He Built His Own Composting Machines

2000 - Volume #24, Issue #3, Page #12

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Composting can work miracles when it's done right. Just ask Ken Soda and his sons, Kevin and Steve, who once made 400,000 lbs. of dead carp "disappear" for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.
  The Sodas raise 300 acres of mint near Princeton, Wis. After processing, they're left with hundreds of tons of waste material which they dispose of by composting. For the most part, they mix viney mint hay with chicken manure. Once in a while, they get a load of other stuff û like the big load of dead fish.
  "When the DNR gave us the fish, we ground it up and added it to the hay. In 36 hours it was all gone, and there was no smell either. As long as there is oxygen in the pile, there are no odors," says Ken.
  When Ken started composting in 1986, he built a pull-type composter by rebuilding a Howard Rotovator. He stripped it down, taking the gearbox bearings and half the 20-ft. shaft. He built a new frame out of 4-in. sq. tubing and hung the shaft from it.
  Starting from the center, two rows of teeth spiral out and away such that when the beater is turning, it pulls the compost material in and fluffs it up and over the top into a windrow.
  Every four inches on the shaft, he welded 3-in. wide steel teeth to form a 20-in. dia. beater. Each tooth was mounted in line with the shaft; however, the end was heated and twisted perpendicular to the shaft to form a paddle effect. Soda then reinforced the teeth with 2-in. wide, 1/4-in. thick steel strap.
  After several years, Soda sold his pull type unit and built a self-propelled unit. He tore apart a Highboy sprayer and rebuilt it using the front wheels, frame, motor and hydrostatic rear wheel drive. He fitted it with a 12-in. dia. shaft and 4-in. wide, 1/2-in. thick steel teeth, welded to the shaft and protruding out from it by 5 in. This made the drum 22 in. in dia. overall. The platform is 112 in. wide, allowing it to straddle the row better. The beater, like the drive wheels, is powered by hydrostatic motors on each end, driven in series. The beater moves up and down on hydraulic-controlled arms that extend down from the frame. This allows the machine to enter or exit a pile at any point.
  "We had to seek out a lot of advice from people who understood hydraulics," says Soda. "You can get heat buildup and have to equalize pressure between the pump and the motors you are driving."
  Although Soda admits having to rebuild the drives on the hydraulic motors, perhaps because of a torque differential between them, he says the composter works great. Each year, he and his sons produce approximately 1,000 tons of "black gold" with which they enrich their sandy upland soils.
  Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Ken Soda, 10928 County Road J; Princeton, Wis. 54968 (ph 920 295-3171).

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He Built His Own Composting Machines MISCELLANEOUS EQUIPMENT Miscellaneous 24-3-12 Composting can work miracles when it's done right. Just ask Ken Soda and his sons, Kevin and Steve, who once made 400,000 lbs. of dead carp "disappear" for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. The Sodas raise 300 acres of mint near Princeton, Wis. After processing, they're left with hundreds of tons of waste material which they dispose of by composting. For the most part, they mix viney mint hay with chicken manure. Once in a while, they get a load of other stuff û like the big load of dead fish. "When the DNR gave us the fish, we ground it up and added it to the hay. In 36 hours it was all gone, and there was no smell either. As long as there is oxygen in the pile, there are no odors," says Ken. When Ken started composting in 1986, he built a pull-type composter by rebuilding a Howard Rotovator. He stripped it down, taking the gearbox bearings and half the 20-ft. shaft. He built a new frame out of 4-in. sq. tubing and hung the shaft from it. Starting from the center, two rows of teeth spiral out and away such that when the beater is turning, it pulls the compost material in and fluffs it up and over the top into a windrow. Every four inches on the shaft, he welded 3-in. wide steel teeth to form a 20-in. dia. beater. Each tooth was mounted in line with the shaft; however, the end was heated and twisted perpendicular to the shaft to form a paddle effect. Soda then reinforced the teeth with 2-in. wide, 1/4-in. thick steel strap. After several years, Soda sold his pull type unit and built a self-propelled unit. He tore apart a Highboy sprayer and rebuilt it using the front wheels, frame, motor and hydrostatic rear wheel drive. He fitted it with a 12-in. dia. shaft and 4-in. wide, 1/2-in. thick steel teeth, welded to the shaft and protruding out from it by 5 in. This made the drum 22 in. in dia. overall. The platform is 112 in. wide, allowing it to straddle the row better. The beater, like the drive wheels, is powered by hydrostatic motors on each end, driven in series. The beater moves up and down on hydraulic-controlled arms that extend down from the frame. This allows the machine to enter or exit a pile at any point. "We had to seek out a lot of advice from people who understood hydraulics," says Soda. "You can get heat buildup and have to equalize pressure between the pump and the motors you are driving." Although Soda admits having to rebuild the drives on the hydraulic motors, perhaps because of a torque differential between them, he says the composter works great. Each year, he and his sons produce approximately 1,000 tons of "black gold" with which they enrich their sandy upland soils. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Ken Soda, 10928 County Road J; Princeton, Wis. 54968 (ph 920 295-3171).

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