Can a tractor handle moving frozen manure?

[jack1812]

HI all. I have a big giant manure pile I need to manage.
We had so much rain during the summer and fall, our manure area was too muddy for the tractor to get too. Once the ground froze, ... out tractor broke down.
Our friend has a Kubota we can borrow, but before we go through the hassle of getting it here, I am wondering can a tractor's front-end loader even handle moving a round a frozen manure pile?

Thanks,
J

 

[seville009]

Sure - no different than dirt. May be a chore if it’s frozen solid.

 

[grsthegreat]

Most manure piles generate heat while breaking down. Easy to move. But individual piles are a different matter. Tend to pull up dirt too.

 

[scootr]

If it's just frozen a few inches on the outside then I think it will be no problem. If somehow it is frozen through and through then no, no way you can move a manure glacier with a tractor... you will need a dozer. A big one. But the upside is you will only have to make one trip

 

[5030]

Depends on the size of the tractor more than anything.

 

[Farmer495]

Size of tractor type of bucket + size of pile and how frozen it is are all factors. Not sure your location i.e. how far north.

I am in Canada and run manure packs in barns and they more or less self heat all winter, might freeze the top a little in a really cold spell. The edges of the packs at doorways can be rock hard....forget anything other than a jack hammer.

I've had manure piles from tie stall barns hand piled all winter fork full at a time and those could be a challenge to move if needed, even with manure tine bucket.

 

[airbiscuit]

It's been a while, but as I recall, it doesn't freeze hard like ice, but more like the consistency of a rotted stump, or the snow the plow leaves on your driveway. A manure fork or a toothed bucket would help. We were able to penetrate it with a John Deere B and a trip loader with a manure bucket.

 

[USMC43]

Depends on the manure to. Horse manure with lots of straw or shavings is much different than cow manure that has been packed down and added to the top.

If its loose fluffy horse manure most loaders will be fine.

If its thick heavy stuff it depends on the bucket size. Many tractors are sold with general purpose bucket using them on heavy materials or to dig with is very hard on ag tractor loaders that are much lighter built than their construction equipment cousins.

 

[LouNY]

To many factors to give a good answer. Different manures freeze differently. The actual and total freeze depth will vary considerably. In a severe cold snowy winter when feeding cows outside I have seen the snow/ice manure pack build up several feet then while hauling it out in July finding ice in the bottom of the pile. I've also seen wet manure piles that steamed when a thin crust of ice was broken. If the manure is frozen very hard the chucks will also be very rough on a manure spreader. I've seen manure frozen in a free stall barn that would scrape up on most of the concrete which was actually almost a light weight load the spread nicely. I've also seen it froze so hard that a small tractor (55 hp) couldn't even start to scrape it off the concrete.

 

[jack1812]

Thanks everyone.