The Hawk from slurry equipment specialist Storth Machinery is a new dual-action slurry tank mixer developed to resolve separation problems in large above-ground storage tanks.
The system breaks up the surface crust of the slurry as well as stirring up and mixing the sediment at the bottom of the tank. These combined actions create a more uniform consistency of slurry for extraction and spreading, and also prevents the build-up of sediment that could limit tank storage capacity.
The Hawk slurry tank mixer is built by Lancashire-based Storth Machinery and is unique in its design. Consisting of an external stand that is sited on the outside of the tank that supports the working part of the mixer – a vertical column that is hung inside the tank – it can be powered from the PTO of a 120hp tractor.
At the bottom of the interior vertical column is a pump drum impeller that sucks in liquid slurry. This is ejected via two discharge nozzles: one that is located at the bottom of the column and which agitates the sediment in the tank; ands a second discharge nozzle located at the top of the column above the slurry surface that can rotate through 300 degrees and jets liquid across the top of the slurry. The weight of the falling liquid helps break up surface crust.
A hand-held remote control enables the operator to change the direction of the upper discharge nozzle and adjust flow rates from the viewing platform.
The dual-action nature of the mixer ensures that sediment is mixed from the bottom of the tank and up into the liquid fraction, while the surface crust is broken and sinks down into the liquid fraction. The overall result is slurry of a more uniform consistency.
“Farmers are installing larger-diameter tanks and storing greater volumes of slurry, so there’s a need to have a more efficient method of mixing the slurry than the existing propeller mixers,” Storth Machinery’s Chris Richardson said. “We had received enquiries from farmers concerned about how to shift the sediment at the bottom of their above-ground tanks, so we developed the Hawk to tackle the issue at two levels.
“Sedimentation and crust formation are also a problem in NVZ areas where a five- or six-month closed period for spreading means many tanks are being left unstirred during this time. In the spring, the sheer volume of slurry creates a big challenge.
The Hawk is available in heights ranging from 10-20ft, however, this can be increased further where tanks have a base below ground level.
Prices for the Hawk slurry mixer start at £15,500 for a 10ft tall model (June 2012 price).
For more information visit: www.storthmachinery.co.uk.
