Muck and slurry innovation has developed rapidly over recent years, making application more accurate than ever before. CPM highlights what’s new.
Slurry is one of the most undervalued resources farmers have.
By Charlotte Cunningham
Striking a balance between high productivity and cost-effectiveness is a challenge growers regularly face when it comes to investing in kit. However, the improvements and development in muck and slurry technology over recent years means there’s an array of tools available to help growers accelerate crop growth – without breaking the bank.
SlurryKat
New from Irish firm, SlurryKat, is the Duo Dribblebar range which made its UK debut at LAMMA earlier this year.
The 10m and 12m vertical folding dribble bar can be tanker-mounted, or used on an umbilical system, and both versions feature a lower frame height to maximise visibility to the rear when operating the system on an umbilical set up.
The design also includes a heavy-duty frame, capable of carrying the new Bak Pak Reeler system, which now has the ability to carry up to 1200m of 12.7cm umbilical hose, says the firm.
To keep transport height to a minimum, the dribble bar arms fold vertical initially with the outside section hydraulically folding backwards and down. When in operation, the arms fold down and out to working position and are also supported for use in high stress rough terrain.
To increase stability further, a Vogelsang macerator – complete with stone trap – is used, with a twin macerator option available on the 12m for use on slopes in order to keep an even and steady spread.
SlurryKat CEO Garth Cairns notes the company has made a a significant development investment in the two new dribble bars. “We can now provide users with performance that is previously unseen on hills and slopes.”
GT Bunning
Muck spreader specialists, GT Bunning and Sons also unveiled the latest addition to its Farmstar HBD spinning disc range at in January’s LAMMA event.
Designed as a light, yet robust, spreader capable of sustained workloads in conjunction with smaller tractors, the 8m3 model can be equipped with extension sides to increase heaped capacity to 10.2m3, while the maximum payload is 8.5t.
The new machine uses the same body and floor construction as the established Bunning TVA models, and blends this with a new design of HBD (Horizontal Beater and spinning Disc) spreading mechanism, using the same spinning discs as those fitted to larger HBD models. This helps the new model to achieve the same spread patterns as the larger machines in the range, according to the firm.
Design features include heat-treated boron beater flighting and reversible boron beater blades, plus heavy-duty beater roller drive chains. Individual dynamic balancing of the beaters takes place after their production at the factory. Manufactured from Hardox steel, the 1m-diameter spinning discs feature adjustable blade angles. The new model is fitted as standard with a single axle rated to 13t, equipped with 406 x 120mm brakes with slack adjusters.
Tramspread
In vogue for Suffolk-based slurry specialists, Tramspread is its new umbilical pump trailer, which is claimed to help contractors and growers save time and money by only requiring one tractor and one operator.
The contractor pump trailer is powered by a 175hp Iveco engine coupled to a Bauer SX2000 pump which is capable of pumping up to 300m3/hr depending on distance and hose diameter. The long drawbar enables an applicator, such as a dribble bar, to be carried on the tractor’s rear three-point linkage while towing the trailer.
Up to 2000m of drag hose is carried on two galvanised detachable spools located at the front of the trailer, while a further 1000m is carried on the tractors front three-point linkage via a powerful twin hydraulic drive reeler, giving a total system capacity of 3000m.
Over the twin sprung high-speed axles there’s a large 900-litre fuel tank and mounted over the fuel tank is a compressor which is also remote controlled and a suction hose loading area with two large toolboxes.
“We used this trailer to spread 300,000m3 of slurry and digestate in 2019,” explains Tramspread’s Laurence Baker. “It’s proven easy to use and reliable, so we have started producing trailers to order. The technology offers time and money-saving options to farmers and we believe that this trailer will be a valuable tool to contractors like us in the future.”
Unique to the design is an SIL remote control that Laurence and his team have helped to design. This, combined with pressure sensors and a flowmeter, allows the entire umbilical system to be accurately operated and monitored by just one man.
Fitted with Tramspread’s Raven Box mapping and recording technology, the unit can also report the areas treated and the quantity of slurry utilised. “The combination of knowing the speed of flow and being able to control it remotely is key to the time and equipment savings this trailer offers,” he adds. “The unit also keeps a record of the slurry utilised so operators can measure how effective each application is and improve distribution in the future.”
Vredo
Reacting to a demand for self-propelled slurry vehicles – as well as wider implements in a bid to reduce soil compaction – Vredo Dodewaard has made its VT4556 series self-propelled slurry vehicles suitable for attaching 24m wide dribble bar/trailing shoe implements.
According to the firm, what makes this concept unique is the fact that despite the wider capabilities, the machine remains compact because the booms fold in next to the tank – keeping transport width below 3.5m.
The 50/50 weight distribution of the self-propelled tanker and the reload docking arm mounted at the front means it’s possible to mount 24m dribble bar / trailing shoe implements. The tanker can still be driven in crab steer, meaning only one wheel in each track that helps achieve very low ground pressure. Implements can be equipped with section control, manual or in combination with a GPS steering system.
Samson Agro
Two years after introducing the three-axle Samson US 3 universal spreader at the 2017 Agritechnica event, Danish firm Samson Agro has expanded its US series with a two-axle spreader.
The US 2 is an efficient wide-box spreader, says the firm, offering the professional contractor a capacity ranging from 23m3 up to 35m3,.
Looking at the nuts and bolts, the new series comprises two large 118cm spreading discs, while the wings and rear gate can be set in different ways to ensure optimal spread pattern, regardless of the material.
“The US 2 is a brand-new series in a completely new design,” says Samson’s Gabriel Lund. “It has a capacity never seen before in the market made possible by the wide box, large horizontal beaters and the large and effective spreading discs. We optimised the complete power chain to transfer even more power to the spreading table, which secures a spreading capacity up to 30-40% more powerful than our competitors.”
The US 2 can also be equipped with load cells which allows both static and dynamic weighing.
Using static weighing, the control system, SpreadMaster 8500, measures the weight of the spreader in a parked position before and after it has been loaded. Using dynamic weighing, the system is constantly weighing the material in the spreader and continuously adjusting the machine parameters according to the weight and the set values in the terminal This ensures that the set number of t/ha is being spread, he adds.
Joint initiative to boost precision
The end of last year saw John Deere and Vogelsang launch a joint project to promote more sustainable organic fertiliser application by combining Deere’s Section Control and Vogelsang’s automatic partial width Comfort Flow Control (CFC) section control system to enable highly precise spreading of liquid manure.
“We are using our joint expertise to ensure that plants can be supplied with the necessary nutrients through more precise liquid manure application,” says Alexander Berges, John Deere intelligent solutions group marketing manager. “Precise organic fertilisation has significant advantages over mineral fertilisation. It improves the CO2 balance of agricultural production and reduces ammonia emissions. Higher yields, more consistent plant growth and protection of water courses are further positive benefits.”
This joint technology project demonstrates in practice how accurately liquid manure can be applied using Vogelsang’s new BlackBird trailing shoe system with CFC automatic partial width section control and ExaCut ECQ precision distributors. Operated via the in-cab Generation 4 Display, John Deere Section Control opens and closes the system’s individual hoses automatically and very precisely according to the tanker’s GPS position. This reduces overlaps and errors to an absolute minimum and avoids over- or undersupply of nutrients to the plants.
Vogelsang has also developed new valve technology, with air bellows in the hose outlets of the spreading devices for switching off the individual boom sections. The inflated air bellows close the individual boom sections or boom section groups; to release the respective hose outlets, the operator lets out the air. This electropneumatic control of the individual hoses enables fast, precise switching operations, says the firm. The application booms are available in versions with single hose control or with control of hose outlets combined in sections.
John Deere’s Section Control is compatible with all common satellite correction signals, ranging from the free SF1 up to the high-precision and repeatable RTK signal. This allows up to 255 boom sections to be controlled fully automatically to an accuracy of +/-3 cm in previously defined areas of the field.
Complete integration of both systems into the John Deere operating terminal enables Section Control so CFC can ensure such precise slurry application. Deere’s HarvestLab 3000 manure sensor has also been integrated which continuously measures nutrients in the slurry, so not only m³/ha but also kg/ha N, P and K can be applied as with mineral fertilisers. The HarvestLab sensor is DLG-certified for measuring accuracy with N and P, which is at the same level as accredited laboratories.
Measure and manage
For those looking to crack down on costs, using a slurry testing kit and flow meter has the potential to save growers up to £265/ha, reckons Tramspread’s Terry Baker.
“If you don’t know the nutrient value of your slurry and the rate it’s being spread at then the financial savings and crop benefits are simply guess work.”
Terry says a nitrogen meter, such as the Agros Nova Mk3, can test slurry and manure for plant-available nitrogen in just five minutes, and so is well worth the investment. “These kits only cost £425 and offer farmers a lab test accurate reading of plant available kgN/m3. Once aware of the nutrient value, farmers can begin to calculate the volume of slurry required for the crop and use a flow meter to spread accurately.”
Tramspread’s ISOBUS flow meter connects to the tractor’s GPS and can be used to adjust application rate from the cab, with the whole package coming in at just under £4000, he adds. “Combining field maps, choosing the application rate, and recording the amount of slurry applied will give the operator an accurate report of the amount of slurry applied/ha. When this technology is coupled with accurately tested slurry it also offers farmers a way to measure the cost benefit of slurry application to the farm.”
The data in AHDB’s RB209 nutrient management guide helps to illustrate the savings available by testing slurry and applying it accurately. “Calculating the available nitrogen, phosphate and potash of slurry can save significant sums of money,” adds Terry. “ADAS soil scientist, John Williams, has used the RB209 guide to equate this to between £215 and £265/ha, based on a season’s application of 95m3/ha of cattle slurry.
“Slurry is one of the most undervalued resources farmers have. If stored, tested, and applied carefully with attention to nutrient value, it offers significant savings and environmental benefits.”
