Dairy Effluent Management: Right Amount at the Right Time
Good effluent management on a dairy farm combines a well-designed system with proper processes to ensure the right amount of effluent gets applied to pasture at the right time.
Located near Brest, France, Pichon has been active on the agricultural machinery market since 1970.
After initially developing equipment for soil preparation, in 1976, the company turned to the manufacture of slurry tankers and muck spreaders.
Tankers range in size from 2,600L to 30,000L capacities, with single, tandem or triaxle variants.
The company’s TCI range (Tanker with Chassis Integrated) has been the trademark of Pichon for more than forty-five years, with the exclusive option increasing operational stability.
The construction sees the tank welded directly to the chassis, rather than mounted to an independent frame, offering the lowest centre of gravity on the market. Recessed tankers are offered to enable users to fit axles with big diameter wheels.
The rolls and the ends of the tanker vessel are assembled side by side, then welded completely inside and outside using a submerged arc welding process. Tank wall thicknesses vary from 5 to 8 mm according to the diameters, while the steel used is selected according to its mechanical characteristics and its aptitude for galvanization, a process which offers a longer working life to machines. This concept is embraced further, with each tanker equipped with brackets enabling the user to modify their equipment in the future.
A range of spreading options include a dribble bar, a fully galvanized structure, mounted on a hydraulic rear linkage, with working widths from 9 to 24 metres, integrating one or two vertical macerators to deal with thick slurry, straw or other solid particles.
A range of spreader plates are available. With a simple yet effective design, each spreader plate has its own unique characteristics.
Injector systems are available in two versions. The EL8 Trailing Shoe, with 7.5 and 8.8m widths, especially designed for grassland applications. The shoes part the grass and the pressure on the shoes makes a shallow furrow into which the slurry is injected. The EL61 with Vibroflex tines, works the soil to a depth of up to 20cm, working widths from 3 to 6m. Square tines can be fitted for harder ground.
The Pichon muck spreader range ranges in capacity from 9 to 23 cubic metres, all fully galvanized with recessed heavy-duty square beam axles for improved stability.
These machines are designed for farmers and contractors wishing to get an accurate spread pattern, the specific position of the beater frame prevents the product to be spread from being pushed back inside the body thereby reducing power required on PTO.
By combining this design and oversized diameter beaters, an accurate spread pattern and high-volume outputs is always maintained. Options include sprung drawbar, hydraulic jack, in-cab electric control box, hydraulic guillotine door and door level indicator.
