Compost Turner

[Fuzzy]

I'm looking to make one of these for on farm compost making. I'd be interested to know if you have one or have made something to turn materials in a row.

 

[davieh3350]

A 360 with a fork. Turn it over to one side, and once you've finished put on a bucket and go draining with it. Also great for stacking bales in a hay shed.

 

[Horn&corn]

What sort of material? Practical farm ideas had a small machine for turning small material but the proper machines are big, strong and horsepower hungry. Often flail based. I’ve pondered a rotor from an old spreader but our fym heaps are probably 5m wide so that’s not practical.

 

[Pebd99]

Was in with the lad that mixed our paper crumble and muck. Needed all 260 horses even tho paper is sloppy crap at times. There one was out the left side of the tractor, awkward as, and had a driven track at the far side.

Did a very good job of mixing it up. Be sure to check which way the wind is before you set off into a row.

 

[4440]

A rear discharge muck spreader works well.

 

[TripleSix]

Oh my god yes!

 

[Kiwi Pete]

There's one on youtube that is mounted (no wheels) and uses a truck diff. as a gearbox - so it doesn't need to be in a windrow as it can work into the side of a pile.
Beater is similar to the one @TripleSix just posted but the drum is maybe a foot diameter?

I'll hopefully find it later, just got a bit on this morning

 

[Kiwi Pete]

 

[Fruitbat]

I used to run a little offset Sandberger, 200 or 250. It would go on a Kubota compact hydrostatic but most of the time I did the turning with a MF390 so I was in the cab away from all the bits flying about and spores from the compost. Need to turn the windrows fairly frequently early on, then weekly so the heat doesn't build up too much. It made a good product, but change in cropping meant less stuff to compost and then the EA started looking at runoff from the composting site.

 

[Fuzzy]

What sort of material? Practical farm ideas had a small machine for turning small material but the proper machines are big, strong and horsepower hungry. Often flail based. I’ve pondered a rotor from an old spreader but our fym heaps are probably 5m wide so that’s not practical.

This is my issue, i think i need to make something about 5m wide, which means it needs to be trailed.
The current thought is a 300mm x 5m long piece of tube with fixed 'blades' welded to it, mounted in a trailed frame and pto driven through a right angle gearbox from a power harrow (or possibly a lorryaxle/ differential).

A rear discharge muck spreader works well.

I use the muck spreader to transport muck to the heap and then unload. It does a good job but i need to be able to mix the muck with straw and woodchip and anything else that comes along for free. I dont want to keep re loading the spreader as it involves running about mostly in the winter on fields that have been drilled. I will probalby end up with 2 heaps/rows on different parts of the farm so that the compost is ready to spread on the field it is tipped in.

 

[Vincent]

Look up Komptech machines they make industrial compost turners and you will get an idea of what's needed with big rows of compost.

 

[Fuzzy]

 

[stroller]

This is my issue, i think i need to make something about 5m wide, which means it needs to be trailed.
The current thought is a 300mm x 5m long piece of tube with fixed 'blades' welded to it, mounted in a trailed frame and pto driven through a right angle gearbox from a power harrow (or possibly a lorryaxle/ differential).

How will you mount the shaft on bearings and balance it so it doesn't shake itself to pieces?

 

[le bon paysan]

This is my issue, i think i need to make something about 5m wide, which means it needs to be trailed.


Will probably need some sort of drive on the non tractor end.

 

[4440]

I would think an rotovator or bed tiller would give you what you need.

 

[CastleM]

Just wondering if you (@Fuzzy ) kept working on your turner? Considering something similar. Wondering is it as good (and cheaper) to make some sort of a fork to go on the 360 to try and get air into it better than a wide toothed bucket.

 

[Hard Graft]

Just wondering if you (@Fuzzy ) kept working on your turner? Considering something similar. Wondering is it as good (and cheaper) to make some sort of a fork to go on the 360 to try and get air into it better than a wide toothed bucket.

A fork is far better than a bucket as when you put a bucket in to the heap you squeeze the air out off the Poore spaces that are in the dung but using tines it is easier to get air in to the heap as you shake the dung through the forks and they are brilliant on a digger We handel straw and bed sheds with this . It is a pallet fork carriage but use heavy duty bushes as you can not keep the tines tight due to pushing side ways

 

[CastleM]

Thats encouraging, have you any photos? Or techniques for turning? Windrow size etc? We have it tipped in rows roughly 4 ft high and 10 ft wide. Its pretty sloppy. Considering adding straw for carbon and maybe also for more structure to stop it slumping and going anaerobic after we turn.

 

[Hard Graft]

Sounds like you need more straw so bed them on it ps What is it %mc and c to n ratio . and have edited the last post

 

[CastleM]

I must send samples away to get a better ideas of my starting fym alright.
Fork looks good, thank you! Might narrow in my marbro one a bit and then make an adaptor for the 360.
Are heap dimensions important? To big cause tightness with the weight? No air gets to the middle?