WINNIPEG – A combination aerator-slurry injection system from Germany uses a sharp tine designed with a twist so that it loosens the earth. The system allows liquid slurry to run into the resulting hole and then spread out to uniformly saturate the soil.
The unit uses a tine wheel in conjunction with a stainless steel manifold that finely chops all solid materials in the manure. The injection wheel eliminates the problem of nutrient concentration in the soil, generally associated with manure injection, said Tom Wiebe of Palm Lite Systems in Steinbach, Man. Palm Lite is the Canadian importer of the AerWay Soil Aerator.
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“Each tine punches a non-continuous hole in the ground, but we do not get those concentrated pockets of nutrients,” Wiebe said.
“The tines are twisted so they fracture the soil around the hole as they’re pulled through the soil. That action loosens the soil enough that the liquid slurry radiates outward below the surface.”
He said the concept is similar to the spoke wheel used for injecting liquid fertilizers, but the AerWay machine makes bigger, more aggressive slices that allow a higher volume of slurry to be absorbed below the surface.
The tine circles are spaced on 7.5 inch centres. Each circle has four non-driven tines that turn by themselves as the tractor pulls the machine over the field. The manure is gravity fed, either behind or in front of the tines.
The stainless steel manifold is driven by an orbital motor, running at 350 rpm. Wiebe said the blades chop straw or other material into a fine substance that eventually becomes all liquid.
“Each revolution on the spinner shoots one litre of chopped slurry down each manifold run,” he said.
“The manifold was designed for dairy operators, so it’s built to handle high volumes of straw and solids. If you can get the manure into the chopper, it will flow. Plugging is eliminated forever. Period.”
The chopping manifold for a 20 foot machine has 24 outlets. The injection toolbar is also available in widths of 30 and 40 feet, with appropriate manifolds to match the number of injector circles.
The smallest AerWay is a 15 foot unit on a three-point hitch, with a list price of $12,000. The chopping manifold for that unit adds another $9,000.
Wiebe has sold 20 units in Manitoba, mainly to custom applicators, Hutterite colonies and big hog operations.
“It’s mainly for injecting liquid slurry into cropped fields, but it also works very well in pasture conditions with thick sod,” he said.
Wiebe can be reached at 204-326-9271.
