JS, I use my garden tractor now but once it gets cold it does not work very well. That is why I need a four-wheeler.
Thank you everyone for your great ideas. I think I make this work with some adjustments. I just don’t want to quit owning horses quite yet - I am still young! But getting older really bites if you know what I mean. I never thought I would have the issues I have now with my back. I am fit, thin, and in good shape. But the manual labor is killing me!
You should consider a future where the horses aren’t locked in stalls. I live in one of the harshest climates in the country and never lock mine in a stall, they all have shelters. If I ever give up horses it won’t be because I refuse to give up stalls.
I also use a 23 HP garden tractor/mower w/ a large dumpcart, both Husqvarna.
Also just fill the muck buckets ONLY half full before dumping. Or get more muck buckets and when filled half full, they are very stackable in the cart.
Do everything to avoid heavy lifting, and filled muck buckets are the worst when loaded with wet manure. Also get help to avoid heavy hay bales.
I think as we age we just have to figure out different ways of doing things.
Also if you don’t have one, get one of those back braces, they really help.
And on really painful days I take some of my horse’s Lubrisyn for back pain.
It really works.
We’re in northern midwest, and our Honda rancher ATV starts in subzero weather, no problem. But if you can’t move a lawn tractor around in your barn, I’m not sure that an ATV is any different? (Or is the problem just that lawn tractor doesn’t start easily in winter?) ETA-- missed your last post which confirms it’s just the cold-weather start. So, yes, an ATV will probably do the trick for you. Buy a good one, though and be very wary of buying used. Lots of yahoos abuse their ATVs.
The newer spreader is nicely balanced over its axle-- If Mr HH has the ATV occupied for some reason, I just move it by hand from stall to stall, then leave it near the nearest barn doorway until the ATV is free. It does get heavy to pull when it’s completely full, but you could just empty it more frequently.
You say it’s a bank barn, which suggests you have a slope that you could work with. Maybe hire an excavator dig out a “loading dock” area, so you can back your truck up to the loading area and have the truck bed at/close to ground level.
Or, using same concept, excavator can carve out a manure pit where there’s a high-side that you dump from (so you don’t have to push a barrow up a hill of manure, you’re just tipping it down into the pit). And a low side to scoop from, and then just hire someone with a FEL to come over a a few times a year to remove the pile.
This is just one of those times where you are probably going to have to invest $$$ in equipment or facility modifications to lessen the workload. Protecting your back is worth it. You don’t want to get to a point where you get way behind on chores and feel overwhelmed.
Maybe consider boarding in the winter?
Agree with others about not keeping them locked in. Is there some reason they must be locked in? Even if you don’t have good pasture there is nothing wrong with allowing them out. Though I find mine, who have 24/7 access out, still spend time in and manage to trash stalls.
A wheelbarrow would be a vast improvement over lugging muck buckets. But it sounds like the issue is then getting the contents of the wheelbarrow into your spreader.
So, why not build a ramp? My old barn had a ramp that led up to above the muck pile. It was a nice gradual incline so you didn’t have to push to hard. You could do something similar that gets you just high enough that you can empty the wheelbarrow directly into the spreader if you park the spreader below the ramp.
Think about an electric golf cart with a lift kit. I think you can even get a dump bed modification for them. Then you could muck straight into the bed. Since its electric you don’t have to worry about cold weather starts.
The barn owner where I board installed a hoist with a pulley from the center of an overhead beam at the end of the barn aisle. So you can fill the muck bucket which is in a wheeled cart, and roll it to the end of the aisle. Then use the hoist to lift the bucket high enough to dump the contents into the ATV bed and drive it to the manure pile to dump it.
I don’t know if this would be cheaper or easier than some of the other options already listed by other posters, just another suggestion to consider.
I am 61 and have 3 horses. My boys can come and go at will from the barn. Two of them rarely leave manure in the barn. The 27 year old can’t make it outside in time to keep from leaving manure in his stall. His stall needs regular mucking, but that is not too much work.
I try to minimize my work load. I wish I had automatic waterers in the winter. Emptying, cleaning and refilling 6 water buckets twice a day in the cold gets old quickly. I just ordered a portagrazer corner hay feeder in the hope that it will keep my guys from spreading their hay everywhere and then peeing in the hay.
Good luck finding ways to save labor. A lot of us are in your situation.
Why lift buckets at all into anything? Get a John Deere Gator with hydraulic lift bed. Drive it into the barn. Shovel manure, etc in the bed. Drive it to pile. Back in, press button, dump bed contents, drive back into barn for next time or drive it back to your house. Ours is 4WD. We also use it to plow, transport feed bags. Our Gator is the most used piece of equipment at our farm. It is truly awesome and has saved us so much work. Good luck!
I use one of these http://www.peoplepoweredmachines.com/smart-cart/_img/mainImage1lg.jpg
and a ramp over the spreader. NO LIFTING. It takes 6 horses worth of poo in one go.
When I get really doddering I’ll use the dump bed on the RTV !
http://www.kubota.com/product/utilityVehicles/RTV900XT/RTV900XT.aspx
Quick fix would be to put the muck bucket in the wheel barrow. It will be higher when you do have to lift it.
I can’t get a Gator into the bank barn. It is too tall to get into my sliding doors unless I get one that is not 4 wheel drive and then it is useless in the snow or mud.
Appreciate the comments about keeping the horses out all of the time. I have 4. They cannot all go out together (two do not get along). I would have to totally reconfigure my fence line to make it so they can come and go all of the time from the barn which would cost thousands of dollars and give me more fence line to maintain (more work). One is 22. She is a retired show hunter and she does not want to be out all the time and she is fat so she stays muzzled much of the time. Having her out 24/7 with a muzzle won’t work (she won’t have any skin left on her face). Mine are just not used to be out 24/7.
Here’s another option–maybe consider sharing your home or farm with someone who can lend a hand with the heavy lifting.
It could be win win for you and for someone who needs a soft landing.
I have a newer spreader. I muck stalls directly into the spreader which is attached to a small riding mower and spread right after. I spread on a pasture which is resting.
[QUOTE=monalisa;8404998]
I can’t get a Gator into the bank barn. It is too tall to get into my sliding doors unless I get one that is not 4 wheel drive and then it is useless in the snow or mud.[/QUOTE]
How can this be too tall ?http://www.deere.com/en_US/products/equipment/gator_utility_vehicles/traditional_utility_vehicles/t_series/th_6x4_gas/th6x4gas.pagehttp://www.deere.com/en_US/products/equipment/gator_utility_vehicles/traditional_utility_vehicles/t_series/th_6x4_gas/th6x4gas.page
I assume you can walk through the door or are you REALLY REALLY short ??!
At the last barn I boarded(briefly) they didn’t have a tractor. They did not want to spend the money for a tractor, so we encouraged them to get a dump cart. It is really easy to use either pulling it into and out of barn by hand or it can hook to atv or lawn mower. If you check out the link for tractor supply posted, check out the equipment on the right hand side. The cart was
similar to the one priced at $129. It was very sturdy and easy to use.
The lifting the manure bucket to the pickup truck bed is a killer. Can’t you get a small tractor with front end loader? That way, you can lower the loader down to the ground so you don’t have much of a “lifting up.” You can then drive to your manure pile and just tilt the front end loader bucket to dump. Or dump into the spreader.
