Simon Sturrock, Bangor, N Wales, UK
Used virtually all the year round, the three Powerspread 2800s used by one north Wales contractor have a demanding time of it - but their performance is reported to have been second to none. To have just one of Shelbourne Reynolds’ largest capacity muck spreaders is usually sufficient capacity for most contractors but such is the nature of Simon Sturrock’s work, he has three of them. Based at Bangor, Caernarfon in North Wales, Mr Sturrock has a contract with United Utilities to spread human sludge and works throughout the whole of Anglesey. United Utilities is a company which provides operations and maintenance for Welsh Water’s waste water collection and treatment in north Wales.
“We purchased the first Powerspread 2800 with its 12t capacity in June last year,” he says. “And it suited our business so well that we bought another two six months later.” It was not all plain sailing though. The first spreader to arrive was delivered on a single axle which, although entirely capable of carrying the weight of a fully laden spreader was not, according to Mr Sturrock’s advisors, able to travel legally on the road with that degree of axle loading. The result was the fitting of a second sprung steering axle and this feature, he insists, has been the making of the spreaders. “Not only do the spreaders travel better in the field but the ability of the rear axle to steer gives the machine a manoeuvrability that is hard to beat. When turning on headlands the spreader tracks the tractor’s wheelings without any scuffing.” While human sludge is not difficult to spread – in the treated format Mr Sturrock handles it, it has the consistency of ‘burnt porridge’ – complying with a strict code of requirements concerning where and how it is spread is not so easy. Fields have to be inspected by the Environment Agency to assess their suitability in terms of the proximity of water ways and also the condition of the soil. “A field which has soil that is not considered to be in good heart and able to fully utilise the sludge will be not be allowed to be spread,” explains Mr Sturrock. “And the same decision would be given to a field that had, say, a river or stream running along two sides of its boundaries. Application rate is also regulated with a limit set of 10t/acre.” It is also important that sludge should not be spread within 4m of a field boundary and the Powerspread’s side delivery is considered to be an important feature in this respect, as its ability to create an even spread pattern of up to 18m. Rather than a system of chain and slats to move the muck to the spreader unit, the Powerspread employs a large diameter auger to feed into the discharge rotor. The auger, which is reversible in the event of a blockage, can be driven at three speeds to allow it to handle different types of muck – liquid, solid and human waste. Mr Sturrock expects each of his machines to spread about 2000 tonnes/month when hauling the sludge from one of the treatment sites. During the winter when the land may be too wet to travel on the job continues with sludge stock piled in fields which means having to handle it twice but ensures that when spreading commences outputs can reach as high as 1100 tonnes/day. A 360 degree excavator is brought in to load the spreaders. “The demand from farmers to have their fields spread with sludge is high,” he points out. “The nutritional value is put at £45/acre and, due to the treatment process, there is also the equivalent of about one tonne of lime/acre applied.” In terms of reliability, Mr Sturrock reports that the Powerspreads, which he operates behind John Deere 6920 tractors, have been virtually faultless.“The automatic chain lubrication and single point bearing greasing systems help to ensure all the moving parts remain in good working condition,” he points out. “Overall, I have to say that for the type of work I’m involved in, Shelbourne Reynolds has got it about right with the Powerspread.”