Made-It-Myself Pasture Vacuum

Made-It-Myself Pasture Vacuum MISCELLANEOUS EQUIPMENT Miscellaneous Jeff Lang Newport News Va designed and built a pasture vacuum from scrap material that makes it easier to keep livestock pastures and stalls free of manure He was inspired to take on the project when visiting a friend’s farm where he saw a manufactured version of a pasture vacuum that made it easy to keep up with the waste of 10 horses “It didn’t seem hard to replicate ” said Lang “Essentially I needed to build a large shop vac ” He worked intermittently on the project for about two weeks and estimates he used about $80 worth of supplies Costs would have been significantly higher but he sourced most of the material for free The vacuum’s frame and Honda engine came from an old pressure washer to which he added wheels and the necessary connection points The outer frame consists of old street signs he picked up from a scrap yard He sealed the corners with silicone An unexpected bonus of the aluminum signs is that their anti-rust properties ensure that the vacuum is protected against the acid in the manure it picks up Soon after building it Lang added a screen to the inside to keep particles away from the fan Likewise the vacuum’s second hose acts as an air discharge to keep air and debris from blowing out at eye level The vacuum is meant to be towed behind a pickup riding mower or any other powered engine When you want to empty it just back it up to where you want the pile and rake out the interior The vacuum hose swivels 360 degrees so he can more precisely control the suction action Overall it works best with dry manure “You can also use the whole device as a leaf blower ” Lang says Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Jeff Lang Newport News Va 23606 ph 757-873-1662

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