Holding Pen Floor Flusher

Holding Pen Floor Flusher DAIRY EQUIPMENT & IDEAS Dairy Equipment & Ideas 19-3-8 Dairy farmer Paul Bickford uses old fuel tanks filled with water to flush out the floors of his holding pens and milking parlor. "Charlie Opitz, the really innovative Belmont, Wis., dairy farmer. who's been featured in FARM SHOW before, gave me the idea," Bickford says. "We've discovered 1,000 or 2,000-gal. tanks work better than smaller ones because there's more volume for flushing." Bickford first cleans out the fuel tanks thoroughly, then cuts a 2 or 3-ft. hole in the top for filling - and dumping - water. A 6-in. dia. center shaft made out of well casing runs through the center of the tank and sticks out a couple of inches on each end. The ends of the shaft rest on a pair of heavy duty stands Bickford made out of square tubing and channel iron. The stands hold the barrel a couple of inches above the ground so it will rotate freely. The barrel is filled from a nearby hydrant. Once it's full, a block is removed from the housing allowing the tank to turn forward, spilling the water and flushing the floor. Lock stops keep the barrel from turning too far. "It works great for our operation," says Bickford. "Our holding pen is on top of a hill and all the excess water and waste runs off the hill onto a grass filter strip at the bottom." Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Paul Bickford, 6346 Reed Rd., Ridgeway, Wis. 53582 (ph 608 924-6221).

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