The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Smallholding => Techniques and skills => Topic started by: skeeterm5 on January 27, 2022, 03:52:07 pm
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Hi all
I am after some tips or guidance on how to best clear a barn floor.
It is covered with a dry straw top which is sitting on top of matted manure. In total it is several inches thick.
I have scraped the first barn with the loader on my tractor which worked well as it had a concrete floor.
However the second part of the barn has a cobbled floor with irregular sized stones. When I try to use the loader to scrape it keeps hitting and hanging up on the cobbles.
I then reverted to a shovel but it is a big barn, the stuff is heavy and I would like to get it done before the next millennium comes round.
My other thought is to hire a mini digger which has a much smaller bucket and may be more effective.
I am new to this so any tips from more experienced folk would be most welcome.
😀
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We used to use muck forks and take it off in layers, not trying to dig it out.
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Can you fit muck forks (prongs as opposed to a flat bucket) to the front of the tractor? The stuff should lift up in large pancakes with enough oomph. You might need to go hand gripes for the very bottom layer, or may find you can get almost all of it with the tips of the prongs, without damagjng the cobbles. (This is my thoughts, not something I have personally done. We always have had either cement or earth floors.)
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Thanks
Yes I can fit forks to the tractor, so will give that a go.
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Thanks
Yes I can fit forks to the tractor, so will give that a go.
Great! Take it in thinnish layers so you don't overload the forks, it usually comes apart in layers quite happily.
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Once you've got it up, chop it with a rotavator before stacking it for compost/FYM - brilliant stuff.