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| I'm thinking about getting an automatic waterer. With inconsistent numbers of cattle and their drinking habits I'd rather stay with a heated model rather than "energy free". What are your likes and dislikes of brands you have used? Local guy who sells and uses them himself carries the Jug waterer. http://www.thejugwaterer.com Also have Ritchie available locally. Farm store in town recently started carrying a concrete waterer made in Canada. I think the brand name was Can-crete or something like that? They looked well built and heavy.
Edited by John SD 12/20/2006 09:06
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Valley, NE | on our farm we have 2 smaller metal ritchie waters and one 6foot metal waterer, and couldnt be more happier with them, they are tough, durable and last a long time, but you will pay $$$ for the ritchie. the longer one needs to have an eye kept on when highs are in the single digits and lows in the negativwe because of the large amount of surface area, but we usually put an added heat lamp in the bottom when it gets cold like that for a while......
neighbor has an old fashioned concrete waterer and says it is the cat's meow and has only problems finidng older parts, when problems do arise, but it works fine
it depends on your checkbook, but i'm going to have to go with the Ritchie, and you're right get them with the heater element, it will save headaches on any waterer
my .02
wurtzy |
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| John,
try these
http://www.hoskins-mfg.com/
Good folks to work with,,,drive up to front door in a very small hamlet and load what you want. Call ahead to be sure of inventory. Their was an 800 included in MY info.
Be sure to use THEIR electric element too. I used 2 blue trojan heaters under a tank and still had ice when very cold,,,bought ONE Hoskins and its been perfectly ice free ever since, no matter how cold. Could NOT believe the difference,,,they said it was due to increased air space around their element.
Dont know how big of cattle this is for,,,but the 'best' thing to do is pour a slab with water line and electric wire coming up thru about a 18-20" culvert 5 foot deep for frost(maybe deeper there) lets earths heat up thru and under the tank. When pouring the slab I poured another 4 " smaller pad on top of regular pad about 6" all arioound the tank. called a crap step.
LITTLE, calves can stand with front feet on there and drink,,,bigger ones stand far away enough away and drink from there,,,keeps the manure away better. AND 6" isnt too much of a step either even 8". Then when they are backed up to the tank they dont crap into it as easy either,,,they dont like there back feet higher than there fronts.
Oh and I dont use the rubber plugs much any more either,,,I get a proper size twist and expland tighten plug from plumbing supply. If they drink the tank dry they like to eat or play with the push corks. They havent figured out how to twist and pull the other kind YET!!(Sorta hard to explain, they are like a boat plug, not the flip over kind)Twist and expand style.
next most important thing is a 1/4 turn valve under the tank for cleaning or emergencies. I also connect the plastic pipe to the tank using brass fittings and one of those stainless steel braided hoses, havent had one of those break yet either.
IF you are running NEW underground pipe use 120# pipe(at least) not the thin junky stuff, and 1" minimum diameter at least depending on your lenght of run. I run 1" on "MY" new run years ago,,,plumber run cheap 3/4" on his,,,dug up his three times or more already, mine zero and the 1" has twice the water available at the tank!!! And use ALL brass fittings and NOT cheapo plastic inserts, they break regularly!!!
great choice an automatic tank,,,cant believe you dont have a 'dozen' of them there already. IF you get skim ice tho the float ball can 'stick' up, cattle drink dry and they are bawling for water,,,mostly happens when power is off or heater quits('darn' moment) Just check and knock it loose,,,,my pliers can take out the one stainless steel 5/16" bolt and take top of float chamber OFF. For complete access or float hold up for cleaning.( I use an old toilet brush for cleaning)(Stick or my hand in a pinch,,,but then it needs a good soaping) Maybe stick an old brush UNDER the tank,,,wish I had one at every tank,,,what an idea, think I will! Thanks for the idea JOHN! And if you come my way to pick one of these babes up,,,I can buy you a good steak!! Otherwie ask about shipping or local dealers,,,they are "WELL" insulated!! One of the 'best' cheapest waterers on the market,that I could find!!
Sorry for length,,but felt I "OWED" you the best info I could muster!! MUCH better than the old 'manuel' tank!! AND NO ICE CHOPPING!! --d-- |
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swmn | Go for the Ritchie. I have the newer plastic ones, and their great. Nothing to rust out, just a heating element occasionally. |
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Southwest Missouri | We have 3 or 4 of these. They are plastic with balls covering the openings. They also have the heat rube in the ground and a 40 watt heating element.
I like the electric because we may not always have cattle where they can drink the water and keep it warm. I figure we can afford to keep a 40 watt element going.
They are much better than breaking ice in winter. You will not regret getting one. |
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North Cental Mo. | Omnifount, Ritchie waterer, is the best I've found, superior insulation, and works like a dream if you have enough pressure.
Roy |
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| Don, thanks for the reply! In fact the guy who sells the Jug has also handled Hoskins. Don't know if he still does. Now that you jog my memory I remember seeing the Hoskins waterer at one of the spring open house shows a few years ago. I have put quite a bit into water the last couple years. I put in 6 - 12' tire tanks at my other place off my good well. This year I put in 5 - 10' round fiberglass tanks on a 2 mile extension from my neighbor's artesian well. All the tanks have Lewis/Watson float valves in the bottom of the tanks. I have some freebie backhoe work coming to me which is a reason I'm considering this job. I still believe a smaller winterized tire tank with a heater in it is probably the most durable and most economical. |
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| Roy, I saw your reply on this topic over at SF. Neighbor has a couple Ritchies and seems to like them but they are older and I'm sure there could be more efficient waterers out there than the ones he has. Durability is a big factor and his waterers have proved themselves in that respect. I do have good consistent water pressure from my water co-op line. |
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| The heat tube seems to be an important item no matter what kind of waterer. The ad I'm looking at it costs almost $150 for a combination of the 4' insulated and 3' uninsulated 15" OD tubes and the coupler to put them together. |
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Southwest Missouri | Probably depends on how cold your climate is. Here, SW Mo, we just use plastic culverts about 4 feet long. We do not use the insulated pipe. It works fine here. If it is much colder, for longer periods of time, then maybe you need the insulated ones.
Edited by Greg Stremel 12/20/2006 21:39
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| Before we got out of hog's in '98 I think we were up to 26 Ritchie water's but now we are down to less than half a dozen in use. Two weeks ago we replaced one in our cattle lot that was put in in '74 and still worked but it was rusted out. We replaced it with a Ritchie 300 plastic waterer that looks to me like it should last forever. One thing we've found with the automatic waterer's is they seem to last longer if they are on a cement pad about 6" wider and longer than the waterer and about 4" higher than the rest of the concrete. |
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Driftless SW Wisconsin | John, I have been looking at one of these waterers. Seem very well built. I had a knowledgeable person suggest a pad 12" wider and about 6" higher all the way around as a real help in keeping the waterer clean. Jim at Dawn
Edited by Jim 12/20/2006 22:40
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| Has anybody tried the waterer from www.cobett.com ? I've been looking at them on the web page and thinking about calling them. I don't have power at any of my trough sites. We have homemade waters like the Cobett, we just use a pipe about 20-24" dia. X10' tall buried in the ground with a pumbing going thru the side about 5' below frost with float on a ball and chain. never freeze if you keep at least 30-40 hd. of cattle on them. But when the pipe rusts out or the break float rod of in winter you have to send someone down the pipe to fix it. My belly has gotten too big to go down those pipes! Looking to change them out and do all work above ground. |
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Huntley Montana | Use a pitless adapter where the line comes through the wall. Then when they need work you just pull the pitless out into the open. That way us "oversized" fellows don't have to get into tight spaces. |
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| I never thought of that! I think I will give it a try, on the next one I build or try to repair. Thanks for the idea. When I have a idea and tell someone how to fix something. They thank me, and I say that's no problem thats what they pay me the big bucks for! |
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| Just from what I've read on the Jug site http://www.thejugwaterer.com it sounds like the 4' long insulated tube is directly under the waterer and then the 3' uninsulated portion extends below that to capture ground heat. We bury water lines 6' deep "here". We normally can expect temps down to -30 here and sometimes extended periods of -0. |
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| Russ,
I have three Cobetts and am planning on putting in a fourth. Very well worth the money and have not had a single problem. Very pleased. Let me know if you have any questions.
Eddie |
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North Mo. | I have two cobetts here in north mo.. I wanted a waterer, behind small ponds, that were not capable of supporting a overflow to keep from freezzing up. The cobetts work good when it is 9 above they are frozen over but hit them with your foot and they will stay open most of the time. In addition if any sun hits them the ice will thaw on sides and will float up and down like a float. I would buy them again for these ponds. Ben |
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Southwest Missouri | Here, 3 foot is deep. Some of my lines only wound up 2 feet deep. Yeah, I'm not happy about that but since I was part of the labor force, I can only kick myself. But, nothing has frozen in the 4 years since I put them in. Some old lines in this area are probably 1 foot deep. I think the old farmers just used a plow. |
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| Thanks, you guys. I'm sure they would work for me. But after reading Badger's post I'm thinking just about making more of the vertical pipe in the ground with a float in them. They are about the same as the Cobett's. But with Badger's idea to use a pitless addap. in them so nobody has to get inside of them to fix a valve or rod. I just might go that way and save a bunch of money. |
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| Do you have the one's with floats or with out? And if you pull the bucket out where the water sits in , is there enough room to work on the valve,etc. |
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| I have both valves. They sell them with a big stainless steel float ball that is really nice. My preference and plans for future buys is to get the float ball in the big units and the floatless valves in the small units. Service isn't even an issue. You run your water line right up to below the basket, then a 1" hose is screwed on, supplied by cobett, and that hangs down below the basket, allowing the basket to be pulled out while all intact. Valves and filters are all attached to the basket. So everything you will need to work on comes right out of the tube and can be taken to the shop to clean and service, but I've never had to do any service. Just clean them out twice a year. Both units are really slick now. All molded plastic and indestructible. You'll like them. Let me know if you have any more questions.
Eddie |
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| Ben,
I got forty cows on mine and don't have any icing anymore that the cows haven't adapted to breaking through.
Eddie |
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| Hey John, I JUST remembered I have a new to me( I never used it) Mirafont ball style waterer(laying in the shed) I was always going to install in my cattle pen IF I divided it and use it for summer time use. CAN you put a heater in that style???
IF you have a use for it I will part with it real cheap cause I wont use it!! Can YOU use it.??? Like other things,,,a GOOD home is more important than price.
I have a mirafont hog waterer that I dont put heat in and nothing drinks from it. It freezes in the winter and thaws in the summer,,,so far no damage. It just 'seeps' over and waters the cats!!!
let me know IF your interested--d-- |
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| Here we use like 5-6 feet uninsulated. What 'kind' of insulation would they use in that case.? I would think that a deeper pipe uninsulated would work OR you could have as big of pipe as you can and then line it with next size smaller on top portion and shoot it full of something like that expanding foam,,,if the mice would leave it alone. Maybe pack the top inch or two with mortar
Or pack it with fiberglass insulation but not sure how that would work IF ever got wet
Just thinkin out loud here ,,,what kind of insulation do they use???--d-- |
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North Mo. | what is a pitless adapter pls. |
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southern MN | I have the small size, with gravity feed (low pressure) valve, steel ball float. Been working great here in MN for 3 years or so. Windchill & well below zero will ice over as they mention, but not a big deal at all, it will not freeze solid just a skin.
--->Paul |
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Huntley Montana | Normally used with a submersible pump to get the water through the well casing. 1 part has a nut that goes on the outside of the casing & a female receiver that goes inside the casing. The other part slips into the female part so that you can remove the pump as needed. Ask where they sell Water pumps & they will show you. My description is not very good |
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North Mo. | Russ how do you clean those out and what keeps calves from taking a deadly swim. Thanks Ben |
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southern MN | Mine is the small size, it's only like a 6 gallon bucket of water. Even the cats can't drown in it - they have quite a path to it.
Two nuts hold it on, take those off & pick it up & dump it out.
--->Paul |
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| With those pipes in the ground, If I ever had to work on one I would pump the water out of them, along with the muck that had built up in them, usally never that to work on them maybe only once in ten years, or a float ball every 3-4 years. Any of the waters that are in small yards we have built a half lid on them to keep cattle from playing with float ball. The only calves that ever drank on these types were weaners, never had one get stuck in one. All our cavy cows and cows and calf pairs drink on live water.
Edited by Russ In Idaho 12/25/2006 06:42
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automatic cattle waterers
