Augers can be a great way to help dairy producers manage the manure on their dairy. They can be used to transfer manure long distances from the barns to a storage or processing facility, or they can be used to load spreaders or other processing equipment.
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Unlike pumps, augers have generous clearances and can transport debris with minimal problems. They are also extremely versatile and are available in a variety of sizes, lengths, horsepower and materials of construction to fit nearly any project and budget. McLanahan’s engineering team can design complete material conveyance systems to minimize the amount of time an operator has to spend moving materials from barns or processing facilities.
Manure Augers are built to McLanahan’s high-quality standards for performance and reliability. Some of the auger components are also built to Conveyor Equipment Manufacturer Association (CEMA) standards, and heavy-duty options are available for nearly every auger. Several of the most common applications include: manure conveyance across freestall barns, conveyance of dewatered manure fibers, metering sand-laden manure into a sand separation system, loading manure spreaders with sand-laden manure, conveying dried manure or sand, conveyance into and out of a drying system, and metering materials out of a hopper.
Manure Augers are versatile and simple. A motor and gear reducer turn a shaft containing flighting at a predetermined speed. A housing or trough contains the shaft and material that needs conveyed. As the shaft turns, the flighting advances the material from one end of the trough to the other. Safety covers are used to help contain the material and provide safety.
In most modern freestall barns, manure is either scraped or flushed from the manure alleys into a conveyance trough. For scraped manure systems, a McLanahan auger may be placed into a level trough to convey manure to a reception tank. A drive is located at one end of the auger, and safety grating covers the areas where manure is pushed in. The auger is switched on either manually during tractor scraping or automatically when alley scrapers are used. The augers run for a set amount of time before turning off automatically.
Augers installed in a storage tank operate on an incline and meter material from the tank and into another piece of equipment. These augers have pre-formed metal troughs that create tight tolerances with the screw shaft. To decrease the abrasive wear on the auger trough, liners are installed between the trough and the screw shaft and can be removed and replaced when necessary.
McLanahan has pioneered the use of augers for conveying manure and sand. Every day, hundreds of our auger systems move thousands of gallons of manure and sand on dairy farms of all sizes around the world. These systems are simple, robust, versatile and very cost-effective.
McLanahan can supply many different types of augers. Horizontal Manure Augers are used to transfer the manure that’s pushed to the end of the freestall alleys. They convey the manure hundreds of feet across barns to storage locations. Multiple sealing options are available depending on how deep the manure will get in relation to the drives. Bearings, screw shafts, hangars and drives are available in a variety of configurations, including a heavy-duty option to ensure a long service life under severe conditions.
Inclined Manure Augers are used to lift the manure from the storage area into another piece of equipment, often a Sand-Manure Separator, which requires the manure be metered in at a consistent rate. In other cases, a Spreader Loading Auger can load a manure spreader at a very high volume. In any case, these Inclined Manure Augers are designed and built with careful attention to make them long-lasting and easy to maintain.
McLanahan Manure Augers were originally designed for conveying sand-laden manure, so they are built to withstand that abrasive environment.
There are several things that make our augers unique:
There is seldom a one-size-fits-all solution for equipment selection. This is no different with our auger systems. Many standard components are available as stock for immediate delivery, but there are also many ways to customize the augers for your specific needs.
The longest distance with a single drive is more than 200 feet. Manure can be conveyed much longer distances by using multiple augers placed end to end to continue transferring the manure. The table below shows some standard lengths and horsepower.
Length (ft) | Drive Horsepower (hp) | Service Rating |
| 12 | 3 | Standard-Duty |
| 24 | 5 | Standard-Duty |
| 36-72 | 7.5 | Standard-Duty |
| 84-108 | 10 | Standard-Duty |
| 120-168 | 15 | Heavy-Duty |
| 180+ | 20 | Heavy-Duty |
You can save money several ways. With McLanahan’s heavy-duty Manure Augers, less time and money is invested in the upkeep and maintenance of the system. Also, when Horizontal Manure Augers are used to move manure from the end of the alleys, the tractor operator spends less time chasing the manure to the pit.
Many augers have been used to transfer manure from barns to a storage location. If the auger will be subjected to extended freezing conditions, a timer can be used to jog the auger on and keep it from freezing. Also, it’s recommended that the auger is covered with hay bales or something equivalent during cold spells to minimize the risk of freezing.
Manure Augers are built to McLanahan’s high-quality standards for performance and reliability.
