Contents |
[edit] History
[edit] Early Spreaders
Manure spreaders were designed to simplify the work of fertilizing a field. In the 1700s, the task was carried out by shoveling cow dung out of a barn and into a pile, later to be forked into a wagon for transportation to the field. Once in the field, the dung was shoveled onto the field in irregular, inefficient heaps. In addition to uneven coverage, these manure piles were susceptible to weather, and exposure to wind, rain, and sun resulted in a loss of more than half the nutrients.[3]
The distribution of liquid manure differed from the cart and rake method used for solid materials. In this system, liquid manure was collected in horse-drawn, cart-mounted barrels, derived from the common water carts used at the time. The manure was then transported to the field and released through taps or pipes at the rear of the cart. The liquid would simply gush out through multiple holes until the barrel was empty.
Homemade manure spreaders with improved distribution systems began to appear in the early 1800s.[4] Some of these early contraptions consisted of strong planks, built at the end of each row of cattle, to collect dung and urine. Inclined drains carried the liquid manure into a fifty-foot long tank. The contents of this tank were pumped into a large hogshead, mounted on wheels and drawn by oxen. A box pierced with holes was attached to the end of the hogshead; the manure flowed into this box and sprinkled onto the earth.
[edit] Distributing Dry Manure
The first spreader designed to distribute dry manure was invented in 1839 by Alexander Main of Scotland.[5] This implement consisted of a wooden box about three feet (0.91 m) deep and six feet (1.8 m) wide. Inside the box was an axle passing through its full width, and a fluted roller six inches (15.2 cm) in diameter running along its length. This roller fit into an opening along the chest’s underside; above it was a turning, axle-mounted iron cylinder measuring 22 inches (56 cm) in diameter and six feet (1.8 m) in length. Dry manure was placed in the cylinder through a small trapdoor-type opening, and was released through multiple tiny holes in the cylinder. This manure fell onto the roller below, where it was caught in the flutings and dropped on the ground as the roller turned over.
The evolution of dry manure spreaders continued through the 1800s, resulting in various designs. One successful type of dry spreader consisted of a wheel-mounted hopper, underneath which were several horizontal discs, rotated by gears through the motion of the hopper’s wheels. Powered manure sprinkled downward from the hopper onto the rotating discs, which threw the material outward, fairly evenly, in all directions.
[edit] The First Apron Machine
In 1850, J.K. Holland of North Carolina invented a spreader with an endless apron that was attached to the rear of a cart.[6] This apron passed over a bed of rollers, and around a shaft. The apron was designed to draw fertilizer to the front of the wagon, causing it to drop over the side and onto the ground, a small amount at a time.
[edit] The Dawn of Wagon-mounted Spreaders
The first spreader employing a mechanical distribution method was wagon-type machine designed and introduced in 1865 by J.H. Stevens of New York.[7] This machine, outfitted with an apron that was driven backward by gears to eject its load, employed vibrating forks to feed the manure to fingers that extended to each side.
The following decade saw many patents being obtained for wagon-mounted spreaders, including that secured by J.S. Kemp in 1877.[8] This wagon- or cart-type spreader consisted of a movable floor made of slats, which was attached to an endless belt. The front slat was fitted with a board that, with the help of gears, was moved slowly toward the rear of the spreader when the cart was in motion. This movement propelled the wagon’s load against a rotating toothed drum that pulverized and spread the manure on the ground behind it.
By the turn of the century, modern wagon-mounted spreaders, accomplishing the work of five people, were common on most large farms.
[edit] The Continuing Evolution of Spreaders
By the 1920s, two types of spreaders were prevalent on farms: apron spreaders, and tight-bottom spreaders.[9]
Apron spreaders, originally introduced in 1900,[10] comprised an endless conveyor, made of slats, extending the width of the wagon. The conveyor transported manure to a beater mounted at the rear of the wagon. This spreader also included a revolving rake, designed to hold the upper part of the load of manure while the beater was shredding it. The speed of the conveyor on these machines could be controlled by the operator from the driver’s seat using a lever.
Tight-bottom spreaders worked in essentially the same way as apron spreaders, but rather than using one beater, they used three. While two beaters were used to shred the manure, a third, spiral beater spread the load evenly over the wagon’s tracks. These machines could spread between five and 20 loads of manure over each acre.[11]
[edit] Features/How it Works/Types
In general, most modern spreaders are small, ground-driven models, or larger, tractor powered machines.[12] On ground-driven spreaders, manure, compost, or fertilizer is spread only with the machine’s forward movement; the rate at which it is spread depends on the speed of travel. The unloading and distribution mechanisms on these implements are powered by rear wheels. The rate of spread on PTO-driven and hydraulic spreaders does not depend on the speed of travel. Today, there are three main types of spreaders: box, flail, and closed-tank.
[edit] Box Spreaders
Box spreaders are either ground-driven or PTO-powered, with larger PTO-powered models often being truck mounted.[13]
These machines are used to transport and spread manure bound by a high enough bedding content that it can be piled into a heap. These spreaders can be used for semi-sold material, but a solid endgate must then be mounted in front of the beaters during transportation to obstruct the manure from flowing out under them.
These implements comprise between one and three beaters to which the manure is transported. A conveyor chain at the bottom of the box most often carries out this process, but may also be accomplished using a hydraulic pushing board or a piston. Three-beater models include two opposed-action cylinders fitted with spiked teeth to shred and tear the manure. Once the manure has been shredded, the cylinders throw the manure onto a third beater that flings it backward and to the sides, making a swath six meters wide. These powerful spreaders are most effective when the manure to be spread contains a large amount of bedding.
Though front-unloading box-type spreaders have been developed, they are not widely used—models that unload from the rear are most commonly employed. Smaller PTO spreaders utilize between 10 and 14 PTO horsepower for unloading on average, though the initial stages of unloading may use up to 45 horsepower. Larger models use between 15 and 20 PTO horsepower for unloading.[14]
[edit] Flail Spreaders
These spreaders, all PTO-driven, are most effectively used with semi-sold material (containing little bedding). Flail spreaders comprise a cylindrical tank with a powered shaft mounted along the cylinder’s horizontal centerline. The shaft is outfitted with chains that fling manure from a side opening. Flail spreaders of equal capacity to box-type spreaders require more power (approximately 15 to 47, though sometimes peaking as high as 80, PTO horsepower for unloading).[15]
[edit] Closed-tank Spreaders
Closed-tank type spreaders are used to transport and spread liquid manure. The tanks on these spreaders, usually cylindrical, though sometimes rectangular, are pumped full of liquid matter. The material is then released using gravity, air pressure, or pumps, to spread a 33- to 39-foot (10 to 12 m) strip. Conversely, liquid manure can be released from the tank through injection shoes.
Closed-tank spreaders, with capacities ranging from 793 to 5,283 gallons (3,000 to 20,000 L),[16] are mounted on large flotation tires. A large tractor must control units moving on irregular terrain.
[edit] Common Manufacturers
[edit] References
- ↑ Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers. Equipment Valuation Assistant. Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers Incorporated: 2004.
- ↑ Campbell, Joseph K. Dibble Sticks, Donkeys, and Diesels. International Rice Research Institute: 1989.
- ↑ Barlow, Ronald Stokes. 300 Years of Farm Implements and Machinery: 1630-1930. Krause Publications: 2003.
- ↑ Barlow, Ronald Stokes. 300 Years of Farm Implements and Machinery: 1630-1930. Krause Publications: 2003.
- ↑ Partridge, Michael. Farm Tools Through the Ages. Osprey Publishing Limited: 1973.
- ↑ Barlow, Ronald Stokes. 300 Years of Farm Implements and Machinery: 1630-1930. Krause Publications: 2003.
- ↑ Barlow, Ronald Stokes. 300 Years of Farm Implements and Machinery: 1630-1930. Krause Publications: 2003.
- ↑ Davidson, J. Brownlee and Chase, Leon Wilson. Farm Machinery: Practical Hints for Handy-Men. Globe Pequot: 1999.
- ↑ Barlow, Ronald Stokes. 300 Years of Farm Implements and Machinery: 1630-1930. Krause Publications: 2003.
- ↑ Davidson, J. Brownlee and Chase, Leon Wilson. Farm Machinery: Practical Hints for Handy-Men. Globe Pequot: 1999.
- ↑ Barlow, Ronald Stokes. 300 Years of Farm Implements and Machinery: 1630-1930. Krause Publications: 2003.
- ↑ Kubik, Rick. How to Use Implements on Your Small-scale Farm. MBI Publishing Company: 2005.
- ↑ Campbell, Joseph K. Dibble Sticks, Donkeys, and Diesels. International Rice Research Institute: 1989
- ↑ Campbell, Joseph K. Dibble Sticks, Donkeys, and Diesels. International Rice Research Institute: 1989.
- ↑ Campbell, Joseph K. Dibble Sticks, Donkeys, and Diesels. International Rice Research Institute: 1989.
- ↑ Campbell, Joseph K. Dibble Sticks, Donkeys, and Diesels. International Rice Research Institute: 1989.
