First-Of-Its-Kind Rotary Spreader "Shreds" Manure

First-Of-Its-Kind Rotary Spreader "Shreds" Manure MANURE HANDLING Equipment 28-6-44 You've never seen anything like this new dry "rotary" manure spreader that "shreds" manure and applies it in a thin layer that quickly dissipates, instead of dropping big chunks like most conventional manure spreaders. "It works amazingly well and doesn't have any belts, chains, or gears to wear out," say inventors Linda and Mike Stabler of Waterloo, Ind. "We developed it for use in our own small horse stable but the concept works on a larger scale, too." The 4-wheel, pull-type unit can be pulled by a garden tractor or 4-wheeler. It consists of a big expanded metal drum with 1-in. diamond shaped holes all the way around. The top third of drum hinges open for loading. To spread a load, the operator pushes a lever to lower the drum until it contacts the wheels, which causes the drum to rotate as it's pulled through the field. The weight of the manure and rotation of the drum causes manure to "rain" from the bottom of the drum in a thin, shredded layer. A metal arm hangs freely from a shaft that goes through the drum and rotates along with the manure until the drum is almost empty. The arm goes up the side of the drum and then falls, squeezing the remaining manure through the mesh. "It works amazingly well and can be built small enough to pull down through the aisle of a barn," says Linda. "Mike and I came up with the idea because we have a pasture in front of our home, and we didn't like seeing big chunks of manure there that took a long time to go away. If you don't have a lot of land, you have to let the pasture go fallow for a year or more. On the other hand, shredding the manure causes it to dry out in a day or two, when horses can again graze over it. "We've only used the spreader on horse manure with sawdust, wood chips or pelleted bedding in it. But it should work on any kind of manure without excessive amounts of straw. The weight of the manure in the drum is enough to shred it." According to Stabler, you can let the unit sit outside until it's full and if it gets rained on, it'll work even better because the manure gets heavier, which will cause it to roll out faster and shred better.They plan to develop an insulated cover for the drum that will keep manure from freezing inside it during winter. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Linda Stabler, 1951 Co. Rd. 23, Waterloo, Ind. 46793 (ph 877 695-8582; email: rotaryspreader@thestablers.com; website: www.theStablers.com).

To read the rest of this story, download this issue below or click here to register with your account number.