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| have between 20 and 50 cattle in the frozen north. what brand and model is the best for not freezing up. |
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New Mexico | there is no best.
but there should be some good ones and ideas come about here.
Industrial tire tank, run your water and elec up the center ( 18" tube, 2 ft is better ...or larger as possible), cover it ( a Good cover too...with some insulation ) in the winter with the exception of drink holes where needed.
turn a 100 watt light bulb on in the tube ( bout a foot below ground level ) for the winter.
http://www.tiretank.com/
install ideas:
http://www.wenzelconstruction.com/pdf/energy-free.pdf
tires / front page wenzel:
http://www.wenzelconstruction.com/rubbertiretanks.html
Edited by Markwright 1/8/2014 06:58
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n.c.iowa | probably is no such thing as the best one,there is the right one for your situation,i personally like the smidley waterers,several different configurations to fit the situation,low electrical usage. the key to the energy free or low wattage waterers is the ground tube,don't skimp on it. |
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SW MN | Get a Ritchie Cattlemaster with a stainless steel pan. Make sure to have no less than a 12 inch pipe for your water lines and electricity to come up. This makes a huge difference if you can get some ground heat coming up. I have this set up in one of my yards and its the only one I never have to thaw out from time to time.
Edited by siv 1/8/2014 07:20
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| we like the tire tanks |
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Sandy Hook, MB | Hello Johndeere6810
Canarm Designed for cold weather areas (not Florida)! A 50 would work good for your needs. |
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Watonwan County MN | Happy with my Bohlmann 75. -21 below in the picture below. The cow pie is not being used as insulation...
Edited by mr.agco 1/8/2014 07:34
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West Central WI | CANARM, 14 years of trouble free service so far, 0 freeze ups, they WORK.
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South Central South Dakota | Cobetts and tire tanks from Wenzel construction as mark posted up above. Cobetts get alittle ice in them at times but cows have figured that out. Worst I have had was 6in of ice in one on my open prairie one. Broke it open and well cows drinking right away instead of other issues
Granted I only have 2 tire tanks and the rest are cobetts. I do have 3 Ritchie's still they have managed to stay open but they should they have electricity to them and are well protected the rest of my waters have no power near them
Edited by Notazo6 1/8/2014 07:56
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New Mexico | able to accomplish a naturally working recirculation loop with em.
say take a 2.5 inch tube ( inlet water 1/4 the way up from the tank bottom ):
pipe it down then Thru or to the center heat tube:
notch that 2.5" down to a 3/4 inch then up thru the center tube to the top or just below the top of tank water level.
hmmmm.... heat rises. ( colder water sinks, heats to 55 degrees then up to the top ie over and over )
it would raise the average water temp a touch, IF this idea works.
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Napanee, Ontario | +1 |
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WI. | I'm looking into to these next year. Just got done thawing the same two Mirafounts again. This is getting old and I have better things to do. |
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Southern IA | don't overflows require the well pump to continuously cycle off and on or run continuously. Seems it would be hard on a well pump running so much, not necessarily concerned about electricity usage but the life of the pump, boy it'd suck to have to pull a well pump the last couple of days. |
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Watonwan County MN | That was my question as well. Maybe being on rural water makes a difference? But then again, that gets expensive too. |
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Stratton, Ontario, Canada | There is a perfect system. http://kellnsolar.com/products/n?n=49
These units can never freeze as they self drain after the motion sensor shuts off. No heating required.
Beyond that, the next best is Canarm (used to be Henn-Rich) in Canada. Freezes occasionally, but not as often as my Ritchie 3E.
Over the next few years, everything will be ripped out and replaced with a Kelln unit. Save some major bucks in heating. |
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New Mexico | more likely solar....out on the prairie ( as the poster mentions ), quite a few have "dirt tank" over flows.
That way there's always excess water if the wind shuts off or things cloud over for a day or so. |
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Southern IA | the only windmills in the cornbelt are the government subsidized power generators or the 3 ft. tall models in grandma's flowerbed |
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New Mexico | . |
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Atlantic, Iowa | If you have a big pressure tank its not a big deal. It doesn't cycle as much as you think. Its more like a small stream not a garden hose running all night. I'm with the continuous flow guys. I have 8 and absolutely love em. I'm thinking 2 more for next year. As we grow we'll be putting in a cistern with a water cannon and from the ones I've seen it will work great too.
We're big on the Johnson concrete waterers but I do think there are others that will do a good job if set correct |
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Kingdom of Callaway - Fulton, Mo 65251 | clicker - 1/8/2014 09:28 don't overflows require the well pump to continuously cycle off and on or run continuously. Seems it would be hard on a well pump running so much, not necessarily concerned about electricity usage but the life of the pump, boy it'd suck to have to pull a well pump the last couple of days.
I asked my well guy that 10 years ago when I installed my first one. He said the larger the water system you have (number of total gallons added up from all the pipes that it keeps pressurized) the easier it is on the pump because if you remove the same amount of water, doing it with a larger system makes the total pressure drop less. The pump will run longer to get it back up to pressure, but he said running doesn't affect it as much as cycling on and off. I have replaced my pressure switch once in ten years.
We did install a larger pump when we drilled the well because I knew I would be watering cows and not just use it for the house.
When I have a bunch of cows drinking off a waterer, all the overflow pee stream does is help keep it full, it is not spilling over then anyway. It only goes out the drain when no one animal has been drinking off it for however long it takes to fill it back up.
Now that we are back to only getting down to 15 degrees at night, I shut the pee stream off so it doesn't overflow. It doesn't need it except in really cold weather.
I have often wondered how many gallons of water I pump a day to the cattle. I should install a water meter I guess. I do know I would hate to be on a water line. |
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Gary Edwards Anamosa, Iowa | We have (had) 3 H100 in the hoop barn. Cattle tore stainless steel trough up in three years. Replaced one top, reinforced one top with steel straps, replaced one water with Franklin. Will replace other two this summer. |
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Sandy Hook, MB | Gary, Eastern Iowa - 1/8/2014 10:08 We have (had) 3 H100 in the hoop barn. Cattle tore stainless steel trough up in three years. Replaced one top, reinforced one top with steel straps, replaced one water with Franklin. Will replace other two this summer.
Hello Gary, Eastern Iowa
That's all I (we going back to when it was still dad's farm) ever had on the farm. 40 years & never had 1 destroyed by cattle. Leave 1 exposed to cattle & you're asking for trouble! They're going to destroy it. Just like there was a thread on here a while back about what kind of damage cattle can do to our facilities. Only ones that might stand up are the mining tire troughs or the concrete troughs. There is a simple solution to your problem. Protect them from the abuse of the cattle!
Amazing how a few feet of angle iron & a little bit of time in the shop can save you a lot in the long run!!!
Reason for edit: Typo.
Edited by MCatSHF 1/8/2014 10:24
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South central, Mn. | I installed a 9 ft. dia. rubber tire tank this past fall and it has worked out great. Here is my original post last fall:
http://talk.newagtalk.com/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=420055&posts=1...
Took some photos this morning, granted it was only -12 and with firing with wood the evening before with an arm load of wood, it stays ice free all night, even with coldest nights of -25 it stayed open all night. On the coldest days I fire each morning with a few pieces of wood and it keeps open all day. It's a great source to get rid of old fence boards, dead elm wood, etc, keeps the wife happy by getting rid of crap wood around the farm. I figure I use about a third less wood to keep it open compared to the old cement tank. No electric or floats involved with this tank. The water source is only 10 feet away and you learn how to trickle the hose to keep full during the day. Every time you have electric, floats, valves involved you are going to have trouble sooner or later.
The other tank is a Mirra Fount and has been good since I installed it 5 years ago. I use a 500 watt heater in the water chamber and a electric heat pigtail hanging down in the pipe where the water line comes into the waterer. This morning it was frost free and granted, it is on the south side of a building so that helps.
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Sandy Hook, MB | Hello Rustywheel
We had that 40 years ago when my dad had a few head of cattle & there was help around to keep the fire going in the "submarine". Imagine having to maintain 6 of those units now. It would get tired pretty fast. |
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West Central WI | is henn rich were canarm started from? It looks similar? That's a good idea to protect them, cows like to rub on them! |
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South west Ohio Near Dayton | I have the Mirafont, Looks like the one above, works good. |
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Driftless SW Wisconsin | May I ask why the posts on either end of the Mirafount? I agree with the 500w donut heater these are pretty good waterers for the price. I would not trust the dangling wire they give you. The guy that does my waterlines says he always puts in one of the thermostatically controlled heat tapes, and wraps it with pipe insulation and cable ties on the vertical waterline in the heat tube. With the thermostat taped and cable tied to the waterline, it only comes on if the waterline temperature approaches freezing so does not use much electricity. Thanks for the pics. Jim |
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wc sask. | We have 2 ritchie bowls and a "THERMOSINK". THERMOSINK is made in Alberta for western Canadian conditions. It has no power and will get a inch of ice at -20 C if no cows drink all night. Our`s works extremely well , all our waters will be replaced with these. west central sask. where -40 wind chill is normal..... |
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Western Iowa | I guess I am the odd man out, but of all the fountains I have been around I think these are the best.
I have one of these and will have 2 more next summer if I can find the time
http://www.petersenwaterers.com/secure-petersenwaterers/Scripts/pro...
Cattle can get in to drink nicely and they clean out SO easy..... |
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Driftless SW Wisconsin | No you're not the odd man out. I have had a Petersen 34C as my main waterer for about 6 years now. It was the last one I checked yesterday because it always is ice free and working. Some times no news is good news, especially about waterers in the winter. No discussion on here about Petersens may be a plus. I bought and installed a couple less expensive Mirafount 3100's for pastures that I didn't think I would be used very much. Tried a Bohlmann this time. Next time I purchase any waterer it will be another Petersen concrete. My only issue with my Petersen is I seem to have to adjust the thermostat occasionally to keep the water from being too warm. Jim
Edited by Jim 1/8/2014 19:52
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South central, Mn. | Jim - 1/8/2014 16:53
May I ask why the posts on either end of the Mirafount? I agree with the 500w donut heater these are pretty good waterers for the price. I would not trust the dangling wire they give you. The guy that does my waterlines says he always puts in one of the thermostatically controlled heat tapes, and wraps it with pipe insulation and cable ties on the vertical waterline in the heat tube. With the thermostat taped and cable tied to the waterline, it only comes on if the waterline temperature approaches freezing so does not use much electricity. Thanks for the pics. Jim
Hi Jim,
I used the two posts on each side to keep the critters away from it, more or less for waterer protection and something to hang my electric wire on.
You are probably right about the dangling heat wire. One thing I do for extra insurance it stuff a bunch of blanket insulation inside around the pipes. Even though the waterer is on the south side of a building, it is the stiff south wind that blows all that below zero stuff back at us when it warms up. |
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South central, Mn. | Jim - 1/8/2014 18:50
No you're not the odd man out. I have had a Petersen 34C as my main waterer for about 6 years now. It was the last one I checked yesterday because it always is ice free and working. Some times no news is good news, especially about waterers in the winter. No discussion on here about Petersens may be a plus. I bought and installed a couple less expensive Mirafount 3100's for pastures that I didn't think I would be used very much. Tried a Bohlmann this time. Next time I purchase any waterer it will be another Petersen concrete. My only issue with my Petersen is I seem to have to adjust the thermostat occasionally to keep the water from being too warm. Jim
Jim and Sodbustr,
I didn't see your post about the Petersen, they sure look like a very sturdy waterer with brass and copper components inside. |
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Cattle waters? what the best
