# Machine for mucking out



## EleanorBrooks (13 September 2009)

Hi everyone,

Im doing a bit of market research for an equine product manufacturer.  It would be a great help to us if you could take a minute or so to read the following and give us your views.

The machine concerned is electrically-powered and is designed to aid mucking out a shavings bed.  There's no need to just skip out, within a maximum of 10 minutes, though often less, you can give your stable a full muck-out and provide your horse with a clean bed everyday.  For those currently using straw, our product makes a shavings bed more affordable, allowing you to switch from a high-waste style of bedding.  

For protection purposes, I cannot reveal the exact design. However, it is being marketed on the basis of:

1.It saves you time  Reduces mucking-out time by more than 50%.
2.It saves you money  We estimate that, through the machines effective separation of dirty bed from clean bed, you could save at least a bag of shavings per horse per week.
3.It saves you effort  The machine does all the work, which helps protect your back and makes the job much more preferable due to its lack of physical demand.
4.It is simple to use.
5.The separation system is thorough, much more so than if you were to do the work with a shavings fork.

The machine will retail at around £500.  Due to the savings made on shavings, the product pays for itself but more importantly, you are relieved of a time-consuming task.

Thank you in advance for your assistance.

Eleanor


----------



## millitiger (13 September 2009)

i just can't see how that could work...

can it turn banks etc, and what about horses who boxwalk and similar? 

how quickly can it do each stable?

and for horses that only have one bale a week of shavings, how much can you save?

i'm just not sure how economical it would be if you are good at mucking out anyway- and everyone likes their beds mucked out/ put down in a different way...


----------



## kerilli (13 September 2009)

it's an interesting idea. does it have to be wheeled in and out of every stable (in which case, it's not really freeing up anyone.)
can it work safely while a horse is in the stable? (i doubt it!)
might be great in race yards when the horses are all out early on the gallops anyway so stables are empty. but most people (comp yards etc) want to muck out earlyish in the morning, when horses are eating breakfast.... even though obv it's better to do it when the horses aren't around, to prevent them breathing in the ammonia etc.
must admit, i'm fussy about mucking out and i don't know if i'd trust a machine to do it as well as i do!
now, if you can invent a poo-picker for fields which trundles around automatically, does a great job of picking up all the poo, fills itself up and trundles to the muckheap to empty itself, ideally solar-powered, i think you'd have a HUGE market...


----------



## martlin (13 September 2009)

[ QUOTE ]

now, if you can invent a poo-picker for fields which trundles around automatically, does a great job of picking up all the poo, fills itself up and trundles to the muckheap to empty itself, ideally solar-powered, i think you'd have a HUGE market... 

[/ QUOTE ]














 Now, that's a truly brilliant idea!
But back to the OP... ummm, you can already get 'poo hoovers' type things for mucking out - they are used at racecourses for example.
My mucking out is taken care of - my mucker outer is environmentaly friendly, powered by chocolate and has great sense of humour - I call her my groom 
	
	
		
		
	


	








Another downside I can see - if you do pretty much everything by machine, where exactly ARE we going to burn off all the spare calories we consume every day?


----------



## Box_Of_Frogs (13 September 2009)

£500??? You're joking, right?

I stable my horse on a deep litter shavings system and only use approx 1 bale a week. How would it save me 1 bale when that's all I use? And I like to take the worst of the barely damp, discoloured shavings out too, the end result of this is a deep litter bed that's been down over 2 years without touching it and is as fragrant as the day it was laid. Does your machine run off batteries? What if there's no mains power? Or what if there is but it's miles away and you'd need 2 extension cords to get it to reach? What if an extension cord would have to run across the yard where horses and people are coming and going all the time? Or what if it's raining, making mains electricity and dangling extension cords a serious hazard? How long does it take to empty the machine and maintain/clean it? How often does it need servicing and where would people take it to be serviced? Does it block regularly? What if you accidentally sucked up your messy ned's pile of discarded haylage? How long is the guarantee? How heavy is it to lug around empty and full? How big/cumbersome is the nozzle that sucks up poo, because my horse time shares his bum with an elephant and you'd need serious suction and a seriously wide nozzle to cope with it. In what way would pointing the nozzle thing all around the shavings be easier on your back/time than a shavings fork?And if the suction is that good, what would happen if you accidentally got the yard cat/chickens caught in it? 

HTG hun, I think you've got a product that is 100 times worse than the current manual method! When you've ironed out all the above, maybe try again lol.


----------



## martlin (14 September 2009)

[ QUOTE ]
And if the suction is that good, what would happen if you accidentally got the yard cat/chickens caught in it? 

HTG hun, I think you've got a product that is 100 times worse than the current manual method! When you've ironed out all the above, maybe try again lol. 

[/ QUOTE ]














 I'm going to dream about chickens and cats being sucked up by a giant hoover!
Would it spit the chickens/cat back do you think? Minus the poo?


----------



## Enfys (14 September 2009)

Tractor and bucket once a year works pretty well for me.  
	
	
		
		
	


	





I think that although these time/labour saving devices sound great, in reality dragging the things around, getting it set up, etc, etc, doesn't actually save much time in the end. 

Good Luck though.


----------



## EleanorBrooks (14 September 2009)

[ QUOTE ]
i just can't see how that could work...

can it turn banks etc, and what about horses who boxwalk and similar? 

how quickly can it do each stable?

and for horses that only have one bale a week of shavings, how much can you save?

i'm just not sure how economical it would be if you are good at mucking out anyway- and everyone likes their beds mucked out/ put down in a different way... 

[/ QUOTE ]

Hi, thanks for responding. With regards to boxwalking, I can understand how this makes mucking out more difficult, though using the machine is far more efficient and quicker than mucking out with a shavings fork. The machine won't be suitable for every scenario but we are currently developing a DVD demo, which will allow you to judge for yourself.

Due to the nature of the seperation system, you target the dirty bed, both poo and wet shavings, without too much disruption to the bankings.

With reference to how long it takes to muck out, this all depends on how often you clean your horse's bed. But based on mucking out morning and night, it takes approx. 5 mins each session and the seperation is thorough.

The disposal of poo doesn't waste any clean shavings - the only stuff removed is poo and wet bedding. This is also advantageous for your muck heap, as it consists only of waste, which dramatically reduces its volume.

Hope this helps.


----------



## EleanorBrooks (14 September 2009)

[ QUOTE ]
it's an interesting idea. does it have to be wheeled in and out of every stable (in which case, it's not really freeing up anyone.)
can it work safely while a horse is in the stable? (i doubt it!)
might be great in race yards when the horses are all out early on the gallops anyway so stables are empty. but most people (comp yards etc) want to muck out earlyish in the morning, when horses are eating breakfast.... even though obv it's better to do it when the horses aren't around, to prevent them breathing in the ammonia etc.
must admit, i'm fussy about mucking out and i don't know if i'd trust a machine to do it as well as i do!
now, if you can invent a poo-picker for fields which trundles around automatically, does a great job of picking up all the poo, fills itself up and trundles to the muckheap to empty itself, ideally solar-powered, i think you'd have a HUGE market... 

[/ QUOTE ]

Hi, thank you for your response. Yes, it does have to be wheeled in and out of the stable, very much like a wheelbarrow but smaller. With regards to freeing anybody up, the stable still needs mucking out, though it reduces both the time and effort required.

Our guidance is to take your horse out of the stable whilst using the machine, as this is good, safe practice anyway.

Hope this is of use. We're developing a DVD demo at the moment, which should clear up any other queries.


----------



## EleanorBrooks (14 September 2009)

[ QUOTE ]
£500??? You're joking, right?

I stable my horse on a deep litter shavings system and only use approx 1 bale a week. How would it save me 1 bale when that's all I use? And I like to take the worst of the barely damp, discoloured shavings out too, the end result of this is a deep litter bed that's been down over 2 years without touching it and is as fragrant as the day it was laid. Does your machine run off batteries? What if there's no mains power? Or what if there is but it's miles away and you'd need 2 extension cords to get it to reach? What if an extension cord would have to run across the yard where horses and people are coming and going all the time? Or what if it's raining, making mains electricity and dangling extension cords a serious hazard? How long does it take to empty the machine and maintain/clean it? How often does it need servicing and where would people take it to be serviced? Does it block regularly? What if you accidentally sucked up your messy ned's pile of discarded haylage? How long is the guarantee? How heavy is it to lug around empty and full? How big/cumbersome is the nozzle that sucks up poo, because my horse time shares his bum with an elephant and you'd need serious suction and a seriously wide nozzle to cope with it. In what way would pointing the nozzle thing all around the shavings be easier on your back/time than a shavings fork?And if the suction is that good, what would happen if you accidentally got the yard cat/chickens caught in it? 

HTG hun, I think you've got a product that is 100 times worse than the current manual method! When you've ironed out all the above, maybe try again lol. 

[/ QUOTE ]

Hi, thank you for your response. The machine removes waste bedding, both poo and wet shavings, without wasting clean shavings, which is where the saving is to be made. Time is also saved, which to many people is more valuable.

The machine is electrically-powered, so if your site has no power then it is not suitable. The RCD plug makes the machine 100% electrically safe.

To empty the machine you simply take the container to the muck heap. The cleaning process would be infrequent.

There are only two parts of the machine that could possibly break down, but due to their nature, this is highly unlikely.

If hay was to get in the machine, it would not damage it, it would simply go back into your bed, though the obvious solution would be to avoid it.

There would be a 12-month guarantee.

The machine weighs approx. 30kg but it is on wheels so weight is not really an issue.

Hope this helps. The DVD demo that we are currently developing should answer any remaining questions.


----------



## EleanorBrooks (14 September 2009)

[ QUOTE ]
Tractor and bucket once a year works pretty well for me.  
	
	
		
		
	


	





I think that although these time/labour saving devices sound great, in reality dragging the things around, getting it set up, etc, etc, doesn't actually save much time in the end. 

Good Luck though.



[/ QUOTE ]

Thank you for replying. I agree that these sorts of things can often take time to set up, though this is not the case here - you simply wheel the machine into your stable, plug it in and begin your muck out. Hope this is of use. The DVD demo that we are currently developing would be worth viewing once it is released, as it will answer any other questions or doubts you may have.


----------



## Bossanova (14 September 2009)

I believe there have been other mechanical mucking out devices trialled in the past with little sucess.
Is it like a poo-hover- ie do you need someone to move a sucker around the stable?


----------



## SonnysHumanSlave (14 September 2009)

I already have a mucking out machine.... its called the yard  owner


----------



## kerilli (14 September 2009)

it's an interesting idea, and perhaps on big studs and race yards it would have a market... if i had 30 boxes a day to muck out on my own (as 1 stud owner i know does) i'd love anything that made it easier!


----------



## Mike007 (14 September 2009)

Dear Elanor ,welcome to the wonderfull world of the horse owner.If you were selling some sort of magical magnetic boot, or a syringe filled with saltwater and pseudoscience,they would beat a pathway to your door.You must also understand your market. They are the most ham fisted bodging people you will ever meet.Do not even think of printing instructions unless it has very large pictures ,Idealy with a horse in the background,(and possibly on soft paper).  I think you are a tryer and I wish you luck.   Mike.


----------



## Enfys (14 September 2009)

Say it as you see it Mike 
	
	
		
		
	


	





Actually, I wish anyone luck for having the gumption and having a stab at getting anything on the market. I'm sure we'd all be interested in seeing the machine working though. 

I still wouldn't use one though, as I said, a tractor and bucket once a year does for my run in sheds. The joy of having horses out 24/7, no stables to clean, the best labour saving ever.


----------



## JanetGeorge (14 September 2009)

If it takes 10 minutes, it doesn't save me time - I can do a big box with shavings in 10 minutes, thanks to rubber mats.

With the price of shavings, it would NEED to save more than 1 bale a week for me to switch most of the stables back to them - paper is a lot cheaper and more absorbent.

I would challenge ANY machine to separate clean from dirty while using less than 1kw/hr of power when my lumps have been churning it up.

If it's smaller than a wheelbarrow, how does it contain any sort of seperation device AND the sh*t, let alone the dirty bedding.  My horses can fill a 100litre barrow each overnight WITHOUT the bedding included - you'd be emptying the thing every 5 minutes (trailing electric cable to the muckheap??)

And IF it does everything claimed, how on earth do you make it and sell it for £500??  Hell, if it works, I'll have 4 ...... no, on second thoughts, at the rate my staff break wheelbarrows, brooms and coffee cups - they'd destroy the damn things in a month!


----------

