Manure Injector Built To Handle High Residue

Manure Injector Built To Handle High Residue MANURE HANDLING Equipment Phil Reed wants manure from his 30 000 hogs to end up underground in his fields not on the surface He designed his Vertical Till Injector for liquid manure to make sure that happens even in heavy residue no-till applications Unlike other manure injectors it doesn’t plug up no matter how much residue is in the field “Plugging up in high residue situations is the primary problem with most manure injection ” says Reed “Draft is the second Shank injectors take a lot of power Not covering manure is third You can lose roughly 50 percent of the nutrients if you don’t inject it or cover it ” Reed’s injector eliminates plugging and requires half the draft power of a shank He says the rolling component design is key to both features “Everything on it rotates ” says Reed “There’s no drag and it cuts through heavy cornstalks and CRP ground ” The 22-in wave notched blade slices through the thickest residue and lifts and spreads the soil apart A V-shaped injector follows directly behind the blade It disperses manure from the 3-in dia slanted hose into the soil 6 to 8 in below the surface Two rolling containment wheels at the back of the unit gather displaced soil and residue filling and covering the injection slot The units clamp to toolbars mounted behind manure wagons Though priced individually 4 5 6 and 8-row units are available “We retain pretty much 100 percent of the manure’s nutrient value ” says Reed “That adds value to the product ” Reed says the injectors have been used to apply up to 6 000 gal per acre at 14 mph and that was with 2 in of frost He says they’re capable of applying up to 15 000 gal per acre at up to 16 mph though he recommends 3 to 14 mph for most conditions He adds that regardless of speed or conditions the injector is built to last It can even be used with drag hose systems “You can turn with them in the ground unlike other drag hose tool bars ” says Reed  “We put some serious iron in these things They’re built extremely heavy for commercial use We build them with a farmer mentality not as a manufacturer trying to see how much cheaper they can be built ” Reed is proud of the 10 000-lb rated C springs that serve as shock absorbers on the shank This lets him transfer weight from the tank to the toolbar Reed’s injectors are built to handle 2 500 lbs down pressure if needed to cut through residue “We wanted it to handle commercial use so when I developed it I took it to an equipment dealer ” recalls Reed “I asked him which of his custom manure applicator customers had the highest repair bills We tested it on him and it did great ” The vertical till injector row units run $1 400 each Reed points out the price is actually less than some 15 to 20-year-old technology that’s still being sold The Vertical Till Injector units are available through a growing list of dealers and direct from Reed Alternative blades for specific soil and residue situations are also available “It’s high speed high residue and low draft ” says Reed “Customers tell me they can’t believe how much less fuel they use and how much more work gets done It opens up the application window by at least 25 percent ” Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Vertical Till Injector LLC 2709 Airport Rd Washington Iowa 52353 ph 319 653-8950; vti llc22@yahoo com; www vtillc com

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