Storing manure in a dump trailer

[DHCarrotfeeder]

Our current manure plan is a (large) pile that gets loaded into a dump trailer or a dump truck and hauled to a farm where it’s spread on a field.

The pile area is due for improvement as needs to be elevated above surrounding ground. And in wet, weather I have to minimize running the tractor or else it tears the ground into insane mud.

It occurs to me that if I stored the manure in a dump trailer, I could 1) remove it regardless of weather and 2) move it around a lot less.

Has anyone done this? Did it corrode out the trailer quickly?

David

[Manni01]

I did it in Germany for 20 years and it worked perfectly. I built a ramp going up the trailer

[Bluey]

We used to muck straw bedded stalls with hand carried canvas buckets, before plastic ones and manure carts, to the 5’ x 8’ dump wagon outside by the door of the barn.
Some times it was full right away, others it may take a few days.

Once it was full, we took it to a draw where we dumped it down the hill.
We sold that composted manure to gardeners, they loved it.

We were always afraid some day the manure piles could catch on fire and that would have been a bad prairie fire.

Our manure dump wagon was two wheeled, wooden bottom and sides and dumped by pushing a lever sideways, the axle was forward, so it would self tilt.
That wagon lasted for decades, nothing rusted on it, but we are very dry here.

[DHCarrotfeeder]

It wouldn’t be hard to cover it and keep it dry. But I’m still thinking I’d be wise to at least coat the interior with a top grade paint or lining.
I suspect that stainless steel is out of the question, even though that would be ideal.

[csaper58]

I would clean and paint the bed of the dump trailer with ‘bed liner’ type paint.

The fluids in the manure + bedding will corrode the metal if the paint surface in the bed is damaged and eventually the original paint will bubble and peel off.

The manure in the dump trailer will need to be covered with a tarp or something so rain does not turn it into a soggy mess.

[Bluey]

They have plastic manure truck linings, that keep metal from corroding.

I think Farmtek sells those products, come in rolls and you can line your dump wagon with that.
I have seen trucks here, there is a company that goes to cattle feedlots and composts their manure in place with a machine that turns it regularly.
They have their own spreader trucks that have those black liners like a toboggan chute, so manure moves along easily.

Here is a picture so you can get an idea of what to look for:

[keepthelegend]

We use a dump trailer with a ramp built up to it and empty it once a week by hitching to the truck and hauling it to the racehorse training center that allows dumping. So far it has worked very well.

[moving_to_dc]

Because of our location in a watershed area, we have to have a “nutrient management plan” that requires our manure to be hauled away. We have a dumpster company that drops off a roll-back dumpster for us to fill. It is under cover, but the manure is still corroding the steel. Huge plate size chunks of steel are breaking free all over the bottom and up the sides. It is thick steel, so it will likely take a while, but…

The barn I work at also had a Mill Creek PTO driven manure spreader that they used before the NMP took over. Instead of emptying the last load out of it, they just let it set, full, until I tried to take care of it. It was also parked under cover. During the time it sat, the manure had completely eaten the sides out of the spreader. The rumber floor was still good, but all of the chain was ate thru, as were the sides. I ended up having to scrap the spreader, there was no way to fix it affordably. I even tried to give it away for free, and no one wanted it.

Manure is some seriously caustic crap, no pun intended. I would definitely protect your dump trailer to preserve it’s life!

[Corey94]

Our manure trailer is going on 10 years old, and yes, plenty corroded. I bought the cheapest one I could find, DH is handy and we just plan on replacing parts (piston, electric motor) as they fail. It has gone in for one big metal refurb so far, but that was just to rework the tailgate (replace single panel drop type to double door style). It is now ready for some body work, but I’ll just get it cleaned out and take it to a welder and have him weld in something to keep the bottom and sides smooth. I has worked really well for us with 2 at home, and it sits uncovered, so nothing special. Things freeze around here, but we just dump it when we know the weather is going to be bad and plan for some shoveling if the freeze lasts longer than we can wait. It is the one trailer around here that no one asks to borrow…:winkgrin:

[TheJenners]

Been doing this for a year now, almost exactly, and it works great. Yes it’s uncovered right now and I’d love to get it covered eventually.

I considered spraying something protective down, but truck liners etc tend to be grippy and I want that shit to slide right out, yanno? :lol: The only thing I want grippier is the ramp (mine is a “du-tility,” with a ramp like you see on landscape trailers but also dumps), because I’ve almost biffed it several times pushing the wheelbarrow up in the rain.

[starsandsun]

This is what we do and have been doing for years. The dump trailer is not treated with any special paint and is not covered; it has degraded a little over the years and at some point I will probably get it painted again, but it’s not much to worry about so far. I clean stalls and paddocks into muck buckets; those are dumped in tractor bucket and then immediately into dump trailer. Works great!!!

[Guilherme]

[QUOTE=csaper58;9009090]
I would clean and paint the bed of the dump trailer with ‘bed liner’ type paint.

The fluids in the manure + bedding will corrode the metal if the paint surface in the bed is damaged and eventually the original paint will bubble and peel off.

The manure in the dump trailer will need to be covered with a tarp or something so rain does not turn it into a soggy mess.[/QUOTE]

This.

The issue of keeping manure for any time in a piece of equipment is real and substantial.

I found this link and it will give you some options. I don’t know anything about any of these products so no endorsement!

http://www.mechanicalcaveman.com/best-diy-truck-bed-liner-spray-on-review/

G.

[Bluey]

I think the best would be a very slick something.

Bed liners tend to be grippy, not what you want in a dump trailer.

Those big truck and feed bunk liners would be better

Farmtek sells that plastic product in rolls.

[Bray_Wyatt]

@Guilherme

This.

The issue of keeping manure for any time in a piece of equipment is real and substantial.

I found this link and it will give you some options for picking the top spray bedliner. I don’t know anything about any of these products so no endorsement!

http://www.mechanicalcaveman.com/bes…ray-on-review/

G.

I have seen your suggesting list. But I am looking a specific one. Would you please suggest me a specific good one for my truck. Thanks

[gumtree]

IMO a easy and cheap way to go about it and worth a try? . Would be to buy a heavy duty tarp to line the bed with. Secure to the front end. When dumped everything should slide out pretty as you please. May needed to be replaced periodically. But they are not that expensive.

Or spend a the dollars and have it sprayed with rubber bed liner. Or buy the stuff by the gallon, 5 gallon that can be painted on. Or sprayed DIY.

[Guilherme]

@DHCarrotfeeder

It wouldn’t be hard to cover it and keep it dry. But I’m still thinking I’d be wise to at least coat the interior with a top grade paint or lining.
I suspect that stainless steel is out of the question, even though that would be ideal.

As noted horse manure will cause accelerated corrosion unless the bed is protected by some barrier.

If you don’t cover the bed it will absorb whatever rain falls and, while it may not turn into a rolling manure bog, it WILL become much heavier and I’m sure will affect the “composting” process that goes on naturally. If you can figure a way to allow moisture to drain then you solve this problem. But now you have an interesting product to deal with!!!

If you are in AZ this might not be a problem. If you are in OR, LA, or anywhere else where rainfall is plentiful that added weight and chemical process might cause other problems.

Good luck in your program.

G.

[TheJenners]

Having had stubborn manure and dirt stick in an upraised dump trailer, I won’t add to the stickability by spraying a liner. Replacing the bed in a pain but not expensive and if you only have to do it every ten years (my experience) then you are ahead. My Dad’s big dump trailer he has had for 14+ years in Ala and has only replaced the bed once.

[hosspuller]

If I had a dump trailer for manure … I see on Craig’s list every so often a used p/u bed liner. For the right price, I would cut it in half to fit into the dump trailer. Overlap in the center. Being made of poly it would afford some corrosion protection while being slippery to the manure.