Liquid Manure Tank Built From Used Fuel Tank

Liquid Manure Tank Built From Used Fuel Tank MANURE HANDLING Equipment 19-1-11 Kent Keller, Kinderhook, N.Y., who farms with his father and two brothers, wanted a way to move manure faster from his lagoon to fields 2 1 /2 miles away. He didn't want to spend the money for a new fiberglass liquid manure tank so he decided to use an old 24-ft. long, 4,000-gal. fuel tank. It slides into a tandem axle dump trailer that mounts on his International single-axle semi-tractor. They welded a 12-in. dia., 24-in. long steel outlet pipe to the back end of the tank and fitted it with an air brake valve (off a junked-out truck) to open and close a leak-proof flapper valve. The rubber-lined valve hinges at the top of the pipe. The air brake valve applies 2,700 psi of pressure against the spring-loaded door to hold it closed. When air is applied, the door opens 6 or 7 in. and manure flows out by gravity, striking a steel splash pan and hitting a baffle at the bottom of the pan which spreads out 8 to 10 ft. wide. Inside the tank, Keller made a 30 by 22-in. baffle out of 3/8-in. steel plate and welded it to the top of the tank. The baffle extends about 14 in. down inside the tank and has a series of 2-in. holes in it. It keeps manure from sloshing out the top of the tank. The tank is chained to the sides of the trailer and also pinned at the back into hooks for the truck's tailgate. "I've used it for four years with no problems," says Keller. "I got the tank for nothing from a neighbor and used scrap materials to convert it for hauling manure. My only investment was about $45 for the air brake valve and air lines and about 100 hours of time. A commercial fiberglass tank of comparable capacity sells for about $7,000 so I saved a lot of money. I already had the trailer which I still use to haul corn silage. "The truck is powered by a 300 hp Cummins diesel engine. I can make better time with it than I can with a tractor and spreader, even when spreading manure close to the farm, because the tank unloads in only 4 to 5 minutes. I also converted a 5,000-gal. fuel tank for my 10-wheeler tandem axle truck. However, the tank is too big and top heavy for the truck. I use the tandem axle truck when I'm finishing a field because it's easier to back up and doesn't get stuck as easy in deep manure. "I use a Houle lagoon pump to load the tank. The trailer's high sides make it difficult to see the fill pipe so I use white lime on the ground as a guide when backing up. I use one line to guide the trailer length-wise and another line perpendicular to it that tells me when to stop. "I use a toggle switch in the cab to operate a 12-volt air solenoid valve that activates the air brake valve. I never have to stop. A light comes on so I know when the valve is open." Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Kent Keller, Rt. 1, Box 446, Kinderhook, N.Y. 12106 (ph 518 758-7824).

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