Fertilizer hopper?

[rswyan]

I've come to believe that the plastic collection bin is an integral part of the suction power, and a unperforated plastic bucket seems the best I can do producing enough suction with that older shop vac.

Yeah I’m sure it is … any leakage at the plate and the vac head would reduce suction.

 

[workinonit]

How much fertilizer do you use? We talking tons or a few hundred pounds?

 

[jjeff]

How much fertilizer do you use? We talking tons or a few hundred pounds?

Figuring a ton of nitrogen in the form of granular urea will last three years spread on sweet corn and evergreens, and a ton of potassium in the form of granular potash should last 3-5 yrs depending on how many new evergreens I plant and how often it needs to be put on existing newer trees (which is what I'm solely using potassium for) I'll know more when these bags are empty and subsequent soil tests. fortunately im only dealing with 10 acres of farmable land. Anyways I've said previously 50lb bags are outrageously priced imo if I can buy a ton at a fraction what a 50 lb bag costs lb per lb comparison I'll figure out a small scale affordable and convenient way to load for usage in spreaders.

 

[jjeff]

I get a sense of stupid bragging accomplishment when a backwoods hack works like I want it to. My somewhat repurposing of a 20+ yr old shop vac and empty 5 gallon buckets filling a small pull behind spreader I'll still use mini x on filling a 800+ lb cap three point though, works great on my small scale hobby and is quicker and makes a lot less of a mess than shoveling fertilizer out of one ton bags. Any ideas on a somewhat mechanical side dresser using old lawn tractors?

 

[CliffordK]

I've seen used large pull behind fertilizer spreaders sell for fire sale prices in the past. One could convert one to work as a hopper trailer that could carry a ton of fertilizer. Change the outfeed to a small auger.

Unless there are severe issues with access, I'm not sure I'd purchase more fertilizer than I'd use in a year. I believe the stuff is very hygroscopic, and will chew through any metal it is in contact with. Which is one of the reasons you can sometimes pick up used spreaders cheaply.

 

[jjeff]

Good point, if I go with steel probably use smaller hoppers fill seasonally from one ton bags. I wonder how much life I'll get out of a old shop vac I'm currently using? Yeah fertilizer, either potassium or nitrogen is corrosive left a little on my hydro top link and it started pitting and corroding the ss ram arm. Lots of ideas to ponder wish I had more skills and I could do to plastics what I can do with steel.

 

[CliffordK]

There seem to be a few types of liquid totes that appear for sale or at auctions.

Thin wall with metal cage.
Heavy wall, and no cage.
Stainless Steel.

They hold somewhere around 300 gallons of liquid. 8 pounds to a gallon, and you're close to a ton.

You could cut the top off and either build a custom lid for it, or find a new way to attach the original lid. Perhaps make a trim piece that went around the lid, and fit over the side of the tote.

Making an outfeed for solid product might be tricky, although you'd only need to get most of it out before refilling.

You've talked about your shop vacs. Could you take a blower and venturi and create a transfer pump without making too big of a mess? Collect in something like a dust system bag?

 

[jjeff]

Fortunately I found a free thin walled 300 gallon liquid tote on the roadside a few yrs back spent a few hrs cleaning it out. Was going to use it as an irrigation device of some sort but changed my ideas and it's just sitting around doing nothing so good idea, plus I have enough repurposed steel and might even use repurposed wood to elevate it and build some sort of cage around it so the sides don't blow out as my 1st prototype I'll look or buy a second one if first backwoods hopper hack is successful lol. Repurposed a shop vac with bottom cut out over 5 gal buckets as a stopgap means to fill my small pull behind spreader without shoveling and it works better than I ever expected. Thanks for the insightful ideas.