Types of Manure Spreaders: Models, Features and Trends
At Stutsmans, we pride ourselves on being a one-stop shop for manure management equipment and products. Armed with decades of experience in the industry, our team can provide the know-how, products and service you need for both dry and liquid manure application. We also keep tabs on regulatory issues, ensuring our recommendations are always in your best interest.
But before you can take advantage of our huge parts inventory, precision technology or equipment service, you need to know the types of manure spreaders available at Stutsmans. Plus, we’ll share the trends we’re seeing across the industry to give you an inside look at the factors other livestock producers and custom applicators use to choose their manure equipment.
The Stutsman lineup
We understand equipment needs vary from operation to operation. We stock the most popular brands of both dry and liquid manure spreaders to ensure you find what you need.
At a glance, our dry manure spreader line includes equipment from Artex and Salford. The Artex product lines we offer are S, SB, SBX and CB. Artex manure spreaders’ capacities range from 320 to 1125 cubic feet. In addition to capacity, the main differences between the Artex product lines are the box width, length and a few other features. As far as Salford goes, the BBI Endurance is their litter spreader line. The BBI Endurance can be up to 24 feet long. Beyond customizing box length, features like chain styles, axles, rate control and scales can also be tailored to an individual’s needs. Although poultry litter is the primary use of the BBI Endurance, they are also designed to handle other materials like lime and wood shavings.
Our liquid manure spreaders are primarily from GEA Houle and Nuhn, offering tank sizes up to 10,500 and 17,000 gallons, respectively. Trade-ins occasionally give us access to additional liquid manure spreader brands as well.
Finding the right dry manure spreader
Although it seems like a “no-duh” comment, before adding a dry manure spreader to your operation, ask yourself what manure you’ll be spreading. Cattle manure and poultry litter need different beater types to spread efficiently. Additionally, the weight of the manure can impact the distance needed between the slats. There’s also moisture content to consider. For instance, Salford BBI Endurance models aren’t set up to handle high-moisture manure — so if poultry litter isn’t the only thing on your radar, the Artex line would be a much better fit.
Next, consider the size of tractor you’ll be using with your manure spreader. For all the types of manure spreaders out there, there are just as many different PTO requirements.
Then, think about how much manure you’ll be hauling with the dry manure spreader. If you’re a custom applicator or have quite a bit of manure to spread, you might want a spreader with a higher capacity to reduce time spent refilling.
Beyond the usual features of dry spreaders, scales and rate controllers have been growing in popularity. Density-based rate control helps keep the application rate consistent by adjusting for manure density. Both our team and Artex have seen scale installation dramatically increase over the last five years. In fact, Artex installs several every week.
Choosing the right liquid manure spreader
Matching a liquid manure spreader to your manure application needs starts with tank capacity selection, which is largely based on where you work and how much manure you’re hauling from the lagoon or pit to the field. Larger tanks are popular because they help applicators get more done with less labor and less loads. The drawback? Larger tanks are not as feasible for rougher terrains and producers with field compaction concerns. Base your capacity limits on your terrain and what it can handle.
Another customizable feature when selecting the right liquid manure spreader is the tankbar. Tankbars can come equipped with different types of row units. The row unit of choice is often rolling coulters for our customers. We have rolling coulter row units from Bazooka Farmstar, VTI and Zimmerman Manufacturing.
If you’re not ready to commit to the cost of new manure equipment, we have an assortment of used manure equipment that has been fully serviced and is ready to hit your field, lagoon or pit.
Our most popular types of manure spreaders (and why they’re in demand)
With decades of manure equipment industry experience under our belt, the Stutsman manure equipment team has seen enough to spot trends in the types of manure spreaders heading out to farms.
Our most popular dry manure spreaders are the Artex SBX800 models, available in tandem or triple-axle styles. Stutsman customers like them because they balance performance and budget — giving them the most hauling capacity for the best value.
The Artex S200 comes next, offering customers the smallest size spreader that still includes vertical beaters. This beater style is popular because it can typically spread material farther than horizontal beaters.
Finishing out our top three dry spreaders is the Artex SB600. It offers solid capacity with lower PTO requirements, making it more accessible to mid-size operations.
Our most popular liquid manure spreaders are the GEA Houle 6000, GEA Houle 7300, GEA Houle 9500 and the Nuhn Quad-Train. These are generally popular for their capacity, whether that’s a lower to medium capacity that fits terrain and budget restrictions or a larger capacity that fits labor and time constraints. Another factor contributing to the popularity of the GEA Houle liquid manure spreaders is their well-desired undercarriage and steering system which has stood the test of time and been proven to require minimal maintenance.
Ready to find a manure spreader?
Livestock producers and custom manure applicators can choose from several types of manure spreaders for their operations. If you’re deciding between different models, or debating between new and used, the Stutsman manure equipment team can help. Call our team at 319.679.2281 to talk through your needs or shop our available selection online to see in-stock options.
