Local farmer Peter Holmes (left) taking ownership of the new Buckton Slurry Spreader from Farmline sales director John Machell.
Local farmer Peter Holmes (left) taking ownership of the new Buckton Slurry Spreader from Farmline sales director John Machell.
Farmline Machinery recently became a Buckton dealer for the wider Waikato/King Country regions.
Buckton, manufactured by Giltrap Engineering in Otorohanga, have a range of farm machinery that includes an effluent product line of slurry spreaders, muck spreaders and pond stirrers.
Sales director John Machell recently sold a slurry spreader to local farmer Peter Holmes and says this is an impressive machine, the spreader is built tough and comes with some clever time-saving and cost effective features.
Effluent is a large part of the dairy industry and it needs to be dealt with in a responsible manner.
"With farms operating a liquid effluent management programme, a slurry spreader is the obvious choice for flexibility and efficiency. Farmers can make the most out of every drop and return nutrients to the pasture fast," says Mr Machell.
"The Buckton Slurry Spreaders are well built and the one-piece, heavy-duty box section chassis spreads the weight effectively, while the tandem oscillating axle and flotation tyres minimise compaction in the paddock.
"The tank is built from rolled, fully painted, welded sheet steel which impressively incorporates an internal baffle to keep liquid from slopping about dangerously inside the tank while in transit and during operation.
Buckton Slurry Spreaders also have a vacuum system which allows a pump to suck air out of the tank creating a vacuum inside, that in turn draws the liquid in and fills the tank.
Emptying the spreader out is equally as simple. The pump is switched from vacuum to pressure which pumps air back into the tank pressurising it to force the liquid back out.
The beauty of the whole system is that slurry, which is normally fairly corrosive and harmful to any moving parts, never goes anywhere near the internal workings of the pump.
Te Awamutu dairy farmer Peter Holmes understands the value of effluent.
He recently purchased a Buckton SL7500 Slurry Spreader to help him manage his effluent and make the most out of the valuable nutrient rich by-product.
Buckton SL7500 Slurry Spreader in action.
The slurry spreader's main function of filling and spreading is incredibly easy - as easy as 1-2-3:
1. Pull the tanker alongside the slurry pit and connect the hose to the tank and the probe into the effluent. Turn the PTO on to run the pump, creating a vacuum and utilise one of the two tank sight glasses (one at half way and one at full) to get an idea of how much liquid is in the tank. The change in sound of the pump lets you know the tank is full.
2. Disconnect the hoses and head off to the paddock.
3. To spread, simply change the pump from vacuum to pressure which cleverly closes a valve on the inlet. Then with the pump running, the gate valve on the rear outlet is opened hydraulically to begin spreading and emptying the tank.
Filling and spreading with a Buckton Slurry Spreader is an incredibly simple and straight-forward operation, and also surprisingly clean - thanks to the canon nozzle and splash plate on the back of the machine.
Buckton Slurry Spreaders range in capacity from 5,000-15,000 litres and have optional extras available to ensure there is a spreader to suit all sizes and types of farming operations.
- To get more information visit Farmline Machinery, check both the slurry and muck spreaders in action on their Facebook page or view the full range at www.bucktonag.co.nz
