Spreader Painting wasteoil on manure spreaders

[RichZ]

Richard, I was waiting for your response. I was thinking along the same lines as Hazmat, because oil never really dries, and I thought it might spew toxins with the manure. I was wondering if you use waste oil, because I know how much you care for your horses, and figured you wouldn't do anything you thought might hurt them.

Years back, I worked in a New York State environemntal chemical analyis laboratory, and we used to find ground and ground water contamination from seemingly innocuous sources. So I thought I better check before I contaminate my land. Originally I thought I'd paint the whole deck with marine polyurethane which dries completely, and couldn't be spread. The thought of the oil in the bed which can be absorbed by the manure does worry me. But all my local farmer friends say it's harmless, so I'm trying to decide what to do!/w3tcompact/icons/crazy.gif

 

[Ozarker]

Just because we always did it doesn't make it a safe practice. It just means we didn't know any better.

If you want to use waste oil, call the nearest fast food place and ask the manager if he will give you the oil out of the deep fryer. The show up at closing time with a 5 gal can he can pump it into.

Strain out the big chunks with an old pair of wife's pantyhose and there you go. An environmentally friendly coating of vegetable oil.

 

[beenthere]

If I had wood in a manure spreader I would coat it real good with waste oil without any guilt or concern for a wee bit of anything that might be in that oil. Likely much less than what was in the fumes that spewed out making that oil dirty in the first place. Also, beats the heck out of applying some chemical plants product called polyurethane, which unless it has a UV absorber, will be expensive and won't protect the wood from breaking down from the sun's rays, causing the polyurethane to peel off. Tree huggers should be concerned for the wood being protected so another tree doesn't have to be cut down to replace the rotted wood. Albeit, the tree is renewable whereas steel is not. But then, tree huggers don't seem to care about that aspect of renewable resources.

Sure burning up a lot of good wood out west. If that lost wood was in a product tying up carbon rather than releasing it into the atmosphere, we'd be a lot better off too.

 

[cowboydoc]

To be honest with you Rich you probably are going to drop 100x the oil, grease, fuel, etc. in the field with your tractor and equipment than that oil in the bed of your manure spreader will ever put out. Don't sweat the small stuff my friend.

I put mine on in the summer when I'm not using the spreader much. I put it on and let it sit for a week or so before I use it. I only do it once a year. At the very most the first time you use it you may get some residue, if any, but after that first trip I would bet my last dollar you wouldn't find hardly any amount in your manure.

 

[Hillbilly]

I probably loose more motor oil on a chainsaw bar In a years time than he is talking about putting on a manure spreader, now whats worse? Its illegal to burn trash outside where I live....no big deal I put it in my wood stove and burn it,it all emits to the atmosphere either way.

 

[gator]

Ah, the smell of used french fry oil and horse turds on a warm summer day! /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

 

[Ozarker]

It isn't a matter of which is worse. It all accumulates and there is no reason to add more, even a small amount more, if there is a better way.

So you get a little chain oil loss in nature......that is unavoidable. But I'll bet you don't drain your crankcase out in the ground when you change the oil in your tractor. That is avoidable and I'll bet you avoid it just like the rest of us.

 

[Hillbilly]

Ozarker...No I don't drain my oil on the ground,I catch it and use it in a chainsaw or put it on a brushpile,if I had a manure spreader and I wanted to treat it with motor oil,I would not hesitate....thats where you and I differ on things,you are not going to loose enough oil out in a field on a manure spreader to make one bit of difference and I would not loose 5 seconds of sleep in doing so.Thats the way I feel about it.

 

[gerard]

While I wouldn't hesitate to use the waste oil (I brush it on my horse stalls as an anti chew. It soaks into the wood and the horses don't like the taste. Works better than any of the products Iv'e tried theat are made for that purpose). BUT, if I had a spreader I would buy the thin (1/8 inch) rolls of sheet plastic and line the bed with that. Problem solved and the wood never comes into contact with the manure. They sell the sheets large enough to line dump truck beds. Comes in all widths and thickness's. Another plus is it's slipperier than wood so will cause less drag and the manure will spread easier. (Having spent three hours fixing a chain link on a full spreader I can attest that you want as little friction as possible!!!)

 

[MikeCT]

I'm sure that most any local or state enviromental protection agency would take a dim view of using waste motor oil in such a manner. Chainsaw bar oil is not the same as waste motor oil. Do you really want to risk contaminating your ground water or well? Waste motor oil has many uses that don't create these types of hazards (ie heat and power generation). New England has had many wells contaminated because of farmers using what they thought to be harmless chemicals If those chemicals were later found harmful, why risk our children's and grandchildren's future resources when there are safe alternatives. Just my 2 cents worth....................