How much nitrogen fert can I save by using dribble bar?

[Will Blackburn]

If someone is trying to sell you a dribble bar or trailing shoe I'm sure they'll be able to find you a study and a printout that shows it makes a big financial difference that will more than pay for the equipment in short order, and that you'll save a fortune on bagged N and save the planet too.

I've always been a little sceptical as it looks like I would need another 20-30hp and a heavier tractor in front of my tanker to run such a system, as well as a ton or so of extra mass on the back of the tanker itself. At a guess I would be burning 20% more diesel to do the same job.

Spreading is significantly faster though.

 

[pappuller]

Had a dribble bar for 2 yrs on tanker now, try and get 2000 gall on after each cut, we have definitely used less bagged fert but the 2 work very well together.

 

[happycows]

Anyone use any slurry bugs of any description??

just bought this and finished my new lagoon for 3x more storage. Also reseeded 1/3 of the farm.
Not sure what else you can do

 

[happycows]

Had a good read up and spoke to sales advisor on this but not sure I’m entirely convinced

L-CBF BOOST™ - 1000 litre IBC

L-CBF BOOST™ from QLF Agronomy is the No. 1 Liquid Carbon Based Fertiliser and is suitable for use across a wide range of crops.

www.landownerproducts.co.uk

 

[upnortheast]

Had a good read up and spoke to sales advisor on this but not sure I’m entirely convinced

L-CBF BOOST™ - 1000 litre IBC

L-CBF BOOST™ from QLF Agronomy is the No. 1 Liquid Carbon Based Fertiliser and is suitable for use across a wide range of crops.

www.landownerproducts.co.uk

Sounds a bit iffy to me.
See if they will give you 10 gallons for free so you can run your own trial
Tell them your results will be made available on TFF for thousands of other farmers to see ,

 

[O'Reilly]

If you search for trailing shoes on here, it comes up with threads in which a contractor is adamant that trailing shoes are way better, with photographic evidence. For me, the lack of contamination is the biggest draw, and keeping the ea happy.

 

[jerseycowsman]

If you search for trailing shoes on here, it comes up with threads in which a contractor is adamant that trailing shoes are way better, with photographic evidence. For me, the lack of contamination is the biggest draw, and keeping the ea happy.

That’s what I think. There’s no way my cows would graze splash plated slurry grass for at least 6 weeks!
But the trailing shoe putting right down on the ground might work after 3 weeks. Especially at a low rate like 1500 gallon

 

[In the pit]

Injector you could be grazing in 3 days

 

[sidjon]

That’s what I think. There’s no way my cows would graze splash plated slurry grass for at least 6 weeks!
But the trailing shoe putting right down on the ground might work after 3 weeks. Especially at a low rate like 1500 gallon

What residuals are you leaving? We're 1500 and I can't said I've seen any slurry on leaves when we graze, but we're in a high rainfall area, which could be the difference

 

[Sid]

M.bolvis too

Don't mention that or the proof police will be along!

 

[Jdunn55]

That’s what I think. There’s no way my cows would graze splash plated slurry grass for at least 6 weeks!
But the trailing shoe putting right down on the ground might work after 3 weeks. Especially at a low rate like 1500 gallon

Problem I have with a trailing shoe is that they're over £20000

Used one at a previous job, great when going, likes to block up with sand, silage, stones etc and is a pita for unlocking the macerator, also much slower, could spread with a splash plate 1000 times faster
BUT
In the spring we spread one field half with the splash plate and half with the trailing shoe and you could see a line up through the field when it came to harvesting first cut, where the grass had grown MUCH better with the trailing shoe as nitrogen hadn't been lost

 

[happycows]

Problem I have with a trailing shoe is that they're over £20000

Used one at a previous job, great when going, likes to block up with sand, silage, stones etc and is a pita for unlocking the macerator, also much slower, could spread with a splash plate 1000 times faster
BUT
In the spring we spread one field half with the splash plate and half with the trailing shoe and you could see a line up through the field when it came to harvesting first cut, where the grass had grown MUCH better with the trailing shoe as nitrogen hadn't been lost

I’ve used contractor who fitted a dribble bar and macerator in the spring and certainly think it’s a big improvement hence buying my own.

 

[Jdunn55]

I’ve used contractor who fitted a dribble bar and macerator in the spring and certainly think it’s a big improvement hence buying my own.

That's my plan for silage ground but I wont be letting anyone spread on grazing ground as I don't know what disease they'll be bringing with them and spreading with it, want to get my own tanker and trailing shoe one day and then just pay someone to drive it for me, but Rome wasnt built in a day and all that turns out farming is expensive

 

[Conrod96]

I spread over 100 loads with our tanker and dribble bar last week had to reverse it once cleared out the stone trap once day think it’s a great machine wouldn’t be without it now

 

[jerseycowsman]

Problem I have with a trailing shoe is that they're over £20000

Used one at a previous job, great when going, likes to block up with sand, silage, stones etc and is a pita for unlocking the macerator, also much slower, could spread with a splash plate 1000 times faster
BUT
In the spring we spread one field half with the splash plate and half with the trailing shoe and you could see a line up through the field when it came to harvesting first cut, where the grass had grown MUCH better with the trailing shoe as nitrogen hadn't been lost

There’s an Irish company advertising at the top of this thread. I’m pretty sure their trailing shoe kit won’t be £20k

 

[Beef farmer]

That’s what I think. There’s no way my cows would graze splash plated slurry grass for at least 6 weeks!
But the trailing shoe putting right down on the ground might work after 3 weeks. Especially at a low rate like 1500 gallon

I always get shot down for this. But its near impossible to spread 1500 gal acre. People who say they spread low rates like that must have smoother paddocks than us

 

[pappuller]

I always get shot down for this. But its near impossible to spread 1500 gal acre. People who say they spread low rates like that must have smoother paddocks than us

With a tanker/dribble bar we run at 15kph for 2000 gal

 

[Beef farmer]

With a tanker/dribble bar we run at 15kph for 2000 gal

Thats fairly moving away on

 

[Lewis]

Pretty sure @Speedstar has quite often said some benefits over different application and quantity of crop harvested after each.

 

[Tarw Coch]

Really, we're applying 2000 gallons after every grazing (12 applications a year) with splash plate, had dribble bar on our umbilical which now is a splash plate, as it was blocking too regularly and we were seeing grass dieing were the dribble bar was in the same place every application, guess it would be different if your only doing one or 2 applications a year. Our plate meter couldn't see any difference between the two applications either

Further to the don’t tell the series, don’t tell the EA, Max of 7500 gallons per acre in a NVZ