Dillon from Broadacre Contracting yarns with Jimmy from Pitson Contracting about building a family-run...
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Make sure you come back to enjoy this manure spreading yarn though.
Dillon and the videography team from Broadacre Contracting are out at Beasleys Bridge, about 15km west of St Arnaud VIC, catching up with Shaun and Jonty from Fithall Ag.
These boys do a serious amount of manure spreading and contract work.
Today we are having a look at their Bunning Lowlander Widebody 230 HBD spreader and the Fendt tractor that is pulling it.
This is not just a quick walkaround of a muck spreader.
This is a proper yarn about application rates, Topcon scales, pig manure, cattle manure, flotation tyres, controlled traffic, chain feeder systems, nutrient value and what it takes to move serious tonnage across Victoria and beyond.
If you are looking for manure spreading contractors in Victoria, or you need to put a job out quickly, Broadacre Contracting can help you find the right contractor and get the phone ringing.
This is Fithall Ag’s Bunning spreader, a Lowlander Widebody 230 HBD.
There are quite a few models you could use, but the main difference with this one is that it has weight scales on it.
The boys can do application rates varying from 2 tonne to 40 tonne per hectare.
The capacity is 25 to 26 cubic metres, but the actual weight varies a fair bit depending on the product.
With pig manure loaded on the day, there was about 12 to 13 tonne in the spreader.
When the boys were doing screened cattle manure, real fine stuff with a bit of moisture, they were getting about 22 to 23 tonne in and around 26 cubic metres.
Turkey and chook manure is real light, so they only really get about 8 tonne.
It is obvious, but the moisture content is where the weight comes from.
The Bunning Lowlander is a UK-built spreader, and they have a solid reputation in the manure game.
Some little facts I learnt from the boys and browsing the web after the fact was that Bunning has been designing and manufacturing spreaders for a long time.
Bunning is the family surname, and they are well known in the United Kingdom.
The company is based in Norfolk, England, a solid distance from Australia.
I asked Google Maps for directions from my current location to Norfolk hoping it would tell me the kilometres, but it told me it could not find directions.
Understood really, I was just trying to figure out how many kilometres, not directions.
So I went to Google, and it provided the goods.
Norfolk to Perth is about 14,200km. Perth is the closest major Australian city.
Norfolk to Sydney is about 16,800km.
A long way from St Arnaud and the Wimmera where the boys are flicking manure.
I am not sure why I ended up interested in the location of these things, as it is not really relevant because they have dealers in Australia, but I feel it resonated with me.
It is impressive that a brand, a manufacturer and a product from so far away is on our soils and highly regarded in Australia.
Anyway, moving on.
What I also reckon is pretty impressive is the application rates the boys can do, from 2 tonne right through to 40 tonne per hectare.
That is a bloody big range.
The spreader is suited to doing a light maintenance dress right through to a proper heavy application of chook manure, cattle manure or pig manure.
As I start thinking a little deeper into it, the size of the machine would be your restriction at such a heavy rate.
Going out at 40 tonne per hectare, you need the storage capacity or a very close pile to make it efficient.
If you are doing an application at 40t/ha and this thing can hold about 23 tonne, that is just a bit over half a hectare per load.
I am not sure what we would be sending out at that rate, but it is just a thought.
Keep the pile close, section the paddock out, and Bob is your uncle. It is not really a chaos issue if it is organised chaos.
The boys mention they have scales, and they are pretty well standard across the board nowadays.
Do not get me wrong, we are still seeing the odd muck spreader about without them.
Although there is definitely something to note for growers here, and that is the density variation between products.
It is pretty wild.
Look, it is somewhat common sense, but 8 tonne of dry turkey manure or 23 tonne of wet cattle manure in the same 26 cubic metre bin does spin me a bit when it is laid out like that.
On my little research expedition, I learnt a fair bit.
A lot of manure availability depends on geographic location.
The first thing I learnt was that if you are up in QLD around Dalby, Toowoomba or Goondiwindi, you are in what I class as the golden cattle manure triangle.
There are some proper big cattle feedlots pumping out thousands of tonnes of feedlot manure.
I am sorry, but I am going on a Dillon side quest. If you are interested, you will follow along.
In the Dalby area, there is Grassdale Feedlot owned by Mort & Co, and I think it has one of the largest capacities in Australia.
Then there is Sandalwood Feedlot owned by Lotte International, and it has been around since before I was even an idea to my parents.
Then there are a fair few other operations. I would not say small, but not the scale of Grassdale or Sandalwood.
Double D Cattle Co is a good example of those other sizes, I suppose.
That is just touching on Dalby and my self-proclaimed golden triangle.
I do not want to get too lost here because I bloody will.
That is just what I do. I go on side quests because I am eager to learn and understand.
What I am learning is that one of the footholds holding manure back is cartage.
Pig manure has mainly got phosphorus in it.
A lot of people get mistaken and think it has a lot of nitrogen in it.
Unfortunately, pig manure does not tend to have a lot of nitrogen unless you start spreading around that 10 tonne to the hectare application rate.
Generally, in pig manure you will get a lot of phosphorus, calcium and trace elements.
It puts a lot of microorganisms back in the soil and it actually tends to promote worm growth.
Cattle manure does not have a lot of nitrogen in it either, but it does have a lot of calcium and a lot of phosphorus.
I personally do not know a lot about manure spreading.
I have actually never done it myself or been around it.
My background is more the industrial fertilisers like urea, SOA, gypsum and lime.
But the very little that I do know is that some big feedlots and piggeries are put under pressure from governing bodies to have it taken off-site.
A good example would be some of the bigger operations across northern Victoria and southern New South Wales.
If a piggery or feedlot is of a certain size, governing bodies such as the EPA will likely require that any waste material be kept below a certain threshold on-site.
So the product needs to go somewhere, and in a timely manner.
I know this much, and I also understand how muck spreaders work, but the product itself?
Zilch.
Haven’t got a single clue.
So I went and did some reading after the fact and found Australian Pork material that broke down the actual nutrient value of manure products.
This is where it gets proper interesting, and I reckon every grower reading this will have the same thought.
After all, great minds think alike.
Before we get into the nutrient value, I want to put this out there because when I was working it out myself, I kept getting confused on the figures.
The number below is not the price of a kilo of triple super, and yes, there are 1,000kg in a tonne.
The number is the value of the actual nutrient content, not the product itself.
Fertilisers are not pure.
Triple super is only a percentage phosphorus, muriate of potash is a percentage potassium, and urea is a percentage nitrogen.
So when you work backwards, you are not just looking at the price per tonne of fertiliser.
You are looking at what you are actually paying for each kilo of nutrient.
That is why manure can stack up well in the right situation.
You are getting nutrient value, organic matter and soil biology benefits, not just product being flicked out of a spreader.
Now, I am going to keep this as a rough working example only, because fertiliser prices and manure nutrient tests change.
You should always test the actual manure source and run the figures with your agronomist before making decisions.
As a rough example, pig manure may contain nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and other nutrients.
Shaun was bang on that pig manure can be phosphorus and potassium heavy compared to what many people think.
The kicker is how much those nutrients are worth when fertiliser prices are high.
N: 12kg x $3.00 = $36.00
P: 8.4kg x $4.50 = $37.80
K: 17kg x $2.00 = $34.00
Total rough nutrient value per tonne: $107.80
At an application rate of 5t/ha, that is around $539/ha worth of nutrients landing on your paddock in this rough example.
The cost to cart and spread might sit somewhere around $180 to $220/ha, depending on distance, product, contractor setup and job conditions.
That could leave a net benefit of $300+ per hectare compared to buying synthetic fertiliser at high prices.
Again, this is not financial advice and it is not a guaranteed figure.
It is a thought starter.
The real answer comes from testing the manure, knowing your soil test, knowing the freight, knowing the spreading cost and getting the numbers in front of your agronomist.
Let us really rip our thinking caps on here and take a good minute to think about it.
If you are sowing 2,000 hectares around Birchip or Donald and you are cutting your urea rates because you cannot stomach the price, but there is pig manure available 50km away at St Arnaud giving you phosphorus, potassium, calcium, trace elements and some nitrogen, what have we really got to lose?
What have we got to lose?
Everything above sounds bloody unreal to me, but I do not feel it is all that glamorous myself.
Yes, everything above looks good, but I feel it could also possibly create issues, or open up doors to possible issues.
This is where my head is going.
Weeds, mainly.
We spend thousands and thousands upon thousands keeping paddocks clean, chasing half-decent yields, and I just feel there is a big possibility here to cause a headache.
My thought process has been known to be wrong before.
Would not be the first time, will not be the last, and I am wondering what is right and wrong here.
Personally, I do not know.
You would know more than me.
What I do know is I am presenting what I am learning here and what I am thinking.
I do not have on-the-ground experience, so if you do, I would really like some feedback on my thought process here.
Am I right, am I wrong, or a bit in the middle of both?
After all, over the years of my involvement in farming, I have learned there is not always a right or wrong answer.
The Bunning spreader has a chain feeder system, and the boys say it is fairly good.
They never really have drama with it.
The only thing is if you do have a lot of weight in there, it might struggle with the hydraulic power to move the chain.
But that can be monitored with the motions on the screen.
Chain feeders are pretty standard on muck spreaders nowadays.
We are seeing them more often than not, and I feel it is for good reason.
They are simple and they work.
Compared to a belt system like what we saw on the Bredals in Episode 9 of Talking Gear Tuesday, the chain feeder is known to stretch at times.
The general maintenance with chain setups is grease and correct tension.
If we do that, they do not pose too much of an issue.
Although, if you bury these things for some reason, getting a shovel in on the bottom and chipping away can be a nightmare due to the chain slats.
What I am saying is, if you dig down to a smooth belt, that can help you chip away from the bottom, whereas that is not really possible with a slatted chain setup.
I feel the main trade-off between a rubber belt and a chain-driven setup is hydraulic demand.
It does make sense really.
When you have 22 tonnes of wet cattle manure sitting on that chain, your tractor’s hydraulic system will be working hard to move it.
This is where tractor selection matters.
You need a tractor with serious hydraulic flow and pressure to keep that chain moving consistently.
I did not know exactly what flow you would need here, so I had a deep dive.
What I learnt is that you want a tractor with a dedicated high-flow pump that supplies the flow consistently, not just at peak.
For anyone looking to buy or hire one of these, make sure your tractor can handle the hydraulic demand at full load.
If you are running a lighter tractor, you will be fighting it all day and your feed rate will be inconsistent, pretty much.
Some tractor manuals say they will deliver the required flow at peak.
You need a tractor that delivers the flow at a continuous rate.
There is a difference there, and it can and will bring you unstuck.
The spreader has a PTO that runs off the tractor, runs down the bottom of the spreader and comes into a big T-gearbox.
It powers two shafts that come off each way, which power the spinners.
The bed chain is powered off its own hydraulic motor.
The beaters come off a separate system and have chains on both sides.
At 40 foot, the spread pattern is consistent and professional.
The boys said you could get 60 foot out of this stuff because it is so wet, and they have had times where they could spread 120 foot.
But when you go further distance, it is just not as consistent all the way out the sides.
40 foot seems to be the safe professional distance for controlled traffic work.
The boys called the beaters separate systems, but when I went digging into Bunning’s own technical documentation after the fact, it is actually a bit different to how it sounded.
So let me lay out what I found.
Bunning spreaders use a system featuring PTO-driven, chain-driven beaters and a hydraulic-drive setup for the floor chain or belt.
Bunning state their spreaders come with individual shear protection for the beaters rather than independent motors.
The documentation confirms that while the beaters are mechanically linked via a T-gearbox to ensure synchronisation, they are protected against shock loads.
Now 40 foot, about 12 metres, is interesting.
Firstly, it is common knowledge, but it falls in line with most of our controlled traffic programmes.
If we were to compare it to the Bredal doing 36m with industrial fertiliser, the Bunning is actually impressive for the product it is getting out.
Manure is a completely different product to the likes of our industrial stuff.
It is heavier and it has an inconsistent density.
Getting a consistent pattern at 12m with manure is actually impressive.
I am really asking a lot of questions here.
Who came up with the engineering idea at Bunning?
If they did so originally, the next question is how long did it take to get it right?
They are the main few questions running through the noggin right now.
I am going to leave that until a little later.
To be honest, it would be good if a representative from Bunning or a dealer came in and gave us some facts.
It would be unreal to see that.
In the cab, Topcon talks to the spreader.
You can set your rate, and at the time of the yarn it was set at 5 tonne per hectare.
Live scales show what load you are running with dynamic mode.
Ground speed is displayed, and a green bar shows the percentage being used so the operator knows whether to slow down or go quicker.
The system changes the rate with speed automatically.
It tracks all loads, how many hectares per load and how long each load took.
Then there is a Gen 5 John Deere Green Star screen running SF RTK at 10cm accuracy.
All paddocks are mapped out and section control stops double or triple spreading on headlands and overlap areas.
This is a dual-screen setup, and it is all pretty standard really.
I am pretty sure a fair few spreaders in the market run the Topcon Apollo setups through the ISOBUS system, with a John Deere Gen 5 screen and Starfire handling the guidance and section control.
Two systems talking to each other.
Many manufacturers, such as Bunning, have made the shift to Topcon Apollo.
Topcon acquired RDS Technology and Digi-Star, both industry leaders in spreader sensors and load cells.
They have pretty much combined RDS’s spreader engineering with Digi-Star’s weight scales.
The live weight scales with dynamic mode are now pretty standard, but for those interested who do not know, as the spreader empties, the system knows exactly how much product is left and adjusts the chain speed to maintain your target rate.
Without this, your first pass out of the pile is heavy and your last pass before reloading is light.
We are improving consistency by having the Apollo rate control and Topcon system.
It essentially helps prevent uneven crop response, making more money for the grower.
I suppose it is not just money in terms of making it.
It also helps healthier plants, and there is no better solution in my opinion to weeds than competition.
Up until a year ago, I only just learnt and understood that.
The farmer I used to work for kept drilling it into me, and it makes complete sense.
The spreader runs flotation tyres.
The rear axle is rigid, not steerable.
You can get the steerable model, but with the high body and hilly country around the St Arnaud region, the rigid setup is more stable.
A lot of growers with hilly country are doing different things with their soils.
That is where they are mostly spreading the manure, on the hilly country where it is a bit lighter.
The country has not got as much clay and, with a lot of water running down through it, growers are trying to improve it.
The boys have gone rigid rear axle over steerable.
If you tuned in for Episode 9 of Talking Gear Tuesday with the boys from Customized Spreading, you will recall a fairly in-depth yarn about running a steerable rear axle and flotation tyres.
It was a cracker.
But it just goes to show: different application, different terrain, different decision, different clients and a different contractor.
Now this is an example, but imagine one business could not get away with running a rear steerable axle because they would be ripping headlands up too much, while another contractor cannot run it due to terrain and the risk of tipping it.
Both are trying to achieve the same outcome, soil maintenance and crop health, but in such a different way with different requirements.
To me, that is just so interesting.
It is worth saying the hilly, lighter country we are talking about is not unique to St Arnaud.
Right across the Wimmera and into the country around Stawell, Ararat, Donald and Charlton, there are growers sitting on those same lighter rises that lose nutrients and organic matter faster than the flats.
That is exactly where a well-managed manure-spreading program is well suited.
Now diving into Episode 9 again, I am going to take the tyre thinking and place it in here as well, because it is worth the investigation.
But before I do, I have a question running through my head.
Would a chunkier, bitier tyre actually be the better option for these boys, with traction being the main focus rather than compaction, given the type of work they are doing?
Here is where my head is at.
The Fithall crew are working hilly country around St Arnaud, carrying up to 23 tonne of wet manure up and down hills.
To me, that says traction and stability matter more than compaction.
A grippier tyre with a more aggressive pattern would arguably suit them better, so the spreader is not sliding sideways on the hills.
If we compare that to flat broadacre cropping country, where flotation is a high priority, the whole game there is having a larger footprint to spread the weight out, reducing ground pressure and giving the crop the best opportunity to recover.
But there is always a trade-off, not a free win.
Go too aggressive on the lugs and you risk tearing up the very hilly, lighter country you are trying to improve, especially when it is wet.
I feel this decision would be based around client request, and just maybe the smart answer is somewhere in the middle: a flotation tyre with enough tread to still grip.
Same logic as the rigid-versus-steerable axle call really.
Different terrain, different decision.
I am keen to hear someone’s input here, if anyone has some.
Base flotation tyres may offer a lower price point but less footprint.
Mid-range flotation tyres can provide a larger footprint, but still with a firmer sidewall.
Top-end radial flotation tyres can flex more, creating a wider footprint and allowing lower PSI.
If it makes a big difference on your country, then when you are booking in a spreading contractor, request flotation tyres.
In terms of coverage area and distance, the boys will take the spreader anywhere for the right job.
They can float it or zip up the road.
The Fendt will do 55km/h.
So they will go anywhere in Australia for the right job.
55km/h is a handy speed, much in the middle really.
Most tractors used to be restricted at 40km/h, and now they can do up to 70km/h.
A good example is the Fastrac JCB 8330s.
So really, the Fendt sits in the middle.
Jonty’s advice for anyone looking at buying one of these spreaders is to have a heavy tractor and a quick tractor.
I thought that was good advice and something I should put out a bit clearer.
For growers looking at hiring a manure spreader and contractor, the boys from Fithall Ag are based around St Arnaud VIC but will travel.
Whether you are farming around Horsham, Maryborough, Bendigo, Charlton, or even Darwin NT, these boys are available for the right job.
The key takeaway here is this: if you have been thinking about manure spreading but thought it was too hard to organise or too far from a contractor, give Broadacre Contracting a call.
We have a very unique system here at Broadacre Contracting.
We work on core values of respect, reliability and responsibility.
We are actively seeking to build new relationships.
We want to be a part of your success story.
If you want to have a yarn about finding a reliable manure spreading contractor, whether you are farming around St Arnaud, Stawell, Donald, Birchip, Horsham or anywhere across the broadacre belt in Australia, give Dillon a call on 0439 300 380 from 6am to 9pm.
Please remember we are made by farmers for farmers.
Broadacre Contracting is here to help growers and contractors’ bottom line.
These resources may help growers and contractors watch the episode, view the listing, post a job or understand the Bunning spreader and manure reuse information discussed in this yarn.
If you are a grower looking for manure spreading contractors in Victoria, NSW, SA, WA, TAS or anywhere across the broadacre belt, Broadacre Contracting gives you a clearer place to start.
View Fithall Ag, post a tender, or watch more Talking Gear Tuesday episodes to see how we showcase the people behind the gear.
Fithall Ag is a family-owned agricultural contracting business based around St Arnaud, Victoria. In this Talking Gear Tuesday episode, Shaun and Jonty talk through their manure spreading setup with Dillon from Broadacre Contracting.
Fithall Ag runs a Bunning Lowlander Widebody 230 HBD manure spreader, with Topcon scales, a large capacity bin and the ability to apply a wide range of manure products and rates.
The episode talks about pig manure, cattle manure, turkey manure and chook manure. The spreader can also suit other bulky organic products depending on the job, product and paddock conditions.
In the episode, the boys talk about application rates from 2 tonne to 40 tonne per hectare, depending on the product, job and grower requirements.
Manure weight varies because moisture content and product density change dramatically between products. Dry turkey or chook manure can be much lighter, while wet screened cattle manure can be far heavier in the same cubic metre capacity.
Manure spreading can be worth considering where the nutrient value, organic matter, freight cost, spreading cost and agronomy all stack up. The right answer depends on product testing, soil tests, paddock needs and distance from the manure source.
It can be a concern depending on the manure source, handling, composting, weed seed risk and paddock hygiene. Growers should talk with their agronomist, ask questions about the manure source and manage the risk properly.
You can view Fithall Ag through the Broadacre Contracting directory, browse spreading listings or post a tender so verified contractors can see the job and contact you directly.
Talking Gear Tuesday is Broadacre Contracting’s video series where we sit down with growers, contractors and ag operators to yarn about gear, businesses, risks, lessons and the real stories behind Australian agriculture.
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