be useful accessories if a lagoon has a heavy crust or a solidified bottom layer.

Agitators

Operations looking to ensure proper aeration and circulation can invest in lagoon crawlers or aeration units to efficiently mix the slurry. Lagoon crawlers are remote controlled, amphibious machines that can drive in, float and propel themselves through the slurry, and drive back out of the lagoon. When inside the liquid manure lagoon, crawlers use an onboard pump and propellers to agitate the slurry. Aeration units, meanwhile, are mechanical devices that reside inside the wastewater and provide continuous or intermittent aeration. Some aeration units combine a pump with a paddle wheel, providing aeration to improve oxygen content and remove dissolved gases while also circulating the slurry. Aeration units can also be used to reduce lagoon odors.

Hoses & Pipes

Hose drag systems allow manure to be spread directly from a slurry lagoon or other holding tank. Liquid manure is delivered to a tractor through a flexible hose, which the tractor pulls, while tillage equipment incorporates the manure. The system typically includes an irrigation pump, piping near the lagoon, a long length of drag hose, and a toolbar on the tillage equipment. Operators also typically require a hose reel and cart to unwind the hose as it’s dragged across the field and wound back up after application.

Tanks

Manure tank structures let farm operations store liquid manure in areas where earthen pits aren’t approved or sites where the runoff is a particular concern. Tank manufacturers typically offer a variety of above-ground, partially-below, or below-ground structures.

Find The Right Manure Systems

You can find manure systems equipment for sale from such manufacturers as Balzer, Bazooka Farmstar, Dryhill, GEA, GEA Houle, Hydro Engineering, Valmetal Jamesway, Nuhn, and others at TractorHouse.com.