No-Plug Liquid Manure Injector

No-Plug Liquid Manure Injector MANURE HANDLING Equipment 8-4-26 "We've injected more than 25 million gallons of manure and haven't plugged the injector yet," reports Warren Johnson, marketing director for Farmstar, of Glenwood, Minn., about the company's new "no-plug" liquid manure injection toolbar that places manure 4 to 6 inches into the soil. "We don't know of another injector like ours," says Johnson, who feels the injector will be popular with farmers who are already piping manure but have encountered frustrating plugging problems, and with farmers now hauling liquid manure from their lagoons in large tanks. "A 4,000 gallon tank, full of manure, weighs about 40,000 pounds," explains Johnson. "Pulling it across a field compacts the soil, decreasing crop yields. With the injector, you virtually eliminate the compaction problem since you're only pulling the injector and dragging the hose." Available in 5- and 7-shank models, the 3-pt. mounted injector has two key features that, according to Johnson, separate it from anything else on the market: "The first is the new hydraulically-powered rotary manifold with a 3-blade impellor that prevents plugging by spinning the manure against a cutterbar, chopping up straw and other long stems as they enter the manifold. The impellor's spinning action also acts to evenly disperse the manure, in volumes up to 1,100 gallons per minute, to the shanks via 3 inch diameter hoses. With Farmstar's Slurry King pump you can inject material as far as 2 miles away. "The second key feature is the offset shanks, spaced 24 inches on center. They're equipped with 24 inch wide sweeps and band the manure 4 to 6 inches deep. Other injectors simply place the manure in a trench deep in the soil, which doesn't make the best use of the manure," explains Johnson. He points out that the shallow placement of the manure puts it in the root zone where it's more readily available to the plants, and decomposes faster. "Another benefit to using the new Farmstar injector is that you can use a low cost slurry pump since, unlike other injectors, you don't need an expensive pump that chops the material before it's pumped through the hose to the injector" Johnson points out. He notes that the shanks on the injector are offset so there isn't any problem with trash buildup. The sweeps on the spring-loaded shanks can be removed and replaced with chisel points for converting the injector to a chisel plow. Likewise, chisel plows or other injectors can be converted to the Farmstar-style injector by adding the manifold, sweeps and assorted hoses and hardware, says Johnson. The 7-shank, 14-ft. wide injection toolbar, complete with sweeps and the new rotary manifold, requires a 140 hp. tractor, and sells for $7,885. It can also be purchased as part of a complete injection system with agitator, pump, pipe and hose. For more information, contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Farmstar, Hwys. 55 & 28, Glenwood, Minn. 56334 (ph 612 634-4554).

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