Dung Spreader for Dexta

[agroman]

Looking at getting a rotary dung spreader. What size would be suitable for the Dexta to handle? Land is level so no issue with weight on hills. What would be the max weight you would be happy to put on the Dexta's drawbar? Power wise I am assuming that 30ish HP on the PTO would drive most smaller spreaders. Thinking of up to a 4cubic metre spreader, think that works out at about 5cu yards? Obviously I don't have to fill it up and the dung we are spreading tends to be quite dry so not too heavy.

[Bensdexta]

Assuming your proposed spreader is pulled along on its own two wheels, I guess the answer is as for a trailer. Think Dexta/Fergie size tractor was designed for a 3 ton trailer, so vertical weight on draw bar would be very roughly half this, so 1.5T.

What approx does 1cu m of your dung weigh - half as heavy as water (0.5T), 1/4 as heavy (0.25T), ....?

Some spreaders have four wheels, in which case the main worry will be pulling force.

[agroman]

Not sure on my dung's bulk density But it's not heavy stuff like fresh cattle dung from a shed. It is well rotted and has a % of sawdust in it. It tends to be quite dry. It's much lighter than soil, so I am guessing that a cubic metre might weigh 0.5t or 600Kg. A 4 cubic yard spreader is roughly 3 cubic metres so that would make it 1.8t. Average spreader weight appears to be about 800Kg empty. So this would put the weight at about 2.6T so should be well within Dexta's ability?

[agroman]

A follow up to this post - I bought a 2nd hand Fraser Muckmaster 450. 4.5cu yard size. This size appears just right for the Dexta. When it is loaded you certainly know its there, you would want to be careful on any hills

She does struggle a little when you 1st engage the pto as this is full load. Need to feather in pto clutch and ensure she has a few revs on, but with practice it's ok. once she's running its fine.

Just had to weld a jack onto the drawbar of the spreader to allow for the fixed height drawbar on the Dexta. Will post a picture when it is next dry enough to have a dung spreading day!

[Brian]

I was told to run the spreader slowly occasionally as you fill it. This winds the chains around the shaft and you do not have to drag long chains through the muck when you first start to unload. I have also wrapped the chains around the shaft by hand before loading. Certainly helps if I use the 29hp Major on the Howard but Nuffy has enough power to do it without wrapping. Only once did she baulk and that was because there was a high soil content in what I was trying to spread.

[agroman]

Thanks
I will give the chain wrapping a go next time. A bit of a problem to turn on pto whilst filling because I have to unhitch each load as using the same tractor with loader to fill it

[tom lad]

I THINK but I could well be wrong that dad has talked about rapping the chains up before filling

Big stick with a hook on. ?

Same idea ?

Sounds like the sort of thing a farmer wouldn't bother doing for long in my opinion