Feed Wagons

[rc mx110]

Was watching farmer where we're at today loading his brand new mixer wagon, being powered with a 10 year old john deere, loaded with a 4 year old JCB tm 110s with his brand new shear grab on the front and i can't help but wonder, does it actually make that much money back?

I'm trying not trying to cause any arguments i'm just genuinely asking? at home we feed in ring feeders and the cows have an outer parlor feeder, takes dad all of 15 mins either end of the day to feed up and that is it done, and he can program his outer parlor feeder to give best milker more cake.

This mixer job he does 4 separate feeds just for milk cows a day, in each mix he puts silage, straw, presumably maize, molasses of some sort and several different types of cake. So what i'm saying is does feeding your cows with all these treats produce so much more milk then dad relatively low input method?

please don't start arguing or shoot me down its only a question

Your dad is doing it correctly

 

[jim bob]

Nowadays I fed my cows in less than 5 mins/day with a hammer! Got a 20 yr old hi spec wagon for sale if anybody is interested

 

[Irish NZ]

I was going to put a trend in the machinery section as to why I these are not more popular in the uk. Simple doesn't require a big tractor. Only takes 1 tractor to fill and feed. Got weigh cells. Feeding any type of feed and if you fill it in layers it will mix the feed surprisingly well.

As I see it 75-80% of people with mixer are just falling for the sales pitch and need something feed silage with.

Of the remaining 20%. 15% use them to their full potential adjusting mixes accordingly etc etc.

The last 5% are the really really big indoor all years round dairy and beef guys with monster wagons on huge tractors. Which is just silly.

What seems more logical in my mind to have a static mixer with a large donkey motor or electric motor (we're also being told they are more efficient) with a smaller tractor(80hp for example) and feed wagon in the top pic. Going from group to group feeding. Where else do you see a large mixing plant going moving about from place to place? Is bigger always better maybe a change in mindset is a better plan?

Right I'm off to find my tiny hat.....

 

[early riser]

I feed shear grab silage and wholecrop in ring feeders topped up with parlour cake.

Doing 8,000litres sold/cow off 1.75t cake. 8month grazing season. MFF 4100litres and rising. I have a 100hp loader tractor with shear grab on front and maxi-scrape on the back.

Compare this to my friend down the road.

Similar cow type, similar farm.

140hp tractor, JF Stoll 18cube wagon, new Loadall to fill it and a 6 bay straights shed for all the ingredients.

And cow performance?

8100litres from 2.6t conc

I'll leave it up to you to guess which system is more profitable.

 

[Beef farmer]

View attachment 293968
I was going to put a trend in the machinery section as to why I these are not more popular in the uk. Simple doesn't require a big tractor. Only takes 1 tractor to fill and feed. Got weigh cells. Feeding any type of feed and if you fill it in layers it will mix the feed surprisingly well.

As I see it 75-80% of people with mixer are just falling for the sales pitch and need something feed silage with.

Of the remaining 20%. 15% use them to their full potential adjusting mixes accordingly etc etc.

The last 5% are the really really big indoor all years round dairy and beef guys with monster wagons on huge tractors. Which is just silly.




View attachment 293974What seems more logical in my mind to have a static mixer with a large donkey motor or electric motor (we're also being told they are more efficient) with a smaller tractor(80hp for example) and feed wagon in the top pic. Going from group to group feeding. Where else do you see a large mixing plant going moving about from place to place? Is bigger always better maybe a change in mindset is a better plan?

Right I'm off to find my tiny hat.....

We wanted a machine as in your 1st pic, looking at an sr holland and parking the mixer up. Feed a lot more animals per load, and as you say just layer in.

 

[Beef farmer]

I feed shear grab silage and wholecrop in ring feeders topped up with parlour cake.

Doing 8,000litres sold/cow off 1.75t cake. 8month grazing season. MFF 4100litres and rising. I have a 100hp loader tractor with shear grab on front and maxi-scrape on the back.

Compare this to my friend down the road.

Similar cow type, similar farm.

140hp tractor, JF Stoll 18cube wagon, new Loadall to fill it and a 6 bay straights shed for all the ingredients.

And cow performance?

8100litres from 2.6t conc

I'll leave it up to you to guess which system is more profitable.

Can't believe you have a 100hp scrapper tractor!

 

[early riser]

We wanted a machine as in your 1st pic, looking at an sr holland and parking the mixer up. Feed a lot more animals per load, and as you say just layer in.

know several people who have gone back to Foster forage box and put weigh cells on the loader.

A lot of people only have mixer wagons to basically feed silage in a straight line down a barrier. You don't need to spend £25k to feed silage in a straight line

 

[kp_n_plghng]

View attachment 293968
I was going to put a trend in the machinery section as to why I these are not more popular in the uk. Simple doesn't require a big tractor. Only takes 1 tractor to fill and feed. Got weigh cells. Feeding any type of feed and if you fill it in layers it will mix the feed surprisingly well.

As I see it 75-80% of people with mixer are just falling for the sales pitch and need something feed silage with.

Of the remaining 20%. 15% use them to their full potential adjusting mixes accordingly etc etc.

The last 5% are the really really big indoor all years round dairy and beef guys with monster wagons on huge tractors. Which is just silly.

View attachment 293974What seems more logical in my mind to have a static mixer with a large donkey motor or electric motor (we're also being told they are more efficient) with a smaller tractor(80hp for example) and feed wagon in the top pic. Going from group to group feeding. Where else do you see a large mixing plant going moving about from place to place? Is bigger always better maybe a change in mindset is a better plan?

Right I'm off to find my tiny hat.....

Many big setups are mixed operations so have arable alongside. Why mess about with a 80hp tractor that can do sod all else. You need a big wagon so you can do the job in one go, no messing about get all the feeding done quickly. Might only be milking 200 but if the beef is run alongside could be another 400 mouths to feed. Also can be distance between silage clamp and animals I mean you don't want to be to and fro all morning do you.

 

[PREES]

@early riser - How long does it take you to feed every day & how many cows do you have?

 

[early riser]

Can't believe you have a 100hp scrapper tractor!

Saves buying and maintaining another machine.

Scraper on A frame so can just drop it off to hook onto bale trailers etc

 

[early riser]

@early riser - How long does it take you to feed every day & how many cows do you have?

Approx 35mins to feed 120 milkers.

Would be less if pit was closer to feeding shed

 

[thewalrus]

Wagons obviously have many benefits , just think with about 130 cows I'd be a long time waiting for it to pay....
If you've a big herd and plenty of labour about, probably a worth while investment though

 

[manfromhill]

know several people who have gone back to Foster forage box and put weigh cells on the loader.

A lot of people only have mixer wagons to basically feed silage in a straight line down a barrier. You don't need to spend £25k to feed silage in a straight line

What price is a foster or sr box now for 12 cu is it that much less

 

[Irish NZ]

Many big setups are mixed operations so have arable alongside. Why mess about with a 80hp tractor that can do sod all else. You need a big wagon so you can do the job in one go, no messing about get all the feeding done quickly. Might only be milking 200 but if the beef is run alongside could be another 400 mouths to feed. Also can be distance between silage clamp and animals I mean you don't want to be to and fro all morning do you.

Any 1000+cow set up I've been on there has been a tractor devoted to the mixer wagon. Usually a big expensive one that total over kill. The other thing is that on those big units they have multiple group on different diets, highs lows dries transition cow so it's not a case of filling the biggest wagon they can find with all the feeds and feeding everything in 1 go.

My suggestion would be to have a static mixer placed near all the silage stacks and feeds shed for instance with a loader filling it eliminating the need for a 100k tractor clocking up hours as it sits mixing for hours...

The small 80hp tractor would have the wagon (forage box) which would be filled from the static mixer and while that's feeding a group (let's for the purpose of exercise say the dries) the next load is already being mix for the (let's say transition cows)

This system is common overseas etc. Don't forget there is a lot of cock waving going on with look how big my wagon is (see the pic I put up in my first post)

Oh and I've heard a few stories of these monster wagons breaking gang slats and needing a few big loaders to lift them out or in 1 case I read a crane was required...

 

[Irish NZ]

We wanted a machine as in your 1st pic, looking at an sr holland and parking the mixer up. Feed a lot more animals per load, and as you say just layer in.

They are awesome. Simple and effective

Edit; that pic is of my wagon.

 

[kp_n_plghng]

Any 1000+cow set up I've been on there has been a tractor devoted to the mixer wagon. Usually a big expensive one that total over kill. The other thing is that on those big units they have multiple group on different diets, highs lows dries transition cow so it's not a case of filling the biggest wagon they can find with all the feeds and feeding everything in 1 go.

My suggestion would be to have a static mixer placed near all the silage stacks and feeds shed for instance with a loader filling it eliminating the need for a 100k tractor clocking up hours as it sits mixing for hours...

The small 80hp tractor would have the wagon (forage box) which would be filled from the static mixer and while that's feeding a group (let's for the purpose of exercise say the dries) the next load is already being mix for the (let's say transition cows)

This system is common overseas etc. Don't forget there is a lot of cock waving going on with look how big my wagon is (see the pic I put up in my first post)

Oh and I've heard a few stories of these monster wagons breaking gang slats and needing a few big loaders to lift them out or in 1 case I read a crane was required...

Well I suppose it makes sense that you would know what's best for all farms. I think the points I make are valid.

Its not worth buying a small tractor so you can park a big one up. Just don't get where your coming from.
These big units need the big tractor for ploughing, power harrowing, dung spreading, subsoiling etc. Anyone who puts 200hp on a feeder wagon but does nothing else with it need would be pretty nuts can't say i've seen that yet I imagine there few and far between.

 

[Irish NZ]

Well I suppose it makes sense that you would know what's best for all farms. I think the points I make are valid.

Its not worth buying a small tractor so you can park a big one up. Just don't get where your coming from.
These big units need the big tractor for ploughing, power harrowing, dung spreading, subsoiling etc. Anyone who puts 200hp on a feeder wagon but does nothing else with it need would be pretty nuts can't say i've seen that yet I imagine there few and far between.

Like talking to a wall.....

 

[Fraserb]

We have a nh 7.185 on the feeder, it comes off the feeder to bruise, chop straw, spread muck and haul silage, its plenty of power on the wagon but you need a bit of weight to haul it a out especially in winter

 

[Clay52]

Well I suppose it makes sense that you would know what's best for all farms. I think the points I make are valid.

Its not worth buying a small tractor so you can park a big one up. Just don't get where your coming from.
These big units need the big tractor for ploughing, power harrowing, dung spreading, subsoiling etc. Anyone who puts 200hp on a feeder wagon but does nothing else with it need would be pretty nuts can't say i've seen that yet I imagine there few and far between.

Yep. I'm guessing most farms that get to 1000+ cows have some sort of a handle to what works on their farm otherwise they couldn't have got to that stage.

 

[kp_n_plghng]

Like talking to a wall.....

A wall doesn't reply. I hear what your saying but all your doing is insulting peoples intelligence. I also think you over estimate the time it takes to mix a load of silage. Ingredients loaded in the correct order for the wagon take just minutes. By the time its loaded it will be 90% mixed.