While in attendance at the Sommet de l’Élevage agricultural show which took place in France earlier this month, Agriland met a French-based machinery importer who is sourcing slurry systems built in Co. Armagh.

Luc Jeannerot is the boss of the French machinery importer Agro Jeannerot which is based near Switzerland in a region known as Franche-Comté.

He explained he first saw the slurry-systems which are built in Co. Armagh at the National Ploughing Championships and saw an opportunity for the machinery in the French market.

Speaking to Agriland, Luc said: “I buy SlurryKat equipment and sell it to French dealers. We then go out to the farm to set up the machines along with the farmer.”

He explained that the umbilical slurry-spreading system in France was “not that popular” but noted that biogas companies in France have growing volumes of slurry to spread and said “the umbilical system is the best way to increase output”.

“I first discovered SlurryKat at the National Ploughing Championships in Ireland. I said ‘this is something we need to introduce in France’.”

He said that most slurry is spread by tankers in France due to fields being “dispersed” but believes that with growing farm sizes and expanding biogas companies, the umbilical systems will be more common in the future.

Also at the stand was the SlurryKat European sales manager, Niall O’Neill who said the product is gaining traction in the French market now because of “forward vision”.

He explained that from 2025 onwards, the spreading of slurry with splash-plates will be phased out in France and the future of the slurry-system market in France will be for low emission slurry spreading (LESS).

Luc said the umbilical LESS systems can handle “big volumes of slurry” with trucks bringing slurry to the field and an umbilical system spreading in the field.

Niall said that machinery cooperatives known as CUMAs have a strong influence and that the company has been working to raise awareness of its range in these cooperatives.

SlurryKat is based outside Portadown in Co. Armagh and Luc said that machinery produced on the island of Ireland is associated with being “heavy duty” in the French market due to the tough conditions in Ireland.

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Yet the industry never stands still, and can barely see any sort of standard without wanting to challenge it within 5mins of its establishment.

Doubling the standard

This is what Slurrykat has just done by designing a boom of double that width. Despite this extra reach, the 15m boom still folds into a transport height of just 3.2m, the same as the company's 7.5m booms.

The booms manage this with a novel tri-folding design. The outer booms fold first, followed by the inner booms. The machine then lifts vertically into the transport position.

It is claimed that the first full production machines will operate at an impressive flow rate of up to 300m, or around 60,000 gallons/hr. Which, if fitted to a 3,000gal tanker, gives a theoretical emptying time of 3mins.

New dribble bar is wider but lighter

This is quite a step up from the normal application rate and to maintain such a flow, the size of the tanker pump may need to be revisited.

The company also claims that the 15m boom is actually lighter than its 12m offering which, when coupled with the use of stronger steel, ensures that the machine weight is minimised.

The extra width does mean an overall reduction in field traffic, halving the damage caused by soil compaction, especially early in the season when soils will still be damp.

Dual use dribble bar

However, the impact of field traffic can be reduced even further by using the boom attached to an umbilical system, to which it is ideally suited.

This may be of particular interest to contractors wishing to move between the two systems.

Prices start from £24,250 plus VAT. Isobus control and flow meters are also available as options.

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One business grew on the back of the other and, according to Garth, both now complement one another – with the contracting activities providing a “test-bed” for newly developed machines.

Our camera-man Kevin Farrell produced this video (below).

To kick off (in the video), we spoke to Darren (Bailey Machinery Sales) – SlurryKat’s main dealer in the Republic of Ireland.

He explained: “I suppose; the most unique thing about SlurryKat as a company is that – number one – they’re obviously making slurry and trailer equipment, but they were founded on a contracting business.

‘Test-bed for new machines’

“This contracting business is still in operation today and is used as a test-bed for all new products – before they ever reach the market,” added Darren (pictured below).

Garth joined the conversation, saying: “My background is really agricultural contracting. I started contracting just over 20 years ago, after I finished up the old school days.

“I started out in a small way – just doing a bit of work for a few local farmers.

As you know, contracting is not an all-year-round job. It’s hard to keep busy in the wet, cold days of winter – so we started doing a bit of welding and steel-work fabrication.

He continued: “We started manufacturing a few pieces of our own equipment – a few trailers. That’s sort of how we got into it…and where we’ve come from today.

“We got a wee bit better at it and, then, we saw an opportunity with the Nitrates Directive; it has completely revolutionised the whole slurry spreading industry.”

6-8 tankers per week

Garth went on to describe how these changes have shaped what SlurryKat does; he explained how the product range has grown – noting that the company built its first tanker 10 years ago – in 2009. It is now manufacturing six to eight units each week.

He also (in the video) reminisced about his own first tractor – a John Deere 3040. Cairns Contracting still relies on John Deere equipment today; heading up the current fleet is a flagship 8800i self-propelled forager.

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The Panterra range slots in below the company’s existing premium-spec trailers – the latter typically being aimed at contractors and other “intensive users”.

According to SlurryKat, the new trailers follow on from the release of the Panterra tanker range back in 2016. Those machines have apparently allowed the company to “double tanker production – not only with the addition of the Panterra tankers, but also by increasing sales of existing, premium-line machines”.

The new Panterra trailer range consists of two line-ups – low-loader trailers and drop-side (general-purpose) models (one of which is pictured below).

The Panterra low-loader line-up consists of two versions – a 16t tandem-axle model (pictured below) and a 24t tri-axle unit. Standard features include: sprung ramps; an LED lighting package; 80kph axles; “heavy-duty” multi-leaf suspension; side crash rails; and a two-pack paint finish.

Optional extras include: dual air and hydraulic brakes; an aluminium lockable toolbox; and alternative colour schemes.

The drop-side (general-purpose) trailer range (one of which is pictured below) consists of four models – 8t, 10t, 12t and 14t versions. All come as standard with: tandem axles; hydraulic brakes; an LED lighting package; and two-pack red paint.

Other features include a single tipping cylinder (ram), which is apparently carried across from the company’s premium-spec trailers. Sides and posts are removable – to leave a flat bed.

According to SlurryKat, a common complaint with this type of trailer is that the user has to leave the cab and manually open the tail-door; the company has “solved this problem using a hydraulically-latched rear door”.

Prices (in Northern Ireland) for the drop-side models start from £5,950 (plus VAT); the Panterra-badged low-loader line-up starts from £8,500 (plus VAT).

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Based in Co. Armagh, SlurryKat has been a growing player in the shear-grab market during the past two years; it is now improving its offering with the addition of new Hardox tines.

According to SlurryKat, its first grabs brought a “new dimension” to the market with design features that made them the “widest-opening grab on the market”.

This was achieved by using a longer tine design.

The company’s flagship ProCut shear-grab range is aimed at intensive users, such as large dairy units or even biogas plants with high-volume daily feeding programmes.

The company’s latest innovation – a full Hardox-tine grab – is offered as an alternative to the conventional forged-tine grab.

SlurryKat’s managing director, Garth Cairns, explained: “As we always strive to be the leaders at what we do, building shear-grabs was a new market for us in 2015. We approached it no differently to any other products that we manufacture.

I wanted our grabs to be the best on the market, so we had to offer something different to the rest. We wanted to eliminate almost all of the maintenance problems seen on other shear-grab designs.

“After initial design of these special Hardox tines and prototype testing, refining the overall design of the machine was our focus. We have built the machine around these new tines, which are totally maintenance-free and offer unparalleled long-life wear characteristics.”

The new Hardox ProCut range is available in working widths from 1.95m (6ft 4in) up to 3.05m (10ft). Prices start from £2,850 excluding VAT.

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BMS was recently appointed as SlurryKat’s main dealer in the Republic of Ireland. The arrival of this new bale trailer is the “next phase in this partnership”.

SlurryKat itself is not only a manufacturer but also operates an agricultural contracting and plant hire business, which doubles as a testing ground for its new designs and prototypes – ahead of being released onto the market.

This new bale trailer, according to the company, is an example of how its “hands-on” knowledge of actually working with machinery in the field has been applied to the design process.

Starting from the ground up, the trailer sits on 550/45 R22.5 tyres; other sizes can be specified. The rims are fitted to “high-speed axles”, apparently to “maximise braking efficiency and safety” – regardless of the towing tractor’s speed capability.

To further boost its safety credentials, side crash bars are fitted along with “high-visibility” markings and an LED lighting package (including a rear-facing warning strobe beacon).

The axles are mated to a commercial spring suspension system which, in turn, is fitted to a full-length RHS box-section chassis. Alternatively, a rocking beam (bogie) suspension system is available as an option.

At the front, an adjustable stand keeps the trailer level in the field when loading; there’s also a double-coil sprung drawbar, plus a “high-tensile” towing ring. The increasingly popular spoon-type hitch (to fit a ball coupling on the tractor) is available as an option.

Completing the package are rear mud-flaps and a galvanised toolbox. The latter provides storage space for all sorts of odds and ends. Usefully, it’s lockable.

Up top is where all the action is. The trailer’s party piece is its bale clamping system. This consists of full-length, galvanised steel “clamps” on each side of the trailer.

Each so-called clamp lowers and raises hydraulically; this is all controlled from inside the tractor’s cab. The idea is that you lower the clamp down when loading bales; once all are safely on-board, the clamps are raised back up into the “locked” transport position – thereby clamping the bales securely in place.

Each side can be controlled independent of the other and locks in place hydraulically, courtesy of a “stop-lock” valve (which requires hydraulic pressure to release).

This clamping system, according to SlurryKat, does away with the need to strap down the load. This, it claims, ultimately saves time and boosts safety.

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SlurryKat, based in Waringstown, Co. Armagh, manufactures slurry handling equipment such as tankers and umbilical systems, as well as producing a range of farm trailers, shear grabs, slurry pumps and mixers alongside road sweepers.

The display at this year’s event will include single and tandem-axle tankers, low-loader and Proline silage trailers, slurry applicators, lay-flat hose reelers, slurry pumps, headland management systems and road sweepers.

SlurryKat will also officially launch its southern Irish dealer – Laois-based Bailey Machinery Sales (BMS) – at the event. BMS and SlurryKat joined forces earlier this year – to grow market share south of the border.

Speaking about the partnership with BMS, SlurryKat CEO Garth Cairns commented: “I am delighted to be in partnership with Bailey Machinery Sales and I’m looking forward to many positives in the future for both of us.

“BMS has given fantastic representation and service to clients since teaming up with SlurryKat. It will be an exciting National Ploughing Championships this year.”

BMS Managing Director Darren Bailey is himself no stranger to the machinery industry, having grown up in the family agricultural contracting business.

He said: “I am very proud to be associated with such an innovative and market-leading company; its products are a testament to real world testing and development within its own contracting business. I look forward to introducing the brand to customers in the south.”

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Based in Warringstown, Co. Armagh, SlurryKat claims to be “a market-leading manufacturer of all types of slurry-handling equipment“, with a line-up that includes slurry tankers, umbilical systems, agitators, nurse tanks and pumps.

The firm also sells a range of agricultural trailers that includes silage and grain models, low loaders, dump trailers and bale trailers, in addition to shear-grabs and road sweepers.

Formed in 1994, from an agricultural contracting background, the company currently exports 140 products to over 20 countries internationally.

Commenting on the appointment, CEO of SlurryKat, Garth Cairns, said: “We are delighted and encouraged to team up with such an enthusiastic and energetic company like BMS. We feel working with Darren and his team will give SlurryKat true representation and service for the southern half of the country.”

Bailey Machinery Sales Ltd is located in Rathdowney, Co. Laois, and is situated three miles from Junction 3 on the M8.

Managing Director of BMS, Darren Bailey, has previous experience in the machinery industry, having grown up working in an agricultural contracting business before moving onto sales with New Holland.

Bailey commented: “I have full confidence in SlurryKat equipment and I am excited to introduce quality and efficient machinery to customers – both new and old.”

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Based outside Rathgormack in the south-east, Nugent has been contracting for over 30 years – initially starting off with a Semac 1000-gallon tanker in 1981, which was pulled behind a David Brown 1490. Today the business has grown considerably; it now employs five full-time staff, which doubles to 10 during busy times of the year.

Nugent offers services such as silage harvesting, hedge-cutting, dung spreading and plant hire to customers in the surrounding areas. One thing, however, has remained predominant in the business since he started – and that is slurry spreading.

“Slurry would definitely be our main enterprise,” commented Nugent. To keep up with demand, he uses a fleet that includes two 2,500-gallon Hi Spec tankers, one 2,000-gallon Hi Spec unit, two 1,000m SlurryKat trailed reelers, two front-mounted SlurryKat reelers (one a 600m unit and the other a 400m version) as well as a 1,000m SlurryKat backpack reeler.

To deliver slurry to where it’s needed, Patsy has two Doda pumps (supplied by SlurryKat – the main importer for Doda). Slurry is pumped out to either of two SlurryKat spreader bars or a SlurryKat 9m dribble bar.

Nugent’s latest investment for his slurry enterprise comes in the form of this 2500-gallon SlurryKat tanker (below), which is fitted with a 9m dribble bar and is finished in gloss black.

I bought my first SlurryKat equipment back in 1997 and I have been dealing with them ever since. We bought the latest tanker and applicator to keep up with demand and are delighted with it.

Nugent says that the tank itself is built to the standards demanded from today’s agricultural professionals, referring to the fact that SlurryKat also encompasses an agricultural contracting business of its own (as well as being a manufacturer of agricultural equipment). Nugent is confident that the firm has applied its “hands-on experience and knowledge” to the design of its machines.

In fact, SlurryKat’s slogan is ‘designed by contractors; built by engineers’.

The Super Tanker range, from which Nugent’s tanker has come, has apparently been specifically designed for the spreading system which is mounted on the rear. The company says that it is not simply a ‘bolt on’ or an afterthought.

SlurryKat claims that the chassis and spreading technology “merge in a unique way” – to provide “equilibrium” and enable “smooth” road travel.

The tank itself is constructed from 6mm mild steel, which is welded both internally and externally. It is then mounted onto a laser-cut, press-formed and tapered chassis – complete with a high-speed, commercial-spec axle with 420×180 brakes and 30.5 R32 low ground pressure tyres.

Suction and pumping muscle is provided by a 11,000L/min PTO-driven Jurop vacuum pump. For convenience, four fill points come as standard – as well as a side inspection hatch and three sight glasses. The tanker also incorporates anti-implosion rings and an anti-slosh baffle system, as well as a sprung drawbar and a stone trap.

Enthused about his newly-acquired tanker, Patsy commented: “I am delighted with the tanker to be honest; I have a lot of SlurryKat equipment and I think it’s well-engineered to last the kind of work contractors will put it through. I still have some SlurryKat equipment that I purchased in 1997 and it still works away every year.”

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