Low Cost 3 pt. Compost Turner

Sonoma grape farmer Paul Bernier builds a custom compost turner using a tractor and found auto parts. His innovative compost turner is a cost-effective way of turning his grape compost or "pomace," which helps cultivate healthy wine grapes.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• compost turner
• compost
• farm
• Sonoma
• tractor
• grape
• wine
• innovate
• build
• pomace

[AManfromGoljota]

You are amazing! very inspiring!

[mudpie1000]

I have two words for you " your SMART" You thought this through and made a fine tool.

[LuapReinreb1]

@marselan , Hi, I am the builder of the turner, did you get one built? Paul

[LuapReinreb1]

One advantage of this design is that there is no need for a counterweight or complicated hinge to get over the windrow. This agitator is 6.5 ft. long so it can turn a 13 ft. windrow. By only turning half the windrow width at a time, less hp is required of the tractor. I am thinking of building another turner with an 8 ft. agitator for a slightly larger tractor I have. The downside will be transporting on my tiltbed trailer. It would be over hight. I think the diff. will handle it .

[LuapReinreb1]

So being overbuilt is not a bad thing for a turner. There is a lot of force out at the end of the agitator and there can be suprises in the piles. Last season I was turning for another winery who had already built up the windrows and ran across a 60lb chunk of concrete that was at the bottom of the pile. It bent a couple of tines, but no failure of anything else. The agitator is welded to a 10 hole bud wheel center I cut out of a truck wheel, then bolted with lug nuts to the hub. Hell for strong

[LuapReinreb1]

added comments; the diff. was pulled out of a scrap bin. It had bad gear faces and broken spider gear cage from an axle break. It still worked fine, because the pto drives it in reverse, which had good surfaces. The diff is way over built for the job. It takes around 45hp to run the turner, and the diff is able to handle 250hp and lots of torque. Paul

[LuapReinreb1]

Greetings, I am Paul, the designer and builder of the turner. I will try to answer your questions here, or use my email to get a hold of me. You want around 200 rpm at the agitator. A diff. with a ratio in the low 4's will give you that If you have a 750 or 1,000 rpm pto. With a 540 pto, look for one lower.

[cat85E]

can i ask what ratio diff you used

[marselan]

Same here. We totally could use one but can"t really afford the size we need. I'll go back in the junk yard and dig out everything from scrap metal to old manure spreader,gears and all that good stuff. Thanks Paul ! I will get going and try to build one too. By the way...grape-grower also...in the Okanagan Valley, BC.Canada.

Cheers

[farmboy1973]

Thats a fantastic homebuilt version. We could do with one- and I was fearing having to buy one, but you have given me the urge to try and build one! Many thanks!