Calling all crustbusters…
16 April 1999
Working Price £ Power Angle
depth exc VAT requirement adjustment
STIRRERSFORSLURRYLAGOONS
AgriTek (01493-751870) N-Tech
3 Point Prop 5.4m poa 90hp-130hp hyd
3 Point Prop 6.6m poa 90hp-130hp hyd
TrailR Prop 7.8m poa 90hp-130hp n/a
TrailR Prop 9m poa 90hp-130hp n/a
TrailR Prop 10m poa 90hp-130hp n/a
TrailR Prop 11.4m poa 90hp-130hp n/a
Carier (01376-323349) Suma
Majorstir Z3 HYU 3m 1533 50hp-80hp top link
Majorstir Z3 HYU 3.5m 1554 50hp-80hp top link
Majorstir Z3 HYU 4m 1636 50hp-80hp top link
Majorstir Z3 HYU 4.5m 1669 50hp-80hp top link
Majorstir Z3 HYU 5m 1740 50hp-80hp top link
Majorstir Z3 HYU 5.5m 1761 50hp-80hp top link
Majorstir Z4 HY 6.8m 3322 68hp-75hp hyd
Majorstir Z4 HY 1.2m ext 1393 68hp-75hp hyd
Majorstir Z4 HY 2.2m ext 1608 68hp-75hp hyd
Majorstir Z4 HY 3.2m ext 1754 68hp-75hp hyd
Majorstir Z4 HY 4.2m ext 1950 68hp-75hp hyd
COP Engineering (01283-585240)
Slurry Stirrer 4.5m 1450 65hp hyd
Slurry Stirrer 6m 1675 65hp hyd
Jackson Pumping (01522-519800) Doda
Lagoon Mixer 4m 1800 60hp-70hp crank
Lagoon Mixer 5m 1950 60hp-70hp crank
Malgar (01539-563421) Malgar
15H 4.5m 1240 40hp+ hyd
20H 6m 1760 40hp+ hyd
MixIt Stirrers (01548-550298) MixIt
Lagoon Stirrer 6m 1440 50hp-140hp opt
Lagoon Stirrer 7.5m 1740 50hp-140hp opt
Pichon (0850-471265) Pichon
B4 5m 1856 60hp hyd
B41 7m 2666 80hp hyd
Stirrers for above-ground slurry stores
Carier (01376-323349) Suma
Majorstir Z3 HY 1.5m 2274 50hp-80hp crank
Majorstir Z3 HY 2m 2410 50hp-80hp crank
Majorstir Z3 HY 2.5m 2786 50hp-80hp crank
Majorstir Z3 HY 3m 2922 50hp-80hp crank
Majorstir Z3 HY 3.5m 3058 50hp-80hp crank
Majorstir Z3 HY 4m 3194 50hp-80hp crank
Jackson Pumping (01522-519800) Doda
Movred Alpi 3m 5024 60hp-70hp hyd
Malgar (01539-563421) Malgar
Tank Master 3m 3890 80hp+ hyd
Tank Master 3.6m 4360 80hp+ hyd
Tank Master 4.8m 4900 80hp+ hyd
Tank Master 6m 5520 80hp+ hyd
MixIt Stirrers (01548-550298) MixIt
Tower Stirrer 4m 4200 75hp hyd
Tower Stirrer 4.8m 4400 75hp hyd
Samson (01256-771854) Samson
Agitator (flexible hydraulic arm) 3.15m 22,000 100hp hyd
Stirrers for under-floor slurry tanks
Carier (01376-323349) Suma
Majorstir Z3 WEU 3m 1977 20hp-50hp top link
Majorstir Z3 WEU 3.5m 1998 20hp-50hp top link
Majorstir Z3 WEU 4m 2080 20hp-50hp top link
Majorstir Z3 WEU 4.5m 2113 20hp-50hp top link
Majorstir Z3 WEU 5m 2184 20hp-50hp top link
Majorstir Z3 WEU 5.5m 2205 20hp-50hp top link
Jackson Pumping (01522-519800) Doda
Movred Hydro 3m 2500 60hp-70hp crank
Movred Hydro 4m 2000 60hp-70hp crank
Movred Hydro 5m 2850 60hp-70hp crank
Malgar (01539-563421) Malgar
Underground 2.7m 1350 40hp+ hyd
Pichon (0850-471265)
B31 5m 1500 60hp+ hyd
Stirrers for lagoons and above-ground slurry stores Mix It Stirrers (01548-550298) Mix It
Tele Stirrer (telehandler-mtd) n/a poa 110hp diesel hyd
Qualex (01249-890317) Uggerbys
Agitator (backhoe-mounted) n/a poa n/a hyd
Silo (tractor-mounted) 3.3m 16,799 hyd hyd
Calling all crustbusters…
With a thick mat of fibre
producing a decent crop of
nettles, fat-hen and other
weeds, on top of a long
untouched slurry store, its
time to call in the crust
busters. Andy Moore rounds
up slurry stirrers and
agitators
ALTHOUGH it can be done in one long session, using an agitator to homogenise the separated contents of a slurry store or lagoon is better done as a regular, perhaps monthly, operation to keep things fluid.
Otherwise, effective as stirrers are at creating a whirlpool effect to incorporate fibrous material, it can take 12 hours or more to produce a consistent, pumpable material.
Just as important as stirring frequency is to change the position of the stirrer during the operation to ensure no pockets remain untouched to catch out the unwary vacuum tanker or irrigation pump operator.
Although fixed stirrers are available for slurry store installations, tractor-mounted models are most popular because of their mobility. Apart from being able to work in different positions around the same store, they can obviously be used in different stores.
Some have become quite sophisticated, particularly the Danish-built Uggerbys and Samson machines with their hydraulically-manipulated arms. But these, and the simpler tower type stirrers, are principally aimed at contractors able to justify their cost.
Rigid shaft
For on-farm use, stirrers of the rigid shaft type, with an impeller or propeller on the end, are suited to lagoons or stores with high-level access, while specialist "folding" designs give access to below-floor tanks and pits.
Power requirement is typically between 60hp and 130hp, depending largely on the impeller dimensions and consistency of the slurry, but also on the length of the shaft when hydraulic lift capacity and stability become as important as the amount of power available at the pto.
Slurry stirrer impellers usually have three blades, although one French manufacturer Pichon uses an Archimedes screw which, the company claims, is more effective at drawing in material where a fixed blade delivers a cutting action to reduce the length of straw and other fibrous material.
Mix It combines both on its Lagoon Stirrer – an impeller with four lipped blades does most of the work, with an auger section above it on the shaft set at surface level to help break up lumps.
Though some designs do without, support legs keep impeller blades from damaging the floor and walls of the store.
There is a good choice of rigid shaft stirrers – typically from 3.95m (13ft) to 11m (36ft) – to suit all lagoon sizes and situations, the length of shaft required clearly being dependent on slurry depth and how close to the edge the tractor can safely be positioned. The US-made TrailR Prop imported by AgriTek tops the lot in terms of shaft length.
A vertical mast is the most common means of getting the extra height needed to stir above-ground stores. Clearance heights can be from 3.15m to 6m (10ft to 20ft), with operating depths up to 6m (20ft) catered for by different impeller shaft lengths.
Most use hydraulic rams to adjust shaft angle, although on the Suma Majorstir Z3HY, a rack and pinion system is operated from an operators platform. The Mix It Tower Stirrer can be had with a detachable road trailer.
Different sites
Where versatility in being able to tackle different storage sites is important, the Uggerbys hydraulic-drive model for mounting on a backhoe, and the self-powered, telescopic handler-mounted Mix It Tele Stirrer can be operated in both towers and lagoons.
Mixing slurry in underground stores requires a different approach simply because of the physical constraints of getting the stirrer beneath a slatted floor or into an access hatch.
Pichons B31 and the Suma Majorstir from Carier have a hinged boom allowing the impeller to lowered through small openings. The Malgar Underground Tank Mixer relies on a wide-angle universal joint in the drive train to allow the shaft to be positioned for such access.
For a good service life, check out overload protection – shear-bolts provide the simplest protection but Mix It offers a torque limiting pto which resets itself after overload – the form bearings take. COP Engineering and Malgar use slurry lubricated bearings to eliminate the need for regular greasing.
Keeping the contents of a slurry homogenised through regular agitation saves a lengthy operation when it comes to emptying the store.
Pivot-mounted shaft of Pichon B31 stirrer gets the impeller into an underfloor tank.
Malgar range includes all three of the most popular types of slurry stirrer. 1 – conventional rigid shaft for lagoons; 2 – short-shaft, high-angle pto stirrer for below-floor stores; 3 – tower stirrer for above-ground stores.
Above:Mix It lagoon stirrers are available in 4.5m and 6m lengths. Left: Suma Majorstir Z3 gets an outing. Marketed in the UK by Carier, standard tube length is from 3.5m to 5m.