Newman 1

Samantha Newman

Mr. Storlie

Senior Seminar

11 May 2018

Dragline Manure Pumping

In today's world there are many ways farmers use manure from animals and city by

product to fertilize for growing of their crop. The one method that is becoming more popular is

dragline. Dragline is when manure is ran through a lagoon pump into a booster pump sending it

to the toolbar tractor or the next booster pump by hoses at a high PSI. It is ran into the distributor

and then is distributed to each shank and runs out the tubes as the spikes and shovels dig to inject

it into the ground.

The main purpose of dragline manure pumping is to use bulk amounts of liquid manure

to fertilize fields to have a higher yield. There are three main things that farmers are looking for

from their liquid manure and those are nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium (Wayne Cords, et al

21). There are many things that play a role in manure pumping, such as gallons per minute,

gallons per acre, and how fast you are able to go.

Applicating manure has different information that is used for the application process.

Having to know the farmers manure management plan so that the correct amount of gallons to

the acre is applicated. The order of fields also needs to be known that need to be applicated in

because some fields did not get manure the spring or the fall before (Toby Curtis). The manure

management plan starts with manure samples that are taken. Taking a manure sample is done

twice a job, and more depending upon the request of the farmer (Curtis). There are two ways
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samples can be taken one being to fill up an empty bottle you have, or have the sample

containers there. On the booster pump there is a valve that has a pipe coming out of the pump

and the valve is opened slightly to fill the bottle. After the bottle is filled write the job, and date.

The next step is to bring it back to the shop put it in with a small sheet of paper towel and in a

ziplock bag. Then filling out a sample card with writing the company that did the job, what kind

of manure was pumped, and what it is getting tested for. After that process is complete it gets

closed in a small box and shipped to get tested.

In manure pumping there are a range of responsibilities. One of the most common jobs is

the pit pump. That is where the manure is sent to the toolbar tractor. Having a tractor, lagoon

pump, and a booster pump, there is one more job at the pit and that is the boat operator. The boat

operator drives the boat around the pit to stir the manure so all the settled things do not clog the

pumps. These jobs are where a person starts out. Moving to rolling and unrolling hose, the

equipment that is required to do this is a tractor and a hydraulic operated hose cart. Then the next

thing to move to is the hose humper tractor. This tractor is an important thing to have when you

are doing strips, and awkward shaped fields, and hilly fields (Curtis). The tractor helps the

toolbar driver move the hose around because the toolbar can only pull their drags and not the

eight inch hose. It helps to switch sides of the hose or to pull them forward to finish the upper

part of a field. There is one more job and that is the toolbar driver itself. They are responsible for

injecting the manure at the correct gallons to the acre, and to watch the gallons per minute to find

any problems or to let the pit know if they have a break in the hose.

When driving toolbar in dragline manure pumping there is one main equation that come

along with that. The equation is to tell how fast to drive the toolbar, which is gallons per minute
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divided by gallons per acre then divided by width of the toolbar multiplied by 495 (Ryan

Newman). When driving toolbar there are many things that need to be watched out for, such as

when backing up and doing the double swivel back up making sure that you pull enough slack is

a big deal (Newman). If not enough slack is pulled when doing the turn around the house will get

really tight and with it being tight there are two main things that can go wrong. The first thing

that can go wrong is that not all the ground will get covered because of not completing the full

turn around or messing up the row lines. The second thing that can go wrong is that if the hose

has to much tension the end can rip off of the swing pipe.

In dragline pumping there are three different hoses that are used to run the manure from

the pit to the toolbar. It first starts with the feeder hose that runs the manure from the lagoon

pump over to the booster pump to send it out at a higher PSI to get it to the toolbar at the correct

gallons per minute. The second hose comes right off the booster pump and that is a regular eight

inch Hydro hose. Then when getting closer to the toolbar tractor the eight inch hose will turn into

a six inch drag hose. The six inch drag hose that connects with a special coupler that converts it

from eight inches to six. The drag hose is smaller so that the toolbar tractor can pull it around by

itself (Newman).

Arriving at a job comes with many different challenges. The first thing that gets done is

getting the boat in the pit to stir up the crust. After the boat is in, the lagoon pump gets backed

into the pit and the PTO is turned on, but first one needs to make sure it is on agitate and not fill.

After that is done one person stays with the boat as the rest of the pit or extra people put ropes

through culverts, and pull the hose through culverts when the hose unroller gets there. As that is

happening the toolbar driver stays unhooked from the hose and rips the head lands so that he or
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she can get the field mapped out for auto steer, and to see if they want to do the field in just two

sections or if they want to do more than that. After all of the hoses are hooked together from the

lagoon pump out to where the toolbar will hook up to the pit, a person will send manure to get it

out the end and then the driver will hook up. When getting manure out the end it gets sent at a

low PSI. The tractor will engage the PTO and bring it up to 1,500 RPMs, and then just engage

the clutch of the booster pump so that it’s at an idle (Curtis). Then when it gets out the end it will

all get shut back down. Next the toolbar driver will clamp off the hose with a hose clamp and

hook the end of the hose to the toolbars swing pipe. After that the next thing is when the driver

says that they are ready it will get sent back out at an idle till the driver has a steady flow and he

he or she communicates to take it up to get more gallons per minute. When that happens the

tractor is taken up to 1800 RPMs and will put the booster pump at what the driver is comfortable

with and that will range from an idle up to 200 pounds of pressure.

When leaving a job site there are many thing that have to be done. First, the hoses have

to be blown out with a large air compressor, and that launches a foam pig bullet through all the

hoses and out of the toolbar. The next step is to lift the lagoon pump and pull it out of the pit. As

the hose cart driver is rolling up the hose the toolbar driver folds the wings up and then straps

down the swing pipe so that is stays centered driving down the road. The next step is to pull out

boats and put fuel in all the equipment so it will all be ready for the next job that it arrives at.

After all of our equipment is fueled and rolled up it is hooked up booster pumps and lagoon

pumps get hooked up to company trucks, and hose carts, and air compressors will be doubled up

put on the back of tractors so that all tractors can be moved to the next job at once.
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Launching a pig can be a dangerous job (Curtis). Making sure the toolbar driver is ready

is the most important thing to do before starting the launching pig process (Newman). The start

of launching a pig is firing up the air compressor and letting it warm up. Then loading the pig in

a homemade pig launcher. Then the hose is driven to have the manure go back into the pit threw

the booster pump. Shortly after that when the hose goes flat, a hose clamp must be put on it

(Newman). The next step is to take the hose clamp off and put the air compressor in launch mode

and then open the valve and send the pig. Then letting the toolbar driver know that it is on the

way. After that it is a waiting process. When the pig makes it to the toolbar it comes out and the

air compressor gets shut down and then one must wait for the amount of pressure to go down so

things can get taken apart and put away. The importance of launching a pig is that it cleans out

all the sand, debris, and manure in the hoses. Cleaning out the hoses is good so that more hoses

fit on the hose carts and the hose will be rolled much tighter.

Each hose is one eighth of a mile long. The drag hose is 660 feet long when the toolbar is

digging it can only pull its drags (Newman). If pulling a splash pan toolbar it can pull more than

its drags do to the fact it is not digging. A booster pump is placed approximately every mile to

keep the gallons going to the toolbar up. It also depends on the size of the booster pump engine

on how far a booster pump is placed away from the pit booster pump.

Dragline manure pumping can be dangerous and it comes with health risk. When dealing

with hog, dairy and beef cattle manure in large storage facilities the largest risk is the gases. The

common four are hydrogen sulfide, methane, ammonia, and carbon dioxide (Farm Safety

Association, Inc.). It is common to see methane gas bubbles on large lagoons and under barn pits

for pigs. Falling in the pit and possibly drowning is another danger (Newman). “When working
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with PTOs there is always a danger of getting things stuck in them or even pinching fingers in

the knuckles” (Newman). Running the hoses at high pressures comes with them becoming weak

can cause bursts which can be a danger if a person gets hit by the hose or the coupler if the clamp

lets go. Another large danger is the air compressors running at high pressure can cause things to

burst when a pig gets stuck or never leaves at launch if it malfunctions (Newman).

Dragline pumping also comes with disadvantages and challenges. One challenge is the

weather, if the ground is wet, or frozen it is hard to dig and still be able to move without getting

stuck. Another large challenge is culverts. At most jobs it required to run the hose through a

culvert which is a challenge because if the hose rubs on the edges or gets a leak that can not be

seen. It also takes time away from getting started because you have to put the rope through with

sticks or crawl through if culvert is big enough then have to pull it through (Newman). Different

storages are a challenge with underbarn pits and slurry stores. They are more difficult because

they require different pumps and those are doda pumps, tip up pumps, and a gravity feed Cornell

pumps. Breaking down is also a common problem when working with large equipment. The

biggest disadvantage is the lack of sleep and the lack of seeing family with such long hours and a

short window to get all job locations pumped (Newman).

Along with disadvantages there are also advantages with it also. One advantage is that all

the locations are slightly different so things are done a different way. “It is much more than

staring at the same office cubicle” (Newman). It is moving from job to job with the ability to see

different things. There is strategy behind it because of the different ways that jobs can be done.

Different crew leaders do it differently in regard to how the hose is laid out, all the things that the

toolbar has to go around, or how many fields that need application (Newman).
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Manure application has changed significantly over the years as farms increased the size

of their herds. As their production is growing the need of land is on the rise for more pasture

ground or barn space. Along with the growing of city by product. With farmers covering more

ground it makes it more complex with all of the ground that has to be covered. The complexity

of hoses being miles out with booster pumps makes it more difficult to get the correct number of

gallons to match with the gallons per acre. With less gallons per minute the slower that the

toolbar moves which equals slower time to get things done. The large production numbers place

more importance on manure distribution, which benefits the quality of crops fed to animals.
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Work Cited

Ag Safety Database​, 2002, nasdonline.org/48/d001616/manure-gas-dangers.html.

Farm Safety Association, Inc. “Manure Gas Dangers.” ​National Ag Safety Database - National

Ryan Newman, CAWT Site Manager, Personal Interview, 26 February, 2018

Toby Curtis, Senior Project Mentor, Personal Interview, 2 March, 2018

Wayne Cords, et al, Commercial Animal Waste Technician Site Manager Study Manual,

University of Minnesota Extension 2015

Wright, Peter, and Shawn Bossard. “Manure Application with a Drag Hose .” ​Cornell Manure

Management