Dadnatron
Veteran Member
We have a horse farm, and mucking stalls has become an issue which will only get bigger.
I have a compost pile about 1/2M away from the barn. I have to haul the 'muck' that distance every day. Its not a big deal, but I don't have a good system of getting it there.
We have been simply using the bucket on my tractor, which has worked 'OK' however, the volume of muck is going to get much bigger over the next few months and I need to find a better alternative.
The muck is primarily wheat straw with a little horse crap and urine. It is extremely bulky but is very light. I need a long term fix for hauling it from the barn to the compost pile. It needs to be 'easy' to deal with, so basically something that is easy to or hydraulically dumps is highly prized in this system. Especially since my wife is the primary 'mucker'.
Given the contents are corrosive, I'd prefer to keep this in mind in materials. We don't leave the muck in it for long, but if this is going to be used daily for years to come and I'm NOT washing it out every day, the corrosive nature of horse waste will likely be an issue at some point. Therefore, stainless steel, aluminum, or poly might be best, although not absolute.
I'd like something which can be easily hauled by a side by side. I don't have one yet, but I'll be getting one at some point, and this need would be a primary reason in determining which to get. Therefore, I'd like to keep the trailer as 'light' as possible. BUT, herein lies the rough... I need a large VOLUME but a low WEIGHT trailer. I think a 5x8 dump trailer would be fine for volume, but the lightest one I've found weighs around 1500lbs empty. I need something that will haul about 3-5cu yd which weighs less than 200lbs.
I've thought about some of the UTV trailers, which would work well... but not on volume. They would be great... but I need a bigger one. The POLAR 1500TA would be fantastic, but it doesn't have the volume necessary for fluffy, flighty straw. Even with the optional side rails, I don't think it would work. It is a manual dump, but I think it would still likely work... if it had a bigger capacity. And the fix isn't to just make bigger side racks, because I still have to be able to easily get the muck in the trailer. Dumping a muck bucket isn't difficult, but the trailer still has to hold about 5-10 of these buckets and have access to dumping them into the trailer to begin with. This also means the trailer needs to be relatively low to the ground. There are some farm wagons, which would work great, but besides being 'too big' for the need, the bed is about 3ft off the ground to start with sides going up from there.
My thinking, and I am DEFINITELY open to suggestions, is that I need a low trailer, about 5x8 or something close, made out of poly (preferentially similar to the Polar), aluminum, or stainless steel. In that order of preference. I'd like an electric hydraulic dump. Fold down side racks. Hydraulically controlled lifting tailgate (similar to some manure spreaders), and light enough for a UTV to handle easily.
I've thought about just getting a manure spreader and 'dumping it' via the spreader at the compost pile, but that will spread it all over the place if I don't build some sort of confining structure.
I'm open to suggestions. Lots of counter 'needs vs desires' so I'm hoping one of you has the golden ticket to my conundrum.
I have a compost pile about 1/2M away from the barn. I have to haul the 'muck' that distance every day. Its not a big deal, but I don't have a good system of getting it there.
We have been simply using the bucket on my tractor, which has worked 'OK' however, the volume of muck is going to get much bigger over the next few months and I need to find a better alternative.
The muck is primarily wheat straw with a little horse crap and urine. It is extremely bulky but is very light. I need a long term fix for hauling it from the barn to the compost pile. It needs to be 'easy' to deal with, so basically something that is easy to or hydraulically dumps is highly prized in this system. Especially since my wife is the primary 'mucker'.
Given the contents are corrosive, I'd prefer to keep this in mind in materials. We don't leave the muck in it for long, but if this is going to be used daily for years to come and I'm NOT washing it out every day, the corrosive nature of horse waste will likely be an issue at some point. Therefore, stainless steel, aluminum, or poly might be best, although not absolute.
I'd like something which can be easily hauled by a side by side. I don't have one yet, but I'll be getting one at some point, and this need would be a primary reason in determining which to get. Therefore, I'd like to keep the trailer as 'light' as possible. BUT, herein lies the rough... I need a large VOLUME but a low WEIGHT trailer. I think a 5x8 dump trailer would be fine for volume, but the lightest one I've found weighs around 1500lbs empty. I need something that will haul about 3-5cu yd which weighs less than 200lbs.
I've thought about some of the UTV trailers, which would work well... but not on volume. They would be great... but I need a bigger one. The POLAR 1500TA would be fantastic, but it doesn't have the volume necessary for fluffy, flighty straw. Even with the optional side rails, I don't think it would work. It is a manual dump, but I think it would still likely work... if it had a bigger capacity. And the fix isn't to just make bigger side racks, because I still have to be able to easily get the muck in the trailer. Dumping a muck bucket isn't difficult, but the trailer still has to hold about 5-10 of these buckets and have access to dumping them into the trailer to begin with. This also means the trailer needs to be relatively low to the ground. There are some farm wagons, which would work great, but besides being 'too big' for the need, the bed is about 3ft off the ground to start with sides going up from there.
My thinking, and I am DEFINITELY open to suggestions, is that I need a low trailer, about 5x8 or something close, made out of poly (preferentially similar to the Polar), aluminum, or stainless steel. In that order of preference. I'd like an electric hydraulic dump. Fold down side racks. Hydraulically controlled lifting tailgate (similar to some manure spreaders), and light enough for a UTV to handle easily.
I've thought about just getting a manure spreader and 'dumping it' via the spreader at the compost pile, but that will spread it all over the place if I don't build some sort of confining structure.
I'm open to suggestions. Lots of counter 'needs vs desires' so I'm hoping one of you has the golden ticket to my conundrum.
.
