Semi-Tanks Haul Water, Manure

Semi-tanks haul water, manure MANURE HANDLING Equipment 16-6-23 "There's nothing like it on the market. People can't believe how well it works," says Keith Frowhein, Zearing, Iowa, about the semi-tank he converted to a 5,000-gal. liquid manure spreader. He pulls it with a 1974 Kenworth semi-tractor. "It's a fast, inexpensive way to apply liquid manure that really speeds up work. Holds two or three times as much manure as the biggest commercial tanks," says Frowhein, who raises hogs and uses pits to store manure. Frowhein bought the tank for $1,500 from a local trucking firm. The semi-tank, originally designed to haul liquid fertilizer, loads from the top. Manure is pumped from the pit up to a portable overhead stand, then into the tank. The tank, which is open inside, has three dump funnels underneath. Frowhein ran a length of pipe from the rear funnel to the back of the trailer and mounted an electric gate valve inside it that's connected to a toggle switch in the cab. Manure flows into a 12-in. dia., 10-ft. long pipe bolted across the back of the trailer and out through slots in the bottom of the pipe. "We use it to spread manure on idle acres. Some of our farms are several miles apart. The semi-tractor allows us to haul manure at road speeds and make fewer trips. We can spread as much manure in a half day as we can in two days with our 1,100-gal. honey wagon. However, we still use the honey wagon to empty out small pits. We also use the semi-tractor to custom spread manure for neighbors. It's equipped with a Caterpillar 380 hp 6-cylinder diesel engine that has plenty of power." Frowhein uses a second 4,500-gal. semi-tank as a nurse tank when spraying chemicals and also to haul liquid nitrogen for side-dressing corn. A home-built "tow dolly", equipped with a fifth-wheel, hitches to the tank. It lets Frowhein pull the big tank with a Deere 8640 tractor (245 hp). "We can spray 160 acres and move on to the next field before we have to refill. It also lets us buy liquid fertilizer by the semi-tank load for volume discounts," says Frowhein. Frowhein notes that many semi-tanks are available that aren't in good enough shape to go over the road but can be used as holding tanks for water or liquid fertilizer. For more information, contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Keith Frohwein, Rt. 1, Zearing, Iowa 50278 (ph 515 487-7332).

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