John Carrick has won second place in our complex category.

In need of a more efficient method of topping up large in-field sheep feed hoppers, John Carrick hatched a plan to build custom trailed filling machine.

Starting with a Shelbourne Reynolds side-throw muckspreader, he removed the discharge rotor and stripped away the pto and chain drive mechanism from the front end.

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Modified auger flights

He then set about modifying the auger flights so that they transfer feedstuffs to the front of the machine, rather than the original setup that ferried material to the centre.

To avoid any dead spots where feed could collect, he crafted a new rounded base for the tub, which had just enough clearance to prevent the auger flights from catching.

This moves the contents of the main hopper into a new cylindrical collection chamber where a spout winds it out into the hoppers.

John did buy the auger for this, but fabricated the outer metalwork and drive mechanism himself.

He also added a hydraulic ram that allows the tube to be easily moved between the lowered work and raised transport positions.

To prevent blockages, he fashioned a set of paddles that rotate around the outer circumference of the transfer chamber, keeping the material free-flowing.

All functions on the machine are now hydraulically driven, including the main auger, which is powered by a hydraulic motor and reduction gearbox at the rear.

This needs plenty of oomph to drive it, so John fitted an auxiliary oil tank hooked up to a dedicated pto pump.

Other moving parts, such as the rotating paddles and auger, are less power hungry and run off tractor spool valves.

Easy feeding

The hopper has transformed feeding of store lambs on his County Durham farm – they fatten up to 6,000 a year – making it an easy one-man job.

Capacity is about 6.5t and the delivery system can handle everything from pellets and nuts, to grain, dense mixes or straights.