Long distance slurry pumping

Chimera

Member
Location
North Wales
Currently spend quite a bit on pumping:poop::poop::poop::poop::poop:, particularly double pumping up to 3500m. would average out at probably 2000+m of pipe. What would be the best options for single pumping as far as we can?
go to bigger pipes? thinking maybe 800-1000m of 6" then about the same of 5" before dropping to 4". Engine driven set with maybe 200hp?, which pump would be best? would a Bauer go further than a Doda?
Lots of questions I Know!

fairy average runny slurry, 500 dairy cows with all parlour washings in.
Also as an aside what are people paying for pumping, per hr or cube?

TIA
 

mtx.jag

Member
Location
pembs
Are you on the flat or hills to go up and down? With 5” we can pump 1800m with one pump on hilly ground with tidy slurry. We normally pump 2000m plus and use a booster pump.Bigger pipes with a HD35 will help,but you won’t pump 3500m with one pump and have a decent output @Speedstar any thoughts?
 

Speedstar

Member
Location
Scottish Borders
Are you on the flat or hills to go up and down? With 5” we can pump 1800m with one pump on hilly ground with tidy slurry. We normally pump 2000m plus and use a booster pump.Bigger pipes with a HD35 will help,but you won’t pump 3500m with one pump and have a decent output @Speedstar any thoughts?
We can pump 4000 meters on a down hill pump with 6" hose, & our cornell pump unit but it has to be good thin slurry , but as mtx.jag says most of the time we would run a booster pump , big hose helps a lot but every thing has its limit .
 

Chimera

Member
Location
North Wales
Thanks, just trying to see what we could get away with. Using boosters now, but if we're going to do it ourselves, would like to spec a system that could do 2000-2500 if possible, and if not berserk expensive!
We're not hilly, but go down, and back up to about the same level.
 

Speedstar

Member
Location
Scottish Borders
having the extra pumps in helps take the pressure off the pipes. Especially when pumping uphill. Less likely to do damage and have bursts..
@RAF
We found this very interesting , pumping up hill with 6" hose a press gauge at the lead pump which was 800 ft above sea level then it when down to 200ft then up to 1100ft with step hill to climb & 4000 meters of hose out & the pressure was the same at the lead pump as it was at the low point then up to the second pump which was at 1000ft , it was 14 bar pressure all the way until it got passed the second pump then it dropped off as the land was all most flat at the top of the hill
 

Chimera

Member
Location
North Wales
So, do you reckon would 1000m of 6" and 1000m of 5" get us up to maybe 2500m? Or am I asking too much with a standard pump? Days of double pumping are what I'm trying to get away from
 

rusty

Member
I have 800m of underground 6” pipe and then 1000m of 4” layflat. I only have a Doda L35 and can manage about 75-80m3 hr with 100ft rise on furthest pumps. On some close to home where we don’t use the underground pipe , with 1000m of 4” layflat and pumping on the level we would be around 95-100m3 hr so I don’t think we loose much output with the 6” underground main.
I guess the further you could go with 6” before you drop down in size the more likely it is to work.
 

mtx.jag

Member
Location
pembs
I have 800m of underground 6” pipe and then 1000m of 4” layflat. I only have a Doda L35 and can manage about 75-80m3 hr with 100ft rise on furthest pumps. On some close to home where we don’t use the underground pipe , with 1000m of 4” layflat and pumping on the level we would be around 95-100m3 hr so I don’t think we loose much output with the 6” underground main.
I guess the further you could go with 6” before you drop down in size the more likely it is to work.
The only problem dropping flow to 80m3 is the speed your spreading and how much deisel your burning to not spread a massive volume . If you had a 9m dribble bar and wanted 4000 gallon an ac on then your down to 2kph spreading speed
 

Mc115reed

Member
Livestock Farmer
Thanks, just trying to see what we could get away with. Using boosters now, but if we're going to do it ourselves, would like to spec a system that could do 2000-2500 if possible, and if not berserk expensive!
We're not hilly, but go down, and back up to about the same level.
Your talking about thousands of metres of 6inch and 5inch pipe… the words not and expensive don’t go together in that sentence … at a rough guess your gonna be close too 40k in pipe alone to be at 2000m
 

rusty

Member
I have 800m of underground 6” pipe and then 1000m of 4” layflat. I only have a Doda L35 and can manage about 75-80m3 hr with 100ft rise on furthest pumps. On some close to home where we don’t use the underground pipe , with 1000m of 4” layflat and pumping on the level we would be around 95-100m3 hr so I don’t think we loose much output with the 6” underground main.

The only problem dropping flow to 80m3 is the speed your spreading and how much deisel your burning to not spread a massive volume . If you had a 9m dribble bar and wanted 4000 gallon an ac on then your down to 2kph spreading speed
For me its not much of an issue as I only have one 30 acre field to do at this speed and we only put on 30m3/acre. its still a lot faster than using the tanker! For the last 8 acres of the field I can drop a 200m pipe of and then get 85m3/ hr +
 

Mc115reed

Member
Livestock Farmer
40k for pumping last year though
Don’t forget running costs, that’s purely start up costs just for the pipe! … price of diesel, tractor depreciation, 2 men’s wages, reelers, pump, compressor, sponges, and then because you don’t know what your doing there will be a lot of f**k ups along the way that will be costly too…
 

Chimera

Member
Location
North Wales
But put your time,depreciation in tractor,a pump will be £10k,reeler,£10k and compressor etc. nearly cheaper to have a contractor
Don’t forget running costs, that’s purely start up costs just for the pipe! … price of diesel, tractor depreciation, 2 men’s wages, reelers, pump, compressor, sponges, and then because you don’t know what your doing there will be a lot of f**k ups along the way that will be costly too…
Oh, I'm quite aware it's probably a zero sum outcome! But if you could set up with an engine set, pipes, comressor etc for say 80k, over 5 years would it pay? Probably not, probably just as well stick to picking up the phone!
 

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