Rotating Incinerator Makes Quick Work Of Carcasses

The Turn-A-Nator from Sammy Massey promises to turn carcasses into ashes faster with less fuel at temperatures of up to 1,600 degrees. The largest of the new incinerators can reduce a 300-lb. hog carcass to ash in an hour and a half.

"These units are designed for everyone from the livestock farmer who needs to clean up an occasional dead animal, to the vet clinic that offers pet cremation as a service," says Massey. "The T1000, our large unit, will incinerate a 200-lb. carcass in about an hour. Our smaller T150 will dispose of about 500 lbs. of chickens in two hours."

Massey's original backyard crematory (FARM SHOW Vol.29, No. 1) used a wedge-shaped, self-feeding design with a bottom burn. His new Turn-A-Nator speeds the incineration with a constant tumble of the carcass for faster and more efficient disposal.

"The turning busts up the ashes so the flame keeps hitting the carcass directly," says Massey. "As a result, it takes as little as half a gallon of diesel fuel per 100 lbs., much less than other incinerators on the market. The turning also busts up the bones, eliminating the need for a crusher." The Turn-A-Nator, with its propane tank shape, has stationary ends with a revolving center barrel. The largest unit has a 4-ft. wide, 12-ft. long footprint. At one end, a diesel or propane-fed burner injects flame into the firebox while a fan forces extra air into the firebox for a cleaner burn. At the other end of the unit, an optional afterburner cleans up virtually all the smoke.

"You can set the time so the 1/3 hp motor rotates the firebox as fast as one revolution per minute or as slow as one per five minutes," says Massey. The standard door on the T1000 handles a 300-lb. carcass, but Massey says it could be made large enough for a 500-lb. carcass.

The Turn-A-Nator comes in small, medium and large with the smaller T150 designed to handle 150-lb. carcasses.