Please help me figure out what kind of manure spreader would be ideal for my situation. I can pull it with either a compact tractor or an atv. There are 15 horses on fine shavings/sawdust, turnout time will vary depending on the horse and weather. I’d like to know what capacity would work, and if a ground drive would be sufficient. Thanks!
Are you going to spread daily?
If so, a 50 bushel should suffice most days, but ABI has theirs rated at 11 horses:
http://www.abiattachments.com/manure-spreader/
Millcreek has them up to 20 horses:
http://www.millcreekspreaders.com
We have had both and had the mid sized 50/57 and was sure enough for daily cleaning, but our horses were out to pasture much of the day.
Ground driven is better in the smaller ones, not needing a designated tractor to pull like with a PTO.
You can pull it with anything, a pickup, atv, utv, small tractor.
PTO is necessary in the bigger ones.
You may want to go bigger, unless you can do two trips on days there is more to clean.
Many training stables do that, because the smaller spreaders are easier to manage in and out of barns with an atv.
If you’re doing 15 stall kept horses then you’re dealing with that much manure plus urine soaked bedding. Some horses are “neatniks” in their stall and others are “slobs.” So at the end of the day you’re going to have a lot of weight AND volume to deal with. Most of the “estate” spreaders I’ve seen would not do the job unless you plan to spreading twice a day. If you plan on composting then they pretty much won’t do the job very efficiently as the density of the material will likely be an issue (at least in the very wet areas; if you’re in the desert you might have a different result).
Do some shopping around for used PTO spreaders as port of your project. You may find that they are the better choice in this instance.
G.
I have up to 10 horses in stalls bedded on pellets. I used to use a Newer Spreader with my golf cart and it would take me 3 loads to spread the overnight mess. NBD really. But it wore out after 10 years and I replaced it with an ABI elite spreader.
BIG mistake.
I now have to spread manure only every 3 days but I have to use the tractor and it is hard for shorty (me) to dump the tubs into the spreader.
I would go back to the Newer Spreader in a heartbeat.
FWIW both the Newer Spreader and the ABI drop the manure out the bottom. No flying turds. Neither will work well if there is a high percentage of hay or straw in the bedding.
What kind of ABI spreader did you get?
The one we have, with the moving apron and paddles behind will go thru anything,frozen stuff, even just old hay, without any problems.
I wonder if you bought the tub kind?
Don’t know how that one works.
If someone is getting back-throw with apron and paddle spreaders, just slow down a bit and you won’t.
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Does anyone have experience with H&S spreaders? There is a used one in my area.
I love my ABI ground driven spreader that I pull behind my 4 wheeler. http://www.abiattachments.com/manure-spreader/abi-classic-manure-spreader-25-50-65-ground-drive/
That is what we have, ground driven.
This is cool, I had no idea such small spreaders existed … I thought I was going to have to save up for something the size of a pickup truck. I only have 2 horses and no stalls, but I like to keep the paddock picked a pile going. Thanks for all the good info!
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