No Mess Manure Fill Pipe

No Mess Manure Fill Pipe MANURE HANDLING Equipment 10-3-10 A trailer-mounted fill pipe loads slurry faster and with less mess for Irvin Miller, Stuarts Draft, Virg. Miller parks the fill-pipe at a distance from the lagoon or holding tank by running flexible 6-in. pipe from the portable fill-pipe to a manure pump so he doesn't have to maneuver his spreader wagon or truck down to the lagoon every time he fills up. Also because the outlet pipe is larger at 8 in. in dia., he can run the pump at full blast without splashing equipment with manure. "We can fill our 3,000 gal. truck-mounted tanks in 1 min. now. It used to take 1 3/4 min. and all of our equipment got dirty. Over a full day of hauling, the time saved really pays off and the cleanliness makes the job much more pleasant," says Miller, who farms and does custom-hauling on the side. He parks the fill pipe 20 ft. away from his tractor-powered Badger pump. Miller built the trailer using old mobile home wheels and axles. He built the frame with angle iron and 3/16-in. sheet metal. Outriggers on either side of the trailer hold it steady in operation. The fill pipe, made from schedule 40 pipe, is tall enough to fill a 9¢-ft. tall spreader. It folds down for transport. Miller tows it to the job behind one of his two 3,000 gal. spreader trucks. He says farmers could build their own stationary fill pipe by their lagoons to make regular hauling easier. He'll consider building the portable fill-pipe commercially, or selling plans. For more information, contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Irvin Miller, Rocky Bottom Egg Farm, Rt. 1, Box 674, Starts Draft, Virg. 24477 (ph 703 337-1168 or 337-2629).

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