Moving on from a rotor spreader?

[redsloe]

I'm in a similar position. My spreader has seen better days, but it's not been used this year at all. For the last few years it's all been tipped out field and last week a contractor and two sodding great spreaders came and spread the last year's worth (about 1000 ton) in a short day. I loaded and I guess it's going to cost me 800 quid.
No messing about jumping in and out of tractors for 3 days.
Not much slurry though.

 

[aled1590]

I have a west 1300 bought new in 2003 and still going strong, I put a 12” extension round the top to hold more. It does struggle with strawy stuff but all in all it’s a great machine for rotted and wet stuff. I have 135hp in front and it’s ok, we also have very steep slopes on the farm and I do tend to overload it most of the time. I get contractor in with rear discharge when I want to plaster maize/barley ground with strawy muck carried out over winter. Probably next machine will be west 1600 or shelbourne.
p.s we updated from a rotor and there’s no comparison

 

[Chae1]

One of the biggest farmers in Aberdeenshire still runs a fleet of rotor spreaders!

Finishes thousands of cattle every year. He says he likes them cause there simple, cheap to maintain and he can put anyone on them.

We get contractors in with rear discharge spreaders. Normally come with 2 so get a fair bit done in a day.

 

[farmerdan7618]

Thanks for the replies. I’ve hired in a rear discharge before, very impressive and definitely cheaper than having my own machine, But it is a big machine, I’ve got a lot of steep ground which I wouldn’t dare take a fully loaded rear discharge on. If the grounds a bit soft even the rotor spreader can be interesting at times. It might be better on a bigger tractor but I’ve got 120hp available. A west dual 1300 looks fairly compact or shelbourne Reynolds?

At the moment I can make the time to go and spread the dung, if in the future I find my time better spent elsewhere I would look at contractors. If I did that now it would just be another invoice to pay that could’ve been avoided. Not to mention I enjoy the job!

If the ground is that steep, stick with a rotor spreader. Generally a lower centre of gravity and hills would be less of an issue. Marshall 85 on wide tyres should be easy to find on a budget.

Hire the rear discharge for the flat bits when there is a lot to do.

 

[Cowabunga]

Rotaspreader is simple and cheap to buy, but slow and inefficient to use. I upgraded when mine finally failed, to having a contractor in.
He's been spreading this week. Two big K2 rear discharge spreaders holding 10 to 12 tons a load, plus a JCB loading shovel with three drivers, flat out for two long days. It would have taken me at least 10 days with my single rotaspreader and there aren't ten consecutive days when the ground is dry enough not to make a heck of a mess, both in the field or on the road at this time of year.
The quality of spread is also far more consistent, with minimal lumps or lines, compared to other spreader types.

While they were spreading muck, we got on with the more important job of drying cows off and bringing near to calve cows home, and yesterday spread a whole lot more slurry using my two tankers.

Some jobs are just better left to people with the specialist equipment and manpower to get on with it and let regular labour get on with the important stuff upon which primary income depends.

I'll finish with my usual caveat, that every farm business and circumstance is different; so what suits me may not suit others.

 

[Cowabunga]

I should say that if a rotaspreader can cross steep land, just about anything can. Rotaspreaders are notorious for slipping sideways and for not having brakes.

 

[Sid]

Rotaspreader is simple and cheap to buy, but slow and inefficient to use. I upgraded when mine finally failed, to having a contractor in.
He's been spreading this week. Two big K2 rear discharge spreaders holding 10 to 12 tons a load, plus a JCB loading shovel with three drivers, flat out for two long days. It would have taken me at least 10 days with my single rotaspreader and there aren't ten consecutive days when the ground is dry enough not to make a heck of a mess, both in the field or on the road at this time of year.
The quality of spread is also far more consistent, with minimal lumps or lines, compared to other spreader types.

While they were spreading muck, we got on with the more important job of drying cows off and bringing near to calve cows home, and yesterday spread a whole lot more slurry using my two tankers.

Some jobs are just better left to people with the specialist equipment and manpower to get on with it and let regular labour get on with the important stuff upon which primary income depends.

I'll finish with my usual caveat, that every farm business and circumstance is different; so what suits me may not suit others.

I have had Ktwos here and their spread pattern is most definitely not the same as the shelborne. Left lumps and clumps.

It does depend on muck type.

Big spreaders are only needed for longer hauls.
Much prefer to heap in field, compost and then spread, smaller spreader smaller footprint

 

[Cowabunga]

I have had Ktwos here and their spread pattern is most definitely not the same as the shelborne. Left lumps and clumps.

It does depend on muck type.

Big spreaders are only needed for longer hauls.
Much prefer to heap in field, compost and then spread, smaller spreader smaller footprint

The longest this pair hauled was 1km. They kept the loader busy.
If the haul was more like 5kms then a third spreader would have been required to keep up a similar work-rate.

Muck well composted but some slimy stuff that would be hell to start spreading in a rotaspreader. I have no truck with those side discharge machines myself. I've not seen one yet that doesn't leave lines.

 

[hally]

We have plenty steep land and have a bunning 75 but we don’t fully open the door when crossing land as it looks unstable with the bloody big door in the air ( whether it is is another matter ) but its a different output to the previous rotaspreader. It’s 16 years old and was bought for 8k at a farm sale 12 years ago but is probably getting ready for a change but sums don’t add up for a new one maybe find another second hand some day.
The only issues we have had is that it is heavy on wet land and hiring is not simple due to weather windows around here. Mechanically it’s never been touched until this year when we discovered the back door was seized in place as it was never used last winter ( the few frosts we got were used for slurry) so it cost me £800 for the local engineer to cut out and replace the full black door

 

[Red Fred]

I should say that if a rotaspreader can cross steep land, just about anything can. Rotaspreaders are notorious for slipping sideways and for not having brakes.

My worst brown trouser moment involved a rotospreader and a Ford 6700 on the Wiltshire Downs. Overnight rain left the surface slippery and I nearly ended up going over the edge with a jacknifed spreader. Luckily there was a thorn bush in the way that stopped me before I went over the edge.

 

[startinghandle]

We used to have major rotaspreader
(Not farming anymore) and all flat , that machine took very little driving and I used to pile on as much as I could with matbro

 

[startinghandle]

I should add that it spead good keeping the tractor at full throttle

 

[fiat 9090]

Thanks for the replies. I’ve hired in a rear discharge before, very impressive and definitely cheaper than having my own machine, But it is a big machine, I’ve got a lot of steep ground which I wouldn’t dare take a fully loaded rear discharge on. If the grounds a bit soft even the rotor spreader can be interesting at times. It might be better on a bigger tractor but I’ve got 120hp available. A west dual 1300 looks fairly compact or shelbourne Reynolds?

At the moment I can make the time to go and spread the dung, if in the future I find my time better spent elsewhere I would look at contractors. If I did that now it would just be another invoice to pay that could’ve been avoided. Not to mention I enjoy the job!

another question ,how much dung do you have ,do you spread at different times,we like to spread a field thats grazed and maybe not spread again until we have another field grazed,and lastly how much have you to spend,you would get a real good side spreader 9 cm for 4000

 

[ColinV6]

It's a investment to cant say you do 120days with it then it's scrap it still has a value. I also don't want to spread all my years muck in two days can't do with all the ground covered

Absolutely this. We scrapped our old rotten Rotary this year and bought a new RW rear discharge, 9.5 tonne machine. It’s so nice to work with compared to a rotary. Can’t half shift some muck in a day with it. Plus it’s there when you need it.

Hiring is cheap but your paying for the full time you have it, no stopping for an hour for lunch and stopping at 5pm, also you can bet the day your on muck there will be an emergency like a cow calving or the vet in, and your off it for another hour or 2.

I can take 3 relaxed days to spread ours now and there’s no panic.

 

[startinghandle]

Who is responsible for breakdowns with hired in machine?

 

[Renaultman]

This.

For £120 a day it does make you wonder if it's worth buying them. For rotted muck and semi solids it's great.

There's no denying that you can't run a spreader for the price of hiring one but I still bought my own.
I bought a Roland disc spreader as I need to be able to spread gypsum and poultry muck, I was also supposed to be getting compost but that fell through.
It's just finished it's 3rd season.
It cost me £9000.
We have had to change a gear box and disc £2400 I redesigned the bed chains so the runners are floating similar to Bunnings cost including labour probably about £1000.00
All of this in the first 2 seasons.
This season it hasn't cost anything.
TBH it doesn't like straight gypsum and we try to blend with fym if possible but not with poultry.
There are bonuses though.
it is is sat there ready to go whenever I want it.
i can apply something to every acre an often incorporate within 24hrs (RB 209 ✓)
I don't have to worry about it raining on spreader hire days or them not being available when I need them.
so basically I am happy but probably slightly worse off.

 

[Northeastfarmer]

I still wake up in cold sweats now from when I was younger and we only had rotor spreaders to use....the most horrible piece of equipment I’ve ever used....have a bunning now and wouldn’t dream of going back

 

[Nearly]

@snipe

 

[puppet]

I still wake up in cold sweats now from when I was younger and we only had rotor spreaders to use....the most horrible piece of equipment I’ve ever used....have a bunning now and wouldn’t dream of going back

Try cutting a triangular field with a reaper or row up hay with an acrobat.
Rotaspreader is fine for medium farms. 4 grease points and allows you to spread some muck when time allows rather than have to hire in a machine and have one long day.
Depends how much muck and time you have

 

[Renaultman]

Try cutting a triangular field with a reaper or row up hay with an acrobat.
Rotaspreader is fine for medium farms. 4 grease points and allows you to spread some muck when time allows rather than have to hire in a machine and have one long day.
Depends how much muck and time you have

Forget rowing up with an acrobat, try baling hay with an IH baler when said acrobat has turned the swath into a field length rope.