Huge Manure Tank Also Hauls Grain

Huge Manure Tank Also Hauls Grain MANURE HANDLING Equipment 9-4-21 Nothing else quite measures up to this monstrous 10,000 gal. capacity liquid manure tank that doubles as a 900 bu. grain hauler. Built by Iowa farmers Roger Montag, of Rodman, and Jim Fehr, of West Bend, it's 10 ft. wide, 24 ft. long, 13 ft. deep, and equipped with four 66 by 42 Terragator tires to reduce ground compaction. The back set of tires are on an axle salvaged from a Greyhound bus. The front tires are center pivoting. When hauling manure, a steel plate is bolted over the gravity bottom discharge. Manure is then pumped out by a hydraulically-powered impellor through 3-in. hose and to a manifold and five soil injection knives. Fehr injects manure 8-in. deep except in winter months when it's discharged out the side of the spreader. The spreader has two dividers inside to minimize sloshing. It unloads in about ¢ mile of field travel. For hauling grain, the steel plate cover is removed and grain is bottom-unloaded through two hydraulically powered gates. Loaded with corn, the rig weighs about 100,000 lbs. Fehr uses his Deere 4840 to pull the rig. It's fully enclosed except for a 5 by 5-ft. sliding access door on top for loading with grain or manure. The bottom is made of 10 ga. steel, the sides of 12 ga., and the top of 14 ga. steel. Montag says the rig cost about $8,000 to build, not counting labor.

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