Review: Penditwist dribble bar
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Farm Trader has featured many a machine from Joskin, most notably its tankers, but this time Jaiden was interested in the machine on the back — the Penditwist dribble bar.
The Modulo2 12,000 tanker on the front is still of significance because it features the rear buttress, which makes attaching rear-mounted tools, such as dribble bars, travelling shoe, or disc injectors, easy.
Here's a quick refresher on the key features on the Joskin Modulo2, available as single axle (2500 litres to 11,000 litres) and tandem axle (8400 litres to 18,000 litres).
Jurop vacuum pump
The Jurop PN106 vacuum pump was specified on the test machine, which has a pumping capacity of 11,000 litres per minute. This specific pump is run in 1000PTO and has an average filling time of four to five minutes, depending on the composition of the effluent.
The pump is complete with auto-lubrication and a 150mm pressure relief valve for safety and pump protection. Like all of the other options Joskin offers, vacuum pumps are no exceptions with water and air cooling options available, however these come with an additional price tag.
Ecopump exhaust
This feature is unique and seldom seen on effluent tankers, but the Joskin has an exhaust system from the pump to lower noise levels and send harmful fumes far above the operator. This works in the same way as the vacuum pump setup featured in most dairy sheds, and also has a tap at the bottom of the exhaust to drain any excess vacuum pump oil that accumulates.
In-cab control box
This is not a pretty, nor sophisticated, control box, but each button's function is self-explanatory — a plus for most buyers. This particular tanker runs power beyond hydraulic control, which means constant oil flow and solenoids control where the oil goes once a switch in the cab is activated.
The dribble bar lifted, dropped, and folded quickly, and didn't seem to slow the emptying time at all, which is a major benefit.
The Modulo2 test machine
- Hydraulic jack
- Full hot-dip galvanised tank and chassis
- Rear buttress
- Large galvanised mudguards
- Large sight glass
- Cross-spring drawbar suspension
- Tandem axle with 'walk-over bogie suspension system'
Rear buttress
The tank buttresses, where the linkage mounts with the entire machine, is reinforced for this option in such a way that the rear implement weight is transferred through the whole vehicle — not just the rear of the tank itself.
The linkage
The rear linkage design on the tanker is built with both strength and stability in mind in order to limit the side and vertical strains on the whole running gear. The arms are built short and wide, so the weight on the back of the tanker doesn't cause it to body roll.
With Walterschied hooks on the bottom and two top links, you gain a four-point hitch. This ensures strength and stability, while reducing over-hang to keep overall length down.
How it works
The functionality of the tanker itself doesn't change in terms of hydraulic requirements. This machine uses power beyond, so the oil is diverted to the specific function of the tanker using the in-cab controller where the hydraulic folding and unfolding of the dribble bar 'wings' and the lowering of the tank linkage takes place.
As the linkage is lowered from in the cab, the sequential block takes care of the following functions automatically:
- Opens rear valve;
- Start of the slurry macerator; and
- Controls the automatic reverse of the macerator.
The macerator
For those who don't know what one of these is, essentially it works like a food processor on steroids. A good macerator is essential to make sure the hoses don't keep blocking (dairy effluent, in particular, is full of fibres and foreign objects).
Joskin's solution is a patented system with self-sharpening discs. A hydraulic motor at the top rotates a blade, which then has rotating circular blades mounted to that, and like the power socket as a child, you will only put your hand there once.
When the blades strike against something too hard to chop, the rotation direction is reversed and it goes back and forward until it is chopped enough to go through the injectors. Bearing in mind, though, the eight-inch stone trap at the bottom of the tank will take care of the heavy objects before they even make it to the macerator.
The macerator is of utmost importance in order to make sure the Penditwist works properly. The nine-metre booms have one single macerator, while the 12-metre-plus booms have two of them, in order to get a greater reactivity at the beginning of the spreading phase and to reduce the load losses (slurry is more uniformly spread).
The macerators of the Penditwist are vertical and have horizontal outlets allowing the pipes to be placed in an optimal way. As a result, the load losses are limited and slurry is more evenly distributed, even at the end of a massive 18-metre boom.
Penditwist
We have the linkage and we have the macerator. So, why choose a dribble bar over your traditional splash plate? The first reason is the nitrogen losses are less than 20 percent, rather than nearer to 80 percent with the splash plate. The second reason is the nutrient is laid at the foot of the plant, which reduces grazing time after application.
Additionally, (and the main reason I would buy one) it allows your tractor to stay clean as you can work in very windy conditions and also significantly reduces the release of ammonia gases. I can verify this actually does limit the smell, as during the test we spread pig effluent and it hardly smelled at all. The dribble bar is a simple concept where a set of hoses hang from an overhead bar with the spreading hoses fixed at regular intervals (250mm or 300mm depending on boom width).
The other good feature of this machine is that the pipes are folded upside down for transport, so any remaining effluent in the pipes doesn't end up on the bonnet of the car following you down the road.
Verdict
Let's face it, regional councils are going to only get tougher penalising non-compliers in the effluent department. Furthermore, the fact that there is so much value in the effluent itself means it needs to be utilised, rather than treated as a problem. Injectors are very good, although they are more expensive, they need a bigger tractor to pull them and working widths above six metres are pretty impractical.
The dribble bar as I can see it is the best solution in terms of tanker attachments. It has significantly-lower nitrogen losses, you can graze the paddocks sooner, cover a bigger area, and can get away with a smaller tractor. She's good news all round, folks!
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