DIY horse manure breaker-upper(er) - suggestions request

[donais]

here is a pic

 

[Wagtail]

Well done donais. A Mate of mine has strongly suggested that I need to take a welding course and, judging by your handiwork, I can see why.

Oh, and thanks to 'bcp' and the link to "Functional Horsemanship"... there went my afternoon. I guess the horse manure will be there tomorrow, eh?

 

[terry.dinerman]

Welcome aboard "Wagtail"!

...you don't need much in the way of welding skills for this job, Mate...

I use a 5' length of heavy gage railroad track with a 6' length of chain fixed to each end and terminated in a grab hook as a field drag....the chains allow me to attach it to whatever happens to be hanging on the back of the tractor when I need to level out some "pasture pastries" or ruts in the driveway....

..I turn the track so an edge of the base is forward for better "cutting" action....you can even "grade" a bit by shortening one chain to cast material to one side or the other...

I used to use a railroad tie in the same manner, but upgraded when I spotted the track in a local junque yard...

(....and BY THE WAY...even us Texans know what a "paddock" is...)

Be Safe Out There!

Terry

 

[Wagtail]

Thanks Terry, both for your welcome and advice. I do like the idea of a chain drag over a harrow as my paddocks need a LOT of developement and I don't want to tear up what fodder is available at the moment.

I was trying not to be insulting regarding the language barrier. It's more along the lines of 'what you call "this", we call it "that". I'm originally from Canada and have experienced it constantly, ie: a 'J-cloth' is called a 'chux' over here or a 'wing-nut' is a 'butterfly-nut'. And that's not even taking into consideration the spelling differences, ie: 'tire' vs. 'tyre'.

 

[bcp]

Heavy duty version:

Ontario Trophy Bucks forum -> Homemade implements for plotting?

 

[donais]

hey here in Ramona the snooty rich people use paddock. i augered about 50 holes for my vet's wife for her paddock... i kept telling her " boy these are going to be some really nice corrals.. you know just to get her riled up a little

 

[terry.dinerman]

Thanks Terry, both for your welcome and advice. I do like the idea of a chain drag over a harrow as my paddocks need a LOT of developement and I don't want to tear up what fodder is available at the moment.

I was trying not to be insulting regarding the language barrier. It's more along the lines of 'what you call "this", we call it "that". I'm originally from Canada and have experienced it constantly, ie: a 'J-cloth' is called a 'chux' over here or a 'wing-nut' is a 'butterfly-nut'. And that's not even taking into consideration the spelling differences, ie: 'tire' vs. 'tyre'.

OH NO OFFENSE TAKEN!!!!

I am currently working on an oil rig in West Africa...and I can hear more flavors (flavours?) of "English" around the supper table than you can count...Scot, Irish, Welsh, Midlands, Oz, Kiwi, Canadian, Midwest US, Deep South US, Texan, Brooklyn, Boston...it goes on and on...

Since the local language here is Spanish, some of the lads wanted to get an "English as a Second Language" class going...

...I had to laugh!

BE SAFE OUT THERE!!!

T

 

[Wagtail]

Bcp, that is a briliant innovation and incorporates the principle of the chain harrow's tines. Must be a pain (without the proper tools) to bore through if using a steel-belted radial, but the concept is great. Aren't we a clever species!

Good stuff.

 

[OldMcDonald]

Wagtail, You can tip over a chain harrow so that it is upside down and becomes a "chain" drag rather than a "harrow" drag, that way it will spread the muck and not do any damage to your grass. In the upside down position it is an ideal implement for rolling just enough soil over the top of broadcast grass seed. I have sown pastures, including in NSW, that way for well over 40 years.

 

[Wagtail]

Thanks OldMcDonald. I've watched a YouTube demonstration on using a Chain Harrow in the various configurations = very informative and shows the different uses for the implement.this is making me lean towards getting one of them due to their versatility. I really like the idea of 'many uses for one thing'. A Chain/Tyre drag wouldn't be adjustable for, shall we say, intensity.

 

[turnkey4099]

Just get a chain harrow - you should be able to pick up a cheap second hand one easily...?

Or free? My neighbor has one that hasn't moved in 20 years.

Harry K

 

[Wagtail]

Ahhh! The ever elusive freebie. I'm not against the principle but I'm reminded of the adage of looking in a horse's mouth. Which actually happened to me; I didn't look in my second horse 'Jack' mouth and it turned out that he had the most incredible case of Parrot Mouth (overbite) that Vets have ever seen. Mind you he's 7yo and he's survived this long. (beauitful natured and he's the companion to my first horse 'Treat')

BTW Harry, I see on your profile that you're retired AF. I'm retired Navy. Good on ya Cobber.

 

[HereticWild]

So...I have a small tractor with a 60" grass cutter on it (rear PTO).
We have about 2 acres of pasture area...we got 2 horses last August...would my cutter work for spreading the manure or should I invest in a small harrow?

 

[Wagtail]

G'day HW. Judging from the responces to this thread, I would say no to the grass cutter. I've got a slasher and no one has said, "just use that." Crikey, the clean-up mess when you hit a fresh 'deposit' would be worse than mowing after a good heavy rain.

The suggestions (so far) have convinced me to 'do it right the first time' and invest in a 6' chain harrow, especially as it can be used for more than one thing depending on how you orient it. Mind you, were I going to make my own, I was drawn to the double-loop chain drag showed eariler.

Of course your problem is that it's winter in Armstrong (North of Vernon if I remember) and those droppings will freeze fairly quickly. This is a question best answered by someone with experience, not someone who lives in a place that only gets the odd frost.

 

[CantonHayGuy]

I like using cattle panels. 50" x 16 ft., panels of 4ga. (if I remember correctly) rod. I just have several of 'em cut in half (50" x 8ft.) I stack them up to get the weight I want and then off-set the panels so there's more panel rods to beat up the manure. Works good on smoothing out the washboard on our gravel road too.

 

[Wagtail]

I had to Google what a cattle pannel was, turns out that I'd seen them around horse arenas but never knew what they were called. Sounds like an interesting concept. It also sounds bloody LOUD = like dragging tubuler bells.