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Discussion on Using a plastic toboggan to transfer manure to the pile
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Member:
lilo
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Posted on Saturday, Dec 27, 2008 - 11:31 am:
Hi all,
When the snow is so deep that pushing a wheelbarrow is hard to impossible, you can use a cheap plastic toboggan - load it up with manure and drag it over the snow. I find it saves energy, even though I still have to stomp through the snow.
My toboggan ($1 at a garage sale) is not very large - will be looking for a larger one. This might not work for barns with a lot of shavings, which I do not use. Therefore the volume of manure I have to clean out is not very large.
Happy winter horse keeping!
Lilo
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Member:
erika
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Posted on Saturday, Dec 27, 2008 - 1:14 pm:
Brilliant, Lilo!
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Member:
chance1
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Posted on Saturday, Dec 27, 2008 - 1:48 pm:
Great idea! I use a smallish (holds about 25 lbs), solid sided laundry basket with several strands of baling twine tied to one of the cutout handles (switch handles when the bottom starts to wear through) and it works great to drag through the winter mud and summer pasture to the compost can. It is great exercise and it was cheap too! It lasts about a year before the bottom wears through at both ends. Can't ask for much more for my $8!!
Low tech innovation!
Cheers, Ruth
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Member:
scooter
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Posted on Saturday, Dec 27, 2008 - 1:58 pm:
Good Ideas! I use a muck bucket with baling twine to pull my through the snow, then I have handles to pick it up and dump it on top so the "pile" don't get too big. I'd love to have something that holds more, the horses tend to use the lean-to as a bathroom way more in the winter and I have to make many trips with the muck bucket
Lilo how do you dump the tobogan?
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Member:
zarr
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Posted on Saturday, Dec 27, 2008 - 2:11 pm:
As soon as I finish beating the manure with the hammer we load it into a small plastic pool and use rope attached to pull! Have tried to hook up one horse or the other so they can "help" but I just get that deer in the headlight look! 
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Member:
ajudson1
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Posted on Saturday, Dec 27, 2008 - 4:59 pm:
Hmmm...I have what we call up here a "Yooper
Scooper"(a big aluminum snow scoop...meant to push snow with; don't think they make them any more which is a shame) and I use that to drag hay bales on, never considered it for manure, but why not? In fact, I bet I can get the crap on the pile better where as the ol' wheelbarrow leaves me with limited choices as to where to dump.
Ya know Cindy, hooking a horse up to it is a great idea! We used to have an older Tennessee Walker mare that we made some sort of breast collar for and used the surcingle to pull the kids on tobggans. I would ride her, and I had to watch out for the lines so we went pretty straight, but it was fun!
Creative ways to move manure in the winter, and have fun, and the horse(s) and I get exercise! What a plan!
I am thinking my smaller Rubbermaid tank, with rope around it...that might work.
Look out horses, one of you is going to be my project, lol!
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Member:
lilo
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Posted on Saturday, Dec 27, 2008 - 5:28 pm:
Diane - when I get to the manure pile I just lift up on one side and dump it. Since it is plastic, it is light-weight and not hard to dump. Might be a little harder if I get a larger toboggan, but I don't think it will be a problem.
Lilo
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Member:
boots
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Posted on Saturday, Dec 27, 2008 - 6:05 pm:
Try using a small tarp - easy to drag and dump, rinse and store. Good for all kinds of stuff we don't wish to lift.
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Member:
scooter
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Posted on Saturday, Dec 27, 2008 - 6:32 pm:
Wouldn't the poop roll off a tarp when dragging it?
I need something with sides...so not real sure about the toboggan...it's kind of a bumpy ride to the manure pile . I kind of like the idea of a large laundry basket, but when I get the muck bucket plumb full of pee shavings and poop I have a hard time dragging that through the snow. How high are the sides on a toboggan about? Haven't had small kids for quite awhile
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Member:
boots
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Posted on Saturday, Dec 27, 2008 - 6:52 pm:
Diane- Fold the corners of the tarp up and drag it by them or tie some rope to the gromets for a handle. Wear gloves, but I am sure that you do that anyway. I like the muck bucket idea.
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Member:
canter
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Posted on Saturday, Dec 27, 2008 - 8:54 pm:
They make plastic toboggan's for ice fishermen that are longer and deeper than a kid's tobboggan. The plastic is a bit tougher too. It's still light weight, would hold substantially more manure than a regular one but would still be light enough to tip, I would think, even with a full load. Not sure what they cost brand new, but I bet one could be found cheap enough on sale at the end of the season.
Lilo, I think the toboggan idea is ingenius, and I'm gonna suggest it to the barn owner where I board. I've seen her struggle enough times with a wheel barrow through mud and snow...I bet she'd love your idea.
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Member:
scooter
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Posted on Saturday, Dec 27, 2008 - 9:59 pm:
Here's a wheelbarrow that supposedly works well in snow, mud. If it really did I would be tempted...even at that price. My old wheelbarrow just broke apart the other day and I had it for over 30 yrs, so I need one anyway.
https://www.nubarro.com/
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Member:
maggienm
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Posted on Sunday, Dec 28, 2008 - 8:51 am:
That fork looks pretty good, wonder how it would work on the wet stuff?
I am not sure the nubarrel would work well in snow or the sticky mud we have, but what an idea.
I have used a small tarp with a rope threaded thru the rings on the outside edge.
When you are ready to tow the rope pulls the edges together as much as the load allows. This really keeps the stuff from falling off and of course permits a variable sized load.
It works well if you have a large dumping area, when you get there just pull the tarp out from under the load.
When my system changed and I had to start dumping in a bin, )trying to go green) I found a very lightweight wheelbarrow, it isn't very big but when it is full and I have to lift it waist high to dump into the bin it feels plenty big enough.
Fortunately my bin isn't very large so once it is full I can go back to the dumping in my large area.
When ever hubby plows the snow out of the pen he plows the manure also. Spoilt.. yup.
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Member:
lilo
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Posted on Sunday, Dec 28, 2008 - 11:29 am:
Diane - that is an interesting concept. But for now, my 1 dollar toboggan is in.
Lilo
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Member:
quatro
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Posted on Sunday, Dec 28, 2008 - 11:56 pm:
Hey Lilo, we have been using a bright orange toboggan for years. They work great. I even put a bale of hay on it, to haul out to the tires in the pasture. Sometimes Levi is like a cat chasing a string when I drag the hay sled past him in the field. But it sure saves my back.
thanks for sharing
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Member:
sonoita
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Posted on Saturday, Jan 3, 2009 - 4:10 pm:
Hey all,
I used it for hay and shavings and you get it heavy enough it pushes the snow down and you can have a trail so to speak to walk in.
Two bales will fit good. Lilo don't forget we used it to carry our tools when we were working on the trail. ie shovels, rocks, weed fabric.
We also one year used it for wood for the fire place.
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Member:
fargo
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Posted on Thursday, Jan 15, 2009 - 9:18 am:
I found a great solution for my winter manure hauling problem (which may be common knowledge to others). Read that concrete guys carry wheelbarrows with pallet forks. Realised (after a year and a half of thinking about this) that our Rubbermade Big Wheel Carts were almost custom made to be carried by a pallet fork. (We have started snowblowing part of our turnout for easy picking. Have to be sure it is well picked before blowing it.)
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Member:
scooter
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Posted on Thursday, Jan 15, 2009 - 4:54 pm:
HMMM now all I need is a skidsteer!
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Member:
lilo
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Posted on Thursday, Jan 15, 2009 - 7:00 pm:
Thanks for the input. That would work for bigger operations - I think for me I'll need to stick with the toboggan, or maybe the tarp. I might try that next time.
Lilo
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Member:
fargo
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Posted on Thursday, Jan 15, 2009 - 7:00 pm:
Clearly, the $1 toboggan has its advantages. Great idea for going through a snowy turnout. Fuel is cheaper too.
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